Season | 2021–22 |
---|---|
Dates | 19 November 2021 – 28 May 2022 |
Champions | Western United (1st title) |
Premiers | Melbourne City (2nd title) |
Matches played | 163 |
Goals scored | 473 (2.9 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Jamie Maclaren (regular season, 15 goals) Jamie Maclaren (overall, 16 goals) |
Biggest home win | Western United 6–0 Perth Glory (16 April 2022) |
Biggest away win | Wellington Phoenix 0–6 Melbourne City (2 April 2022) |
Highest scoring | Newcastle Jets 6–1 Perth Glory (10 April 2022) |
Longest winning run | 5 matches Adelaide United Central Coast Mariners |
Longest unbeaten run | 15 matches Melbourne Victory |
Longest winless run | 16 matches Perth Glory |
Longest losing run | 6 matches Perth Glory |
Highest attendance | 23,118 WSW 0–0 Sydney FC (20 November 2021) |
Lowest attendance | 38 Wellington Phoenix 3–0 Brisbane Roar (16 February 2022) |
Average attendance | 5,602[1] ( 143) |
← 2020–21 2022–23 →
(Note: Longest runs only include regular season results) |
The 2021–22 A-League Men, known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, was the 45th season of national level men's soccer in Australia, and the 17th since the establishment of the competition as the A-League in 2004.
Melbourne City were the defending champions and premiers, having won their first titles respectively the previous season. They retained the premiership, but lost the Grand Final to first-time grand finalists Western United.
Clubs
Twelve clubs participated in the 2021–22 season.
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position on table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne Victory | Steve Kean (caretaker) | End of contract | 10 June 2021 | Pre-season | Tony Popovic | 22 April 2021[33] |
Newcastle Jets | Craig Deans | Resigned[34] | 3 June 2021 | Arthur Papas | 28 June 2021[35] | |
Western United | Marko Rudan | Sacked[36] | 8 June 2021 | John Aloisi | 15 July 2021[37] | |
Central Coast Mariners | Alen Stajcic | Resigned[38] | 17 June 2021 | Nick Montgomery | 2 July 2021[39] | |
Western Sydney Wanderers | Carl Robinson | Sacked[40] | 30 January 2022 | 11th | Marko Rudan | 31 January 2022[41] |
Perth Glory | Richard Garcia | Sacked[42] | 20 March 2022 | 12th | Ruben Zadkovich (caretaker) | 20 March 2022[42] |
Foreign players
The following do not fill a Visa position:
1Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian citizenship (or New Zealand citizenship, in the case of Wellington Phoenix);[43]
2Australian citizens (or New Zealand citizens, in the case of Wellington Phoenix) who have chosen to represent another national team;
3Injury replacement players, or National team replacement players;
4Guest players (eligible to play a maximum of fourteen games)
Salary cap exemptions and captains
Club | First Marquee | Second Marquee | Designated Player | Captain | Vice-captain |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adelaide United | None | None | None | Stefan Mauk[44][note 5] Craig Goodwin[note 6][46] |
Ryan Kitto[46] Isaías[46] |
Brisbane Roar | None | None | None | Tom Aldred[47] | None |
Central Coast Mariners | None | None | None | Oliver Bozanic[48] | None |
Macarthur FC | None | None | None | Ulises Dávila[49] | None |
Melbourne City | Jamie Maclaren[50] | None | None | Scott Jamieson[51] | None |
Melbourne Victory | Marco Rojas[52] | Chris Ikonomidis[52] | Roderick Miranda[53] | Joshua Brillante[54] | Roderick Miranda[55] |
Newcastle Jets | None | None | Beka Mikeltadze[53] | Matthew Jurman[56] | None |
Perth Glory | Daniel Sturridge[57] | Bruno Fornaroli[58] | Adrián Sardinero[53] | Brandon O'Neill[59] | None |
Sydney FC | None | None | None | Alex Wilkinson[60] | None |
Wellington Phoenix | None | None | None | Alex Rufer[61] | Oliver Sail[61] |
Western Sydney Wanderers | None | None | None | Rhys Williams[62] | None |
Western United | Alessandro Diamanti[63] | None | None | Alessandro Diamanti[63] | Josh Risdon[63] |
Transfers
Regular season
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Melbourne City | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 49 | Qualification for finals series and 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage[lower-alpha 2] |
2 | Melbourne Victory | 26 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 42 | 25 | +17 | 48 | Qualification for finals series[lower-alpha 3] |
3 | Western United (C) | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 40 | 30 | +10 | 45 | |
4 | Adelaide United | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 43 | |
5 | Central Coast Mariners | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 49 | 35 | +14 | 42 | |
6 | Wellington Phoenix[lower-alpha 4] | 26 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 34 | 49 | −15 | 39 | |
7 | Macarthur FC | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 38 | 47 | −9 | 33 | |
8 | Sydney FC | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 37 | 44 | −7 | 31 | |
9 | Newcastle Jets | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 45 | 43 | +2 | 29 | Qualification for 2022 Australia Cup play-offs[lower-alpha 5] |
10 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 26 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 30 | 38 | −8 | 27 | |
11 | Brisbane Roar | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 29 | 39 | −10 | 26 | |
12 | Perth Glory | 26 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 20 | 43 | −23 | 18 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Points per game; 5) Least red cards; 6) Least yellow cards; 7) Toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ↑ The stadium will be undergoing construction during the season, which will reduce the stadium's capacity to around 26,000.[2][3] The stadium will have a capacity of 40,000 once construction is complete.[4]
- ↑ Determined by which of the Premiers for the 2021–22 or 2022–23 seasons accrued the most combined points over both seasons.[64] Melbourne City qualified as they were Premiers in both seasons.
- ↑ The top two teams enter the finals series at the semi-finals, while the teams ranked third to sixth enter the finals series at the elimination-finals.
- ↑ Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is under the Oceania Football Confederation.
- ↑ The top 8 teams qualify for the round of 32, while the bottom four teams participate in a play-off round.[65]
Fixtures and results
AFC Champions League qualification
Due to the re-formatting of the AFC Champions League to have an inter-year schedule from September (northern hemisphere autumn-to-spring) instead of an intra-year schedule (northern hemisphere spring-to-autumn),[66] the qualification for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League was changed. The single qualification spot for this competition goes to whichever of which of the Premiers for the current season or the following season accrues the most combined points over both seasons.[67] Melbourne City won the Premiership in both the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons,[68] thereby automatically qualifying for the Champions League.
Finals series
Format
The finals series, which ran over three weeks, consisted of the top six teams from the regular season. In the first week of fixtures, the third-through-sixth ranked teams played a single-elimination match, with the two winners of those matches joining the first and second ranked teams in two-legged semi-final ties. The first and second placed teams chose whether they would play home or away in the first leg.[69] The two winners of those matches meet in the Grand Final.[70] This season was the first to use this format.
Elimination-finals | Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||
4 | Adelaide United | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
4 | Adelaide United | 3 | 1 | Melbourne City (a.e.t.) | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
5 | Central Coast Mariners | 1 | 1 | Melbourne City | 0 | |||||||||||
3 | Western United | 2 | ||||||||||||||
3 | Western United | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||
3 | Western United | 1 | 2 | Melbourne Victory | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
6 | Wellington Phoenix | 0 |
Elimination-finals
Semi-finals
Summary
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne City | 2–1 | Adelaide United | 0–0 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
Melbourne Victory | 2–4 | Western United | 1–0 | 1–4 |
Matches
Melbourne Victory | 1–4 | Western United |
---|---|---|
Brimmer 37' | Report |
|
Western United won 4–2 on aggregate.
Melbourne City won 2–1 on aggregate.
Grand Final
Regular season statistics
Top scorers
Hat-tricks
Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adam Le Fondre | Sydney FC | Central Coast Mariners | 5–0 (A) | 9 April 2022 | [72] |
Beka Mikeltadze | Newcastle Jets | Perth Glory | 6–1 (H) | 10 April 2022 | [73] |
Lachlan Wales | Western United | Perth Glory | 6–0 (H) | 16 April 2022 | [74] |
Key | |
---|---|
(A) | Away team |
(H) | Home team |
Clean sheets
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[75] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Jamie Young | Western United | 10 |
2 | Mark Birighitti | Central Coast Mariners | 9 |
3 | Ivan Kelava | Melbourne Victory | 7 |
4 | Tom Glover | Melbourne City | 6 |
5 | Oliver Sail | Wellington Phoenix | 5 |
6 | Jack Duncan | Newcastle Jets | 4 |
Joe Gauci | Adelaide United | ||
Filip Kurto | Macarthur FC | ||
Liam Reddy | Perth Glory | ||
Andrew Redmayne | Sydney FC |
Awards
Annual awards
The following end of the season awards were announced at the 2021–22 Dolan Warren Awards night on 26 May 2022.[76]
Team of the season
Team of the season[77] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | Mark Birighitti (Central Coast Mariners) | |||||||
Defenders | Jason Geria (Melbourne Victory) | Léo Lacroix (Western United) | Curtis Good (Melbourne City) | Jason Davidson (Melbourne Victory) | ||||
Midfielders | Florin Berenguer (Melbourne City) | Joshua Brillante (Melbourne Victory) | Craig Goodwin (Adelaide United) | |||||
Forwards | Nick D'Agostino (Melbourne Victory) | Jake Brimmer (Melbourne Victory) | Jamie Maclaren (Melbourne City) | |||||
Substitutes | Jamie Young (Western United) | Ben Garuccio (Western United) | Javi López (Adelaide United) | Connor Metcalfe (Melbourne City) | Ulises Dávila (Macarthur FC) | Daniel Penha (Newcastle Jets) | Neil Kilkenny (Western United) |
See also
- 2021–22 A-League Women
- 2021–22 Adelaide United FC season
- 2021–22 Brisbane Roar FC season
- 2021–22 Central Coast Mariners FC season
- 2021–22 Macarthur FC season
- 2021–22 Melbourne City FC season
- 2021–22 Melbourne Victory FC season
- 2021–22 Newcastle Jets FC season
- 2021–22 Perth Glory FC season
- 2021–22 Sydney FC season
- 2021–22 Wellington Phoenix FC season
- 2021–22 Western Sydney Wanderers FC season
- 2021–22 Western United FC season
Notes
References
- ↑ "Attendance Statistics :: Totals / Averages". Ultimate A-League. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ↑ "More fans to enjoy live football as Geelong's GMHBA Stadium increases capacity limits". Western United. 5 November 2021.
- ↑ "Cats keep nine at GMHBA". K Rock Football. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ↑ "GMHBA Stadium". Austadiums.
- ↑ "United announce club-record Global Technical Partnership with UCAN and unveil new home kit". Adelaide United. 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Reds announce Flinders University as new Premier Partner". Adelaide United. 10 October 2019.
- ↑ "Reds and UCAN drop new home kit for 2021/22". Adelaide United. 13 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ↑ "United announce Australian Outdoor Living as Platinum Partner". Adelaide United. 29 September 2020.
- ↑ "Reds and UCAN reveal eye-catching away kit for 2021/22". Adelaide United. 17 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ↑ "New Balance to Bring The Roar as new Official Apparel Partner". Brisbane Roar. 6 August 2021.
- ↑ "Brisbane Roar & ActronAir to Roar for Two More". Brisbane Roar. 18 July 2020.
- ↑ "Mariners partner with Paladin Sports as official kit supplier". Central Coast Mariners. 10 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ↑ "MATE become better "mates" with Mariners as they take on role of major sponsor for 2021/22". Central Coast Mariners. 16 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ↑ "Macarthur FC Lock In Italian Sportwear Giant Macron with Long-term Apparel and Retail Partnership Deal". Macarthur FC. 29 July 2020.
- ↑ "$15m in corporate support sets solid foundations for Macarthur FC". A-League. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ↑ "Manchester City replaces Nike with Puma in kit deal". BBC News. 28 February 2019.
- ↑ Cook, Glenn (18 November 2021). "2021-22 Football Kit Preview: A-League Men (Australia)". Sportslogos.net.
- ↑ Crafton, Adam (17 February 2022). "Special report: Manchester City's sponsors, the links to Abu Dhabi and what it means for Newcastle United". The Athletic.
Etihad, to this day, sponsor the front of City's shirts and the club's stadium, as well as the surrounding academy building known as the Etihad Campus, in addition to exposure at City's stable of clubs in cities such as New York and Melbourne.
- ↑ "Victory joins forces with Macron". Melbourne Victory. 30 July 2021.
- ↑ "Melbourne Victory extends its Principal Partnership with Metricon Homes". Melbourne Victory. 15 November 2021. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- 1 2 "Jets unveil 2021/22 playing kits, Bonded by Gold with Port of Newcastle as Major Partner". Newcastle Jets. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ↑ "Ampcontrol unveiled as a Major Partner for 2021/22 A-League Men's Season". Newcastle Jets. 5 November 2021. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ↑ Morgan, Gareth (15 January 2021). "Glory confirms four-year extension to Macron partnership". Perth Glory.
- ↑ Morgan, Gareth (2 August 2021). "BHP to remain Glory's principal partner for 2021/22 season". Perth Glory.
- ↑ "Sydney FC In Australian First Partnership With Under Armour". Sydney FC. 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "Sydney FC & The Star Sydney Sign Four Year Deal". Sydney FC. 8 October 2019.
- ↑ "Wellington Phoenix Announce Paladin New Zealand As New Strip Partner". Wellington Phoenix. 5 August 2019.
- 1 2 "Wellington Phoenix Unveils New Playing Kits; Announces Spark and OPPO as Principal Sponsors". Wellington Phoenix. 21 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ↑ "Wanderers announce three-year partnership with Kappa Australia". Western Sydney Wanderers. 17 September 2020.
- ↑ "Voltaren sign two-year Co-Major Partnership extension". Western Sydney Wanderers. 16 September 2021.
- ↑ "Turner Freeman Lawyers sign Co-Major Partnership". Western Sydney Wanderers. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- 1 2 "Western United and Kappa drop new season kit designs for 2021/22". Western United. 17 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ↑ Colangelo, Anthony (22 April 2021). "'Hard work ahead': Popovic named Victory coach". The Age.
- ↑ Kerry, Craig (3 June 2021). "A-League: Craig Deans to step down as coach of Newcastle Jets". The Newcastle Herald.
- ↑ "Arthur Papas finally gets A-League job as tide turns on NPL coaches". FTBL. 28 June 2021.
- ↑ Monteverde, Marco (8 June 2021). "Mark Rudan axed following Western United's shocking run to finish season". Fox Sports.
- ↑ Monteverde, Marco (15 July 2021). "A-League: John Aloisi signs two-year coaching deal with Western United". News.com.au.
- ↑ "Uncertainty again for Mariners as Alen Stajcic quits A-League club". The Guardian. 17 June 2021.
- ↑ "Nick Montgomery appointed as A-League Head Coach!". Central Coast Mariners. 2 July 2021.
- ↑ Rugari, Vince (30 January 2022). "Wanderers finally sack Carl Robinson after latest A-League debacle". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ Monteverde, Marco (31 January 2022). "Mark Rudan appointed as coach of Western Sydney Wanderers following sacking of Carl Robinson". news.com.au.
- 1 2 Monteverde, Marco (20 March 2022). "Former Socceroo Richard Garcia axed as Perth Glory coach". The Australian.
- ↑ "A-League Collective Bargaining Agreement – 2008/9 – 2012/13" (PDF). Australian Professional Footballers' Football Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ↑ Monteverde, Marco (1 December 2020). "A-League: Reds proudly go local in appointing Stefan Mauk as their new captain". news.com.au.
- ↑ "Stefan Mauk set for Japanese transfer". Adelaide United. 27 February 2022.
- 1 2 3 "Goodwin announced as Reds' new Captain". Adelaide United. 5 March 2022.
- ↑ "Tom Aldred commits long-term future to Brisbane Roar". Brisbane Roar. 4 February 2021.
Captain Tom Aldred has today committed his long-term future to Brisbane Roar
- ↑ Hull, Skaie (30 December 2020). "MARINERS NAME NEW CAPTAIN FOR F3 DERBY". NBN News.
- ↑ "The Bulls announce Ulises Dávila as Captain". Macarthur FC. 6 November 2021. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ↑ McKay, Ben (5 February 2019). "Jamie Maclaren says the lure of playing in front of family was crucial to his decision to sign for Melbourne City". Fox Sports.
signed a long-term deal that elevates him to marquee next season
- ↑ "Scott Jamieson re-signs for two years". Melbourne City. 2 July 2021.
Melbourne City FC is delighted to announce the re-signing of Captain Scott Jamieson until the end of the 2022/23 season.
- 1 2 "Melbourne Victory signs Chris Ikonomidis". Melbourne Victory. 21 July 2021.
Ikonomidis will join Marco Rojas as the Club's second designated player for the 2021/22 season.
- 1 2 3 Comito, Matt (10 July 2022). "New rules bolster ALM clubs' firepower in hunt to sign top talent". KeepUp.
- ↑ "Melbourne Victory announces its 2021/22 Club Captains". Melbourne Victory. 15 November 2021. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
- ↑ Harrington, Anna (25 November 2021). "Victory's Miranda ready to step up again". The Leader.
Vice-captain Miranda captained the Victory on debut...
- ↑ Newcastle Jets [@NewcastleJetsFC] (November 11, 2021). "Now here's someone we can all get behind… We're pleased to announce Matt Jurman as our new @aleaguemen Captain" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ Morgan, Gareth (1 October 2021). "Glory in sensational swoop for former Liverpool and England star Sturridge". Perth Glory. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ↑ Taylor, Nick (15 June 2021). "Marquee striker Bruno Fornaroli calls Perth Glory home for another two A-League seasons". The West Australian.
- ↑ Taylor, Nick (28 October 2021). "Brandon O'Neill and Natasha Rigby to lead Perth Glory into new A-League era as captains". The West Australian.
- ↑ "Captain Alex Wilkinson Back To Break More Records". Sydney FC. 17 July 2021.
- 1 2 "Rufer and Sail to lead the Wellington Phoenix". Wellington Phoenix. 18 November 2021.
- ↑ "Rhys Williams named Wanderers captain". Western Sydney Wanderers. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Alessandro Diamanti and Josh Risdon to lead Western United this season". Western United. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ↑ "A big AFC change has sparked a new A-Leagues table scramble: How it works". Australian Professional Leagues. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ↑ "FFA Cup to introduce Hyundai A-League play-off process from 2020". Football Federation Australia. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ↑ "AFC Executive Committee unveils dynamic enhancements to the AFC Club Competitions". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ↑ "A big AFC change has sparked a new A-Leagues table scramble: How it works". Australian Professional Leagues. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ↑ Lynch, Joey (17 April 2023). "Melbourne City quietly make history with third-straight A-League title". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ↑ "Competition Rules". KeepUp.com.au.
- ↑ "Extra finals adds to drama for 2021/22 Isuzu UTE A-League season". A-League. 29 October 2021.
- ↑ "Player Statistics (Goals)". Ultimate A-League. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ↑ Rugari, Vince (9 April 2022). "Le Fondre hat-trick keeps Sydney FC's season alive as Wanderers throw theirs away". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ↑ Lynch, Joey (10 April 2022). "Jets thump Glory to boost finals push". The Canberra Times. Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ↑ Taylor, Nick (16 April 2022). "Young Perth Glory suffer record equaling A-League flogging to high-flying Western United". The West Australian. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ↑ "Player Statistics (Clean Sheets)". Ultimate A-League. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ↑ Lewis, Samantha (26 May 2022). "Fiona Worts and Jake Brimmer take out A-Leagues' top gongs at 2021/22 Dolan Warren Awards". ABC News.
- ↑ "PFA reveals player-voted Austraffic A-League Men Team of the Season on eve of Grand Final". Professional Footballers Australia. 27 May 2022.