Summer start for A-League and W-League with openers on same day in December
The 2020-21 A-League and W-League seasons will kick off simultaneously and run concurrently through the middle of the Australian summer, Football Federation Australia has confirmed.
For the first time in the competitions’ history, fixtures have been moved away from a October start and will instead get up and running on 27 December, with the women’s grand final slated for April and the men’s title decider in June.
The upcoming campaign will be the first for expansion team Macarthur FC, who follow in the footsteps of last season’s newcomers Western United to boost the A-League’s ranks to 12 teams. The W-League remains on nine teams.
“The men’s competition now features 12 teams, including three in Sydney and three in Melbourne, meaning more derbies, more intensity and more fans,” head of leagues Greg O’Rourke said.
“With families at home together during the holiday season, great weather, and games broadcast live on multiple platforms, there are so many ways for fans to be close to the action, at home or in the stadium.”
Both leagues face challenging seasons following the disruption of Covid-19 amid already dwindling interest in the professional game in Australia.
The A-League is reeling from an exodus of its best players as the financial impact of the pandemic bites, while its long-term future is far from assured given apparent reluctance from broadcasters to buy into football.
Football Federation Australia, meanwhile, harbours grand aspirations for the W-League to become one of the best leagues in the world, but many national team players have been lost to European leagues this year, leaving a huge gap to fill next season.
A total of 161 men’s matches and 57 for the women will be broadcast live on the My Football Live App, Fox Sports and Kayo, while the ABC will show selected live games. A full schedule for both leagues will be confirmed early next month.