The A-League Is Back! Starts July 17th 2020!!!

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Jul 5, 2011
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The A-League will return to complete the 2019/20 season in July! It's been difficult times these past few months during this pandemic that we thought the league will never come back but it is back! for now anyway! It may look different in future but for now lets enjoy it support the league and the game and complete the current season!


FFA statement in relation to the season commencement and the broadcast deal.

Football to continue on Fox Sports through to July 2021
FFA Media

Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Fox Sports Australia (Fox Sports) tonight confirmed they had reached agreement on a new broadcast deal that will see football broadcast on Fox Sports through to the end of July 2021.
The agreement ensures that the remainder of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season will resume on 16 July and be completed as planned. Australia’s final four FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Round 2 Asian Qualifiers will be shown on Fox Sports, while Socceroos and Westfield Matildas friendly international matches will be aired on the network through to 31 July 2021.
The A-League 2020/21 and Westfield W-League 2020/21 seasons will also be shown on Fox Sports.
FFA Chief Executive Officer James Johnson acknowledged Foxtel and Fox Sports for their collaboration during the negotiation, noting that the deal will help to provide the certainty football requires.
“I would like to thank Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany and Head of Fox Sports Peter Campbell for their continued support for Australian football,” Johnson said.
“The pandemic has created uncertainty and accelerated disruption to the sports media sector and to football here in Australia and abroad – this new agreement adjusts to this new reality, secures the immediate future of football in Australia and provides flexibility for FFA to lay a foundation to transition into a new world for Australian professional football.
“The deal will see the professional game – for women and men – reactivated, and ensures that football at the heart of all our thinking in the future.
“It will also provide immediate certainty for clubs, players, coaches, officials and, most importantly, fans, for the remainder of the current Hyundai A-League season, as well as the next.
“We are equally as pleased to have secured the next season for the Westfield W-League to ensure we can continue to drive interest and growth in women’s football in Australia,” he said.
Australian Professional Football Clubs Association (APFCA) Chairman Paul Lederer also thanked Foxtel, Fox Sports and FFA for successfully concluding their discussions.
“Fox Sports has been an outstanding partner of the Hyundai A-League and the Westfield W-League and we are pleased that this partnership will continue until the 2020/21 season,” Lederer said.
“This deal ensures that our fans and members will be able to enjoy the exciting conclusion to the current Hyundai ALeague season, and look forward to the next A-League and Westfield W-League seasons.”
FFA CEO James Johnson added that a key feature of the new broadcast deal includes a shift in the timing of the next A-League season, with the 2020/21 season now commencing in December 2020 and concluding in July 2021.
“The shift in the timing of the next A-League season is a strategic decision to enhance the alignment of our top tier professional men’s league with the grassroots playing season of the largest community sport in the country,” Johnson explained.

 
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nobbyiscool

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(the post that I had typed from the now-locked thread)

Playing on muddy grounds that you're sharing with rugby codes arguably hurts the game more.

Summer wasn't the issue - stupid fixturing was. Scheduling 5pm games in Adelaide in January was. Not using the fixtures available in New Zealand and Tasmania was.

We had a whole summer period to pack away 8pm games, night after night, away from the worst of the heat while also building momentum and interest ala the Big Bash where you know you can turn on and there's a game to watch... and we went away from it after a one-year experiment about 4-5 years ago where I think they played 12 games in 13 days (or something like that.) They shouldn't have given up on it, they should've expanded it from Christmas Eve through to Australia Day.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope a switch to winter is the making of the game. But a switch for the sake of switching isn't a reason to do anything.
 
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(the post that I had typed from the now-locked thread)

Playing on muddy grounds that you're sharing with rugby codes arguably hurts the game more.

Summer wasn't the issue - stupid fixturing was. Scheduling 5pm games in Adelaide in January was. Not using the fixtures available in New Zealand and Tasmania was.

We had a whole summer period to pack away 8pm games, night after night, away from the worst of the heat while also building momentum and interest ala the Big Bash where you know you can turn on and there's a game to watch... and we went away from it after a one-year experiment about 4-5 years ago where I think they played 12 games in 13 days (or something like that.) They shouldn't have given up on it, they should've expanded it from Christmas Eve through to Australia Day.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope a switch to winter is the making of the game. But a switch for the sake of switching isn't a reason to do anything.

It was still bloody hot and late for the kids.

There are plenty of stadiums about.

Mariners, Perth and Adelaide all won’t be sharing.

Sydney can work around it with Kogarah and Leichhardt hardly played on. Same with the Bulls.

It can work.
 
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(the post that I had typed from the now-locked thread)

Playing on muddy grounds that you're sharing with rugby codes arguably hurts the game more.

Summer wasn't the issue - stupid fixturing was. Scheduling 5pm games in Adelaide in January was. Not using the fixtures available in New Zealand and Tasmania was.

We had a whole summer period to pack away 8pm games, night after night, away from the worst of the heat while also building momentum and interest ala the Big Bash where you know you can turn on and there's a game to watch... and we went away from it after a one-year experiment about 4-5 years ago where I think they played 12 games in 13 days (or something like that.) They shouldn't have given up on it, they should've expanded it from Christmas Eve through to Australia Day.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope a switch to winter is the making of the game. But a switch for the sake of switching isn't a reason to do anything.

It's not locked! I have unlocked it now I keep stuffing it up when I roll the thread over. That thread is still active.
 
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(the post that I had typed from the now-locked thread)

Playing on muddy grounds that you're sharing with rugby codes arguably hurts the game more.

Summer wasn't the issue - stupid fixturing was. Scheduling 5pm games in Adelaide in January was. Not using the fixtures available in New Zealand and Tasmania was.

We had a whole summer period to pack away 8pm games, night after night, away from the worst of the heat while also building momentum and interest ala the Big Bash where you know you can turn on and there's a game to watch... and we went away from it after a one-year experiment about 4-5 years ago where I think they played 12 games in 13 days (or something like that.) They shouldn't have given up on it, they should've expanded it from Christmas Eve through to Australia Day.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope a switch to winter is the making of the game. But a switch for the sake of switching isn't a reason to do anything.
The statement doesn't say anything about a switch to winter beyond next season.
I dare say the FFA will use it as a test case to see if it is viable, Still nothing concrete I would presume.
 

acm21

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It looks like they are leaning towards the December to July window, maybe stretching to August depending on the year. I don't think any further into the year would work very well both with popularity and also in order to work together with other leagues around the world (which would affect transfers). The below link from a couple of weeks ago goes through each current or potential side that may or may not occur. It doesnt take into account the potential of wests tigers playing more or all the clubs game in Campletown, but would imo still work well with the ground usage.

 
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They've convinced me. move it to March for all I care ❄
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Peter Sidorkiewicz

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It looks like they are leaning towards the December to July window, maybe stretching to August depending on the year. I don't think any further into the year would work very well both with popularity and also in order to work together with other leagues around the world (which would affect transfers). The below link from a couple of weeks ago goes through each current or potential side that may or may not occur. It doesnt take into account the potential of wests tigers playing more or all the clubs game in Campletown, but would imo still work well with the ground usage.

I would do it the other way around. Start in July (or late June), End in December. Finals first 3 weeks of January.
In a year of a World Cup, they could push the start date forward a month, so it doesn’t overlap with a major tournament.

I think the league needs some matches in the summer months, for a crowds point of view, because they are generally going to get killed against AFL and rugby on the same weekend for the first 3 months.

A-league crowds against cricket do well, so I wouldn’t want to lose that. And speaking as a Melbournian, I love the Christmas derby - Victory v City.
 
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FFA not scared of A-League clash with AFL, NRL in winter switch
Vince Rugari


Johnson welcomed the debate but said it was time football focused on itself for once and not on how it can fit in around its rivals.

"We shouldn’t be worrying about what other sports are doing," he told the Herald. "We should focus on who we are and what we do well. That’s our opportunity. We have the largest and most diverse base with two million participants. We have great women’s and men’s national teams.

"We equally care about our W-League and A-League and our clubs compete both domestically, regionally and soon globally when FIFA introduces the new global Club World Cup.
"It's in our hands as a sport. If we can get our two million people to be more interested in our professional leagues, then it doesn't matter what the AFL and NRL are doing."
Domestic football has been played across the summer since 1989, a decision made partly so the old National Soccer League could escape the long shadows of the AFL and NRL.
But a switch back to winter has been gaining momentum in some quarters, with many believing the summer heat has a negative impact on the quality of play in the A-League, while also pushing for the domestic season to be played in tandem with the local and Asian football calendars.
Like so many recent changes in the sport industry, this one has been precipitated by COVID-19. The current A-League season won't be finished until August, meaning the following season had to also be delayed. But with the Qatar World Cup in 2022 to be played across November and December, football's global calendar is facing disruption for several years.
Johnson said FFA saw an "opportunity" therein, having already undertaken its own research on the ideal timing of the domestic season.
"To me, it makes sense logically to align our grassroots seasons, where we have the numbers, with our professional leagues," he said. "There are lots of benefits but as with anything we need to test this hypothesis and that's what this next season will do. I'm quite excited by it, actually.
"We're going to be able to analyse it, to study it, and see whether there are more benefits in an aligned season than not."
Another benefit, Johnson said, is that it could help boost the A-League's transfer revenue. Roughly one-third of the competition's players come off-contract, and thus become free agents, during the world's most active transfer window in the middle of the year. Johnson believes there is greater scope for clubs to make money from selling players if their contracts expire at the end of the year.
Johnson also dismissed concerns around pitch quality in winter, saying they were "easily tradable" with a more comfortable climate for football.
"Playing in 40 degrees heat doesn't help the product. Playing in the winter does. That's certainly a leveller there," he said.
The impact of the change for the W-League is less clear, particularly given that competition's strategic partnership with the US National Women's Soccer League, which usually runs from March to September.

Meanwhile, the week ahead looms as a huge one for FFA and Johnson, with FIFA to decide in the early hours of Friday morning where the 2023 Women's World Cup will be held – Japan, Colombia, or Australia and New Zealand.
Johnson said winning the hosting rights could have a transformative impact on the sport and FFA's financial health, with several sponsors having dropped away even before the pandemic.
"It would be a gamechanger," he said. "If we're unsuccessful, we're going to bring the sport to life anyway. But it would absolutely be a gamechanger, just on simple facts and figures – over a billion people watched the last two World Cups.
"It's not a development competition, this is the biggest sporting competition for women's sport. It's an area of the sport that is the quickest developing, not just in Australia but abroad.
"To have the likes of the US women's national team, the English, Brazil, Japan, competing against our national teams, the Matildas and the Ferns, it's going to be a spectacle to remember for many, many years to come."


Ambitious talking the talk, can they walk the walk through?
 
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Re: potential move to winter, have you guys noticed how some afl games (like Gws and Bulldogs) are dead boring unless you support the team, and more generally how afl games are less entertaining (AFL hq certainly worried about it).
I think football (soccer) as itself is a good enough product that they shouldn't worry about the peripheral stuff, and the standard (which is underrated IMO) can only improve in better playing conditions.
One point I heard from from fnr was that the oppressive heat led to a 'boring and generic' style of play in the a league (Sydney fc model) of up and down counter attacking and a lack of tactical differentiation. The host cited western Uniteds early possession based play as an example of a point of difference before their squad was overhauled. An interesting point I think (also notable how Sydney fc and their style dominate in aus but struggle in Asia.

Anyway the biggest market for the a league expand to is existing football fans and the more to improve the standard and the implementation of a traditional football way of doing transfers and eventually pro +rel (a lot more possible with alignment with npl seasons) can only improve these things.
 

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about time they have set a return date. this is the update i’ve been anticipating these days.

mate on ya for getting rid of that covid s**t
 
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Football Federation Australia (FFA) today released the schedule of matches for the remainder of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season.

The revised regular season schedule will feature 27 matches to be played in 28 days starting Thursday 16 July followed by a 5 game Hyundai A-League 2020 Finals Series, with matches to feature across FOX SPORTS, SKY Sport (NZ), ABC TV, Kayo Sports and MyFootball Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers.



FFA’s Head of Leagues, Greg O’Rourke, is eagerly looking forward to seeing the Hyundai A-League start-up again after its forced break due to COVID-19.


“Over the past 3 months all stakeholders have been working hard together with one goal in mind – To finish what we started.”


“We know the COVID-19 environment has been very difficult for many people in our community and we hope that delivering an extravaganza of matches will allow our fans to basically see a game everyday will be a unique experience for those who have stood by us,” said O’Rourke.


“As we are a truly national game, the current border controls means that some of the match day venues may need to change, however we have secured venues in both a NSW Hub model and a hybrid hub model which has most games in NSW but allows for a few games in other states.


“Whilst we don’t see the draw changing, the planning we have undertaken provides us with agility to shift between certain states if required. This version of the draw displays our current venue plan.


“We will continue to work with the Federal and State governments to ensure the health and safety of our players, coaches and other stakeholders and have detailed and practical protocols in place for all parties involved in training and match days.

“I am excited to see us kick off the restart and ultimately finish off what we started last October, with our priority always being to be in a position to crown our Hyundai A-League Premiers and Champions for this season,” concluded O’Rourke.


Key Points


  • Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season will be completed with 27 matches in 28 days from Thursday 16 July – Wednesday 12 August 2020
  • Six (6) venues will be used in NSW and Queensland with the potential for more venues to added subject to government regulations
    • ANZ Stadium (NSW)
    • Bankwest Stadium (NSW)
    • Central Coast Stadium (NSW)
    • McDonald Jones Stadium (NSW)
    • Netstrata Jubilee Stadium (NSW)
    • Cbus Stadium (QLD)
  • Hyundai A-League 2020 Finals Series will begin on Saturday 15 August 2020
  • Hyundai A-League 2020 Grand Final scheduled for Sunday 23 August 2020
 
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Well no surprise!


Melbourne's A-League clubs to move to Sydney for rest of season
Dominic Bossi

The A-League will almost certainly be completed within a NSW hub with the three Victorian teams to leave the state within the next 24 hours to spend the rest of the season in Sydney.
Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City and Western United will head north before Victoria's border with NSW closes at 11.59pm on Tuesday night due to the escalation of COVID-19 cases in Melbourne.

Football Federation Australia sources informed the Herald of the relocation of the three Victorian teams on Monday with discussions taking place to provide a Sydney hub to complete the campaign. Despite having the option to host games in Adelaide and Brisbane, senior club sources suggest they are considering moving all games into a NSW hub for logistical reasons.
The hub would be another financial blow to the cash-strapped organisation. FFA is set to cover the bulk of the travel and accommodation costs of housing Western United, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City in Sydney for up to two months.
With Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix also set to relocate to Sydney until the end of the season, nine of the 11 A-League clubs will be based in the state once the three Victorian clubs travel north.
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The Victorian A-League clubs will join NRL, AFL and Super Rugby teams from the state in exile. Melbourne Storm are resigned to playing the remainder of the NRL season in Queensland, while all Victorian AFL sides have left the state and are preparing to settle in temporary hubs. The Melbourne Rebels were making arrangements to play their Super Rugby AU matches away from Victoria.
The A-League has already obtained use of Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Kogarah, Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta and McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle for the rescheduled season but could also play games at WIN Stadium in Wollongong and Leichhardt Oval.
The remaining 27 games of the season will be played over 28 days, beginning on July 16 when Melbourne Victory face Western United. That match is now set to be played in Sydney, according to senior A-League sources. The A-League finals series will begin in August, with a grand final date pencilled in for the weekend of August 22 and 23.

 
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