All teams across both A-Leagues will play in Sydney over one weekend as part of revamped deal with NSW Government.
The A-Leagues Grand Finals will return to their traditional format as part of a revamped deal with the NSW Government that will launch a “Unite Round” with every team playing over three days in Sydney.
A-LEAGUES UNITE ROUND: Find out more here!
After 10 months of furious debate over the original deal to site both Grand Finals in Sydney for three years, the NSW Premier Chris Minns revealed on Wednesday morning that a new arrangement had been struck between the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), the government and Destination NSW, meaning the Grand Finals will be held in the city of the highest-ranked qualifier – as had been the case every year until last season.
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Instead the “Unite Round” will be held in January, with double-headers at Allianz and Commbank stadiums and Leichhardt Oval across three days from January 12-14. Uniquely it will include every men’s and women’s teams across the A-Leagues, while grassroots tournaments for junior boys and girls will take place at venues across Sydney.
A live site at Moore Park will also feature a fan park and viewing party for the Asian Cup match in Qatar between Australia and India’s men’s teams on the Saturday evening.
Though A-Leagues bosses were pleased with attendances at the two grand finals held earlier this year under the original deal, it remained a point of significant controversy within the fans working groups established by the leagues this year.
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Leaders of those groups were briefed on the reversion on Tuesday night, and APL CEO Danny Townsend acknowledged the work that had been done.
“We have worked closely with our clubs and fans to ensure that there are suitable constructive mechanisms for the voices of fans to be heard,” he said.
“Many of the resulting conversations have included the hosting of the Grand Finals, and the strong sentiments around that, and we thank DNSW and Premier Minns for their partnership in creating a truly inclusive experience for our game.”
The Unite Round will add an extra 27th game to the Isuzu UTE A-League men’s season for each club, while Round 12 of the Liberty A-League will become the showpiece event of the A-League Women’s league.
“We saw record crowds in the men’s and women’s finals series last season, and we again saw the appetite for professional football in NSW during the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said the APL’s independent chair, Stephen Conroy. “Having all of our teams play in one place, over one weekend, is a fantastic way to serve up the best of the A-Leagues for our fans.
“We are one of the only leagues in the world where almost every club has both men’s and women’s teams, so we are uniquely positioned to create an event like this.
“We thank Premier Minns and the NSW Government for this fundamentally important partnership and for their continuing support for the development of football in Australia.”
The Fixture Schedule
Unite Round Fixtures: Isuzu UTE A-League Men
| Date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Venue | KO times (AEDT) |
| Fri 12 Jan | Macarthur FC | Western United FC | CommBank Stadium | 5:30pm |
| Fri 12 Jan | Melbourne City FC | Western Sydney Wanderers | CommBank Stadium | 8:15pm |
| Sat 13 Jan | Central Coast Mariners | Melbourne Victory | Allianz Stadium | 5:15pm |
| Sat 13 Jan | Adelaide United | Sydney FC | Allianz Stadium | 8:00pm |
| Sun 14 Jan | Brisbane Roar FC | Newcastle Jets | Allianz Stadium | 7:45pm |
| Sun 14 Jan | Perth Glory | Wellington Phoenix | CommBank Stadium | 7:45pm |
Unite Round Fixtures: Liberty A-League Women
| Date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Venue | KO times (AEDT) |
| Fri 12 Jan | Melbourne Victory | Perth Glory | Leichhardt Oval | 5:00pm |
| Fri 12 Jan | Wellington Phoenix | Central Coast Mariners | Leichhardt Oval | 7:45pm |
| Sat 13 Jan | Canberra United | Adelaide United | Leichhardt Oval | 5:00pm |
| Sat 13 Jan | Brisbane Roar FC | Newcastle Jets | Leichhardt Oval | 7:45pm |
| Sun 14 Jan | Western Sydney Wanderers | Melbourne City FC | CommBank Stadium | 5:00pm |
| Sun 14 Jan | Western United FC | Sydney FC | Allianz Stadium | 5:00pm |
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