The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has announced its inaugural ‘Unite Round’ in partnership with the NSW Government and Destination NSW (DNSW).
Between Friday January 12 and Sunday January 14, Sydney will play host to all 12 Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Liberty A-League Women matches, as the A-Leagues become the first leagues to celebrate a full men’s and women’s round in a single city. The weekend will also host a series of grassroots competitions and activities for children and teens.
The ‘Unite Round’ is being introduced for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, as the APL’s partnership with DNSW enters its second year. As part of the updated partnership, the hosting rights for the Grand Finals will revert to the traditional format with hosting rights awarded to the highest placed qualifier from the Semi Finals, starting from season 2023-24.
During ‘Unite Round’, the double header matches will be hosted at Allianz Stadium, CommBank Stadium and Leichhardt Oval, and 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 AFC Asian Cup match in Qatar between Australia and India’s men’s teams on Saturday 13 January at 10:30pm AEDT.
For the Isuzu UTE A-League Men, ‘Unite Round’ will be an additional round – making it a 27-game regular season. The existing Round 12 fixtures are being moved to new dates and times. For the Liberty A-League Women, ‘Unite Round’ will use the existing Round 12 fixtures, keeping the season as a 22-game regular season.
Adelaide United’s “Unite Round” match will see it take on Sydney at Allianz Stadium on Saturday 13 January in the Isuzu UTE A-League competition, while its Liberty A-League match will see it take on Canberra United at Leichardt Oval on the same day.
It also means the Round 12 Isuzu UTE A-League match involving Adelaide and Macarthur will be shifted to Monday 8 January at 7:15pm instead of the previously fixtured Sunday 14 January.
Ticketing information for that match will be communicated once it is available.
The Hon Stephen Conroy, Chair of APL, said: “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. 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.”
Danny Townsend, CEO of APL said: “The Unite Round is a brand new experience which brings together all A-Leagues clubs, fans and grassroots players together for the very first time in Sydney in an unprecedented celebration of football. With the women’s domestic attendance record already broken twice on the first day of this season, we are looking forward to welcoming A-Leagues fans, old and new, to experience our leagues.
“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. 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.”
Premier Chris Minns said: “Unite Round is great news for the football community, and for NSW.
“This will bring fans and players from around the country together in Sydney.
“I encourage fans to get involved in this festival of football.
This A-Leagues event is supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Tickets for A-Leagues ‘Unite Round’ will go on sale from Monday 6 November.
Unite Round Fixtures
Isuzu UTE A-League Men 1 Team 2 Venue
Friday 12 January 2024 Macarthur FC v Western United FC CommBank Stadium
• Friday 12 January 2024 Melbourne City FC v Western Sydney Wanderers FC CommBank Stadium
• Saturday 13 January 2024 Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne Victory Allianz Stadium
• Saturday 13 January 2024 Adelaide United v Sydney FC Allianz Stadium
• Sunday 14 January 2024 Brisbane Roar FC v Newcastle Jets Allianz Stadium
• Sunday 14 January 2024 Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix CommBank Stadium
Liberty A-League Women
• Friday 12 January 2024 Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory Leichhardt Oval
• Friday 12 January 2024 Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners Leichhardt Oval
• Saturday 13 January 2024 Canberra United v Adelaide United Leichhardt Oval
• Saturday 13 January 2024 Brisbane Roar FC v Newcastle Jets Leichhardt Oval
• Sunday 14 January 2024 Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Melbourne City FC CommBank Stadium
• Sunday 14 January 2024 Western United FC v Sydney FC Allianz Stadium
Confirmed dates for finals:
Liberty A-League Women Finals Series:
Week 1 (Elimination Finals): Friday 12 – Sunday 14 April 2024
Week 2 (Semi Final – Leg 1): Friday 19 – Sunday 21 April 2024
Week 3 (Semi Final – Leg 2): Friday 26 – Sunday 28 April 2024
Week 4 (Grand Final): Friday 3 – Sunday 5 May 2024
Isuzu UTE A-League Men Finals Series:
Week 1 (Elimination Finals): Friday 3 – Sunday 5 May 2024
Week 2 (Semi Final – Leg 1): Friday 10 – Sunday 12 May 2024
Week 3 (Semi Final – Leg 2): Friday 17 – Sunday 19 May 2024
Week 4 (Grand Final): Friday 24 – Sunday 26 May 2024
