Viewership skyrockets for the start of the A-League season

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Image credit: Sydney FC website

The A-League season kicked off last weekend with a rise in viewership watching the penultimate 20th anniversary.

The biggest increase was the Sydney Derby where the number of viewers on 10 Play became the most-viewed regular season fixture in the league’s history with a 46% increase from the same match last season as recorded by The 10 Network.

A couple of factors can be associated with this result. Importantly, it was the first game of the season, building on the start-of-the-season excitement.

The Sydney Derby has been one of the most watched and attended fixture in the A-league since the addition of the Western Sydney Wanderers in the 2012/2013 season.

Last season, it was only beaten in attendance and viewership by the top-of-the-table clash of Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne Victory which recorded 33,000 attendees.

However, this isn’t just a sudden rising trend but has been growing from season-to-season. The 2023-2024 season recorded the largest amount of viewership in the league’s history with 53 per cent on Paramount+ and 33 percent on 10 Play, while free-to-air TV saw a 16 percent rise on Network 10.

The 2023/24 Final Series had a sell-out attendance every game and The Grand Final averaged 316,000 on 10 and 10 Play (29,000), with a reach of 731,000.

In total, the Grand Final had a reach of around 1.17 million, making it the most-watched finals series since the 2009-2010 finals.

The overall viewership for both the A-League Men’s and Women’s 2023/24 seasons reached 5.72 million Australians across all modes of media.

A key part of last season’s success was the increase in viewership of the Women’s Liberty League (now the Ninja Women’s A-League). The biggest stat was the 611% increase in club memberships. A big part of the increase in support is credited to the rise of support in women’s football following the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Another point to argue is the arrival of high-profile players in the league with West Sydney Wanderers’ new marquee signing ex-Manchester United and Chelsea player Juan Mata and Sydney FC’s ex-Juventus and Brazil International Douglas Costa. These players’ arrival to the league has gained massive interest from the reflective teams and the league as a whole.

Their debuts in a Sydney Derby pitted against each other was an event that would, of course, gain huge traction and kick off the league with some big ratings. It’s still up in the air whether their star status and hopeful exciting impact can maintain viewership throughout the season.

This A-League Season has also introduced a new club with Auckland FC. Their first home game of the season vs Brisbane Roar held 24,400 spectators only a couple thousand shy from the WSW spectators at the derby.

The inclusion of a new team representing New Zealand’s most populated area is a promising move towards more A-League spectators from NZ and increasing the overall number of viewers.

From all six A-league games of the first round, the number of spectators from last season (not counting Auckland FC) went up 53%.

Now this is the beginning of the season, and a true measure of success can only be recorded at the end of the season.

To add to this, other than the top 3 most attended games, the rest of the league recorded similar if not more negative results for the first-round attendance and presented a huge gap between the top three watched games and the lower three.

Though with the goal of a year-on-year rise in fan engagement, the success of last season and the obvious steps taken by the clubs and the leagues to further enrich the league (marquee signings, an added NZ derby and more investment) one can be confident that the Isuzu A-league and Ninja Women’s A -League are promising another record-breaking season for the game.

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Central Coast Mariners Women secure future under Holman Barnes Group

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Image Credits: Central Coast Mariners

The future of the Central Coast Mariners Women has been secured after the Holman Barnes Group (HBG) reached an agreement to become the new operator of the club’s A-League Women program. The deal ends uncertainty surrounding the team’s participation in the 2026/27 season.

The agreement between HBG, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) and Total Soccer Growth Holdings (TSG) ensures the Mariners will remain in the Ninja A-League Women competition. It also introduces a new operating model designed to provide long-term stability.

The uncertainty emerged following TSG’s acquisition of the Central Coast Mariners’ men’s side and academy in June. The women’s program was excluded from the original takeover. TSG already owns English football side Queens Park Rangers (QPR) and MLS club Los Angeles FC. The omission placed the future of the 2025 A-League Women champions in doubt. It also prompted the APL to seek a sustainable solution ahead of the new campaign.

A new operating model

Under the new arrangement, HBG will oversee all operational aspects of the women’s team. This includes the football program, staffing and day-to-day management. TSG will retain the club licence and continue overseeing the men’s program and academy. It will also support the women’s operation through its broader football network.

The agreement represents an innovative partnership between the three organisations. It has been designed to strengthen the long-term sustainability of professional women’s football on the Central Coast. HBG’s plans extend beyond the senior team. They include a strong focus on developing participation pathways and creating greater opportunities for female footballers throughout New South Wales.

Attention turns to the new season

The transition comes at a crucial time with preparations for the 2026/27 Ninja A-League Women season underway ahead of its October 16 start. The new operators are expected to begin managing the program immediately. This remains subject to the completion of the remaining regulatory processes. The team currently has no sponsors and games are expected to be moved away from Central Coast Stadium.

The A-League had previously set a July 31 deadline for new owners to be found to secure a place in the upcoming competition. With that now achieved, HBG will be on the clock to ensure the season begins without disruption and becomes a commercial success.

For the Central Coast Mariners Women, the agreement delivers certainty after a turbulent off-season. It also allows the club to shift its attention to the 2026/27 campaign and the team’s on-field performance.

South Melbourne’s Australia Cup triumph reignites promotion and relegation debate

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Image Credit: The Greek Herald

South Melbourne FC’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Adelaide United in the Hahn Australia Cup Round of 32 has reignited debate around promotion and relegation in Australian football, with Co-President Bill Papastergiadis stating the result is further proof that ambitious National Premier Leagues clubs deserve a pathway to the top tier.

The Victorian powerhouse produced one of the competition’s biggest upsets at Lakeside Stadium, overturning an early deficit to eliminate the Isuzu UTE A-League side and secure a place in the Round of 16.

While the result was celebrated as another example of the magic of the Australia Cup, Papastergiadis believes the victory carries a much broader message about the strength that exists outside Australia’s professional league.

Speaking following the win, Papastergiadis said South Melbourne’s performance demonstrated why the Australian football landscape should move towards a connected pyramid featuring promotion and relegation.

“The result was South Melbourne FC’s revenge 22 years in the making,” Papastergiadis said.

“It also demonstrates that clubs in the National Premier Leagues have the quality, professionalism and ambition to compete with A-League opposition when given the opportunity.”

For years, South Melbourne has been one of the strongest advocates for structural reform within Australian football, consistently calling for an open pyramid that rewards sporting merit rather than maintaining a closed league system.

Papastergiadis argued that Australia Cup fixtures continue to showcase the depth of talent throughout the domestic game, with NPL clubs regularly proving they can challenge and defeat professional opponents despite operating with significantly fewer resources.

He believes these performances should not simply be viewed as isolated “cupsets”, but as evidence that Australia’s football ecosystem is ready to embrace a promotion and relegation model that provides ambitious clubs with a genuine pathway to the top flight.

The result against Adelaide United adds another significant chapter to South Melbourne’s storied history. One of Australia’s most successful clubs, South Melbourne has long maintained aspirations of returning to the national stage, backed by a passionate supporter base, strong infrastructure and a proud footballing tradition.

For Papastergiadis, victories such as Thursday night’s reinforce the argument that clubs should earn opportunities through performances on the pitch.

“The Australia Cup continues to show what’s possible when clubs from different levels of the football pyramid compete against one another,” he said.

“Our football should be built on opportunity and merit. Clubs that perform consistently and invest in their communities should have the chance to progress to the highest level.”

South Melbourne will now turn its attention to the Round of 16, where it will look to continue its impressive cup run.

Beyond the result itself, however, the victory has once again fuelled discussion around the future of Australia’s football structure and whether the growing strength of clubs outside the A-League should accelerate the push towards a fully connected national competition.

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