As football emerges from the pandemic, discussions over the sport's future have reached a fever pitch. But talk is cheap without accountability. Full story in ESPN: https://www.espn.com.au/football/australia-aus/story/4612619/australian-football-must-hold-its-leaders-to-account-as-it-emerges-from-covid
APL
A-Leagues fixture pile-up will clear but concern rises over Covid’s long-term impact
Australian football is proving no more immune to the latest variant than any other segment of society Full story published in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jan/10/a-leagues-fixture-pile-up-will-clear-but-concern-rises-over-covids-long-term-impact
Omicron nudges Australian football into familiar comfort of crisis
The A-Leagues are falling foul of the rising wave of Covid cases across the country Full story published in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/29/omicron-nudges-australian-football-into-familiar-comfort-of-crisis
Silver Lake windfall only underlines need for home-and-away ALW season
Plans to invest more in the women’s game are marked by the absence of what has long been its most essential ingredient Full story published in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/dec/20/silver-lake-windfall-only-underlines-need-for-home-and-away-alw-season
A-League Men set to start ‘new era,’ but will this one stick?
"Another new era for the game?" Delivered through a grin, leave it to Ange Postecoglou to keep an eye on the bigger picture. Once again, Australian football is being touted as entering a brave new epoch as the 2021-22 A-League Men season dawns, alongside an A-League Women campaign that will begin on Dec. 3. Yes, … Continue reading A-League Men set to start ‘new era,’ but will this one stick?
Australian top-flight set for a radical overhaul: A-League Men, A-League Women
Australia's professional football leagues will undergo a major change heading into the 2021-22 season, with the competitions unified under a new "A-Leagues" banner to be formally unveiled by league administrators, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) on Wednesday. The W-League will become the A-League Women (ALW), while the A-League will officially become known as the A-League … Continue reading Australian top-flight set for a radical overhaul: A-League Men, A-League Women
Fear, loathing and waiting for Western United’s stadium
Last week, A-League club Western United made two announcements that were simultaneously unrelated and intrinsically tied. The latter of the two represented a club attempting to find a "least bad" option available that, nonetheless, kicked off a firestorm. The former, in hindsight, served as a reminder that the coming controversy was entirely of United's creation. … Continue reading Fear, loathing and waiting for Western United’s stadium
W-League set to feature Western United, Wellington Phoenix in expanded competition next season
Seeking to capitalise on the "halo effect" of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, ESPN can reveal that Western United and Wellington Phoenix loom as favourites for inclusion in a potential 11-team W-League for the 2021-22 season. Full story published for ESPN: https://www.espn.com.au/football/australian-w-league/story/4427431/w-league-set-to-feature-western-unitedwellington-phoenix-in-expanded-competition-next-season
Melbourne Victory stuck in an existential crisis
The axe falling at the biggest club in the land, Grant Brebner's exit from Melbourne Victory dominates this week's ESPN Australian Football Wrap. But beyond that there's the APL's plans, the Wanderers and much more. Full story published for ESPN Australia and New Zealand: https://www.espn.com.au/football/australian-a-league/story/4362836/melbourne-victory-stuck-in-an-existential-crisis
APL confirms plan to expand W-League to ’12, potentially 13′ teams
Australian Professional Leagues commissioner Greg O'Rourke has said that the organisation intends to expand the W-League to "12, potentially 13 clubs," possibly in time for the 2021-22 season. Full story published for ESPN: https://www.espn.com.au/football/australian-w-league/story/4357064/apl-confirms-plan-to-expand-w-league-to-12potentially-13-teams