A-Leagues broadcast schedule announced for 2022/23 season

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Australian Professional Leagues (APL) and Paramount Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) have today announced a new television broadcast schedule for the 2022-23 A-Leagues season.

Each weekend, two Isuzu UTE A-League Men matches will be broadcast live and free on 10 Bold at 7.45pm on Saturday and every Sunday afternoon at 3:00pm, which represents an increase of 26 additional matches per season.

Every Liberty A-League Women match will be made available live and free on 10 Play, a platform with a 66% female user base, and on Paramount+, offering increased access to support the growth of the women’s game in the lead up to the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup and more access than ever before for Australian football fans.

Paramount+ will remain the home of all A-Leagues’ matches, men’s and women’s, which are available to stream live as well as mini-matches, highlights and replays. New for this season, the games will be ad-break free, whistle to whistle.

The schedule was developed after the first season of A-Leagues on Paramount ANZ’s platforms, which saw the free-to-air broadcast of the A-Leagues reach more than 6.5 million Australian football fans.

Australian Professional Leagues’ Chief Executive Officer, Danny Townsend said in an APL statement:

“Paramount ANZ is a committed partner in growing football in Australia, and this season’s broadcast schedule is designed to deliver more football to more Australian homes with 26 additional men’s games on 10 Bold and almost 100 women’s games on 10 Play. Football fans will know exactly where and when they will be able to watch A-Leagues football, week in and week out.

“Making every single Liberty A-League Women game available live and free on 10 Play means that every girl in Australia can turn on their device and have sporting role models at their fingertips. With nine months to go until the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup, we are maximising the opportunity to access the game at every level.”

Beverley McGarvey, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, Paramount Australia and New Zealand said via press release:

“Both Paramount ANZ and the APL are guided by and committed to a vision to unite, entertain, and further grow the football audience in Australia, ensuring fans are treated to the best seats in the house.”

“The multi-platform broadcast approach guarantees increased availability and accessibility while acknowledging the changing consumption habits of A-Leagues fans.”

Casey Dumont of Melbourne Victory said via press release:

“When I was growing up, I was rarely able to see professional female athletes on TV. Today, it is completely normal for young girls and boys to watch both men and women at the highest level and know that a pathway to elite sport exists for them. This is a really significant step forward to ensuring greater access to the professional game, especially for young girls”

Josh Risdon of Western United added via press release:

“Last season was one of the most challenging ever with all the disruptions from COVID. This year, the fixture schedule is set, we have 26 more men’s games on 10 Bold and we are going to put on the best show for as many fans as possible every single week. Football really is back.”

The Isuzu UTE A-League Men season will commence on October 7 and run through to April 30, followed by a seven match finals series in May, with a break from November 13 to December 9 for the FIFA World Cup. The Liberty A-League Women fixture will be announced in the coming days.

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Melbourne Victory and BYD drive innovation through new major partnership

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Image Credits: Shutterstock

Melbourne Victory has officially welcomed BYD as a Major Partner and the Club’s exclusive Motor Vehicle Supplier for the next 12 months. At a partner launch bringing together the two organisations, the focus is on building around innovation, growth and a drive for success. The partnership will place BYD at the centre of Melbourne Victory’s fan experience. The brand will feature on the front of both the A-League men’s and women’s home and away jerseys. This gives BYD a strong presence across matchdays, broadcasts and digital content throughout the season.

The partnership extends well beyond the playing kit. BYD will be integrated across Melbourne Victory’s media, Academy and community assets. The two organisations will also collaborate through Member and pathways programs. This creates opportunities for BYD to connect with Victory supporters across multiple touchpoints.

For BYD, the partnership provides a direct connection with Melbourne Victory’s growing supporter and member base. The automotive brand has built a rapidly expanding presence in Australia and New Zealand. Its partnership with Victory provides another platform to build awareness and engage with Australian consumers. BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins said the alignment between the two organisations was a key factor behind the deal.

“At BYD we’re enormously excited to welcome the Melbourne Victory into the BYD family as an exclusive automotive partner,” Collins said.

“What really appeals to us was the culture of innovation and the hunger for success.”

That alignment is reflected in the way the partnership will operate. BYD will not simply appear on Melbourne Victory assets. The brand will be connected to the Club’s members, fans, business network, pathways and community programs. Melbourne Victory Managing Director Caroline Carnegie said the partnership reflects a shared ambition for continued growth. She also highlighted the organisations’ common focus on leading, connecting and inspiring their communities. Together, Melbourne Victory and BYD will bring the partnership to life across matchdays, media, community initiatives and supporter experiences throughout the 2026-27 season.

Episode 4: “You could have sold it out twice”: Peter Filopoulos on why unification is the way forward

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PETER FILOPOULOS sees Saturday’s Australia Cup final between Melbourne Victory and South Melbourne Hellas as a ‘unification event’ that must be harnessed as a window to the future – rather than a means of stirring up old division – if Australian football is to progress.

“This game sold out organically, and having run marketing, corporate affairs and communications at Football Australia previously, I don’t think they would have needed to spend one single dollar on marketing,” Filopoulos told Soccerscene Unfiltered.

“You could have probably sold it out twice! This tells me it’s the sort of product the fans want; it’s authentic and taps into the new and the old, and demonstrates culture as a real asset. You couldn’t have scripted it better.

“If I was in a decision-making position at the A-League, I’d be looking very closely at why fans have responded in such an emphatic way.”

Filopoulos has seen it all across his near-35 year career in sports administration, which by his calculation has been split evenly inside the Australian football tent and outside it – but when outside, always with at least one eye glancing back.

Fifteen years across AFL clubs Hawthorn & North Melbourne as that code moved from a financially traumatic 1990s into a wealthier new millennium; five years at Football Australia: ‘easily the most transformative period for Australian football in its history’; stints with Etihad Stadium and even a period ‘completely out of my comfort zone’ at Swimming Australia.

There’s been crisis management, stepping in as Perth Glory CEO after the 2015 salary cap scandal; he’s seen the A-League’s boom times under the Lowys & Fox Sports’ 2018 broadcast deal; he’s enjoyed the euphoria of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

But all stems back to the National Soccer League and South Melbourne Hellas, and his bold decision to take on the Club’s inaugural general manager position in December 1993, aged just 25.

“I wasn’t ready… but what it taught me is when an opportunity is presented to you, just say ‘yes’ and work out how to do it later. I’ve used this throughout my career, and that was one of those instances where I threw myself in the deep end.

“I had my career mapped out, and was working quite happily in accounting. But I was a passionate fan and having grown up at the old Middle Park, it was a natural ‘yes’ – and I was young enough to take a risk.”

With today’s A-League financially ailing and great clubs of yesteryear enjoying what Filopoulos terms a ‘renaissance’ – and agitating as vociferously for a return to the top flight as at any point since the demise of the NSL – he feels it is again time for bold leadership, and a little risk.

“You can have all the ambition in the world, and in being part of a club, you’re a custodian. But as I’ve always seen it, you need a sustainable commercial model: sound ownership, sound facilities, revenue, etc…

‘But you also need to understand how to tap into that asset of culture. What we’re seeing with the Australia Cup final is a result of culture, right? You need to create it amongst your fans, and know who your fans are, and tell them what you’re striving for. Bring them along on the journey!”

Catch the full chat with Peter Filoupolos on Soccerscene Unfiltered: from ‘eyeballing’ Frank Arok and backing Ange Postecoglou, overcoming resource challenges at Football Victoria, to the rise of the Matildas, and plenty more…

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