Adelaide United members gathered in the ComwireIT Club at Coopers Stadium on Tuesday evening to hear about the Club’s preparations and ambitions for 2026/27.
Hosted by Jarrod Walsh, the Members’ Forum featured Chief Executive Officer Nathan Kosmina, Football Director Mitch van Gellekom and Head Coaches Airton Andrioli and Theo Tsiounis, with questions from members covering recruitment, investment, player development and competing in Asia.
Read the key takeaways below, or listen to the full discussion in the embedded YouTube audio.
Investing in the Club’s future
Kosmina outlined the investment in Playford as a key off season project for the Club, where $1.5 million has been spent upgrading facilities. Kosmina also said $250,000 contributed by State Government, with the remaining investment funded by the Club directly.
The Women’s team is now training at the same facility as the Men’s team for the first time in the Club’s history, strengthening connections between programs.
“We couldn’t have been happier with the progress both teams made throughout the year,” Kosmina said.
The improvements complement investment in football support services, including strength and conditioning expertise shared across the senior and youth programs.
Backing the squad
Van Gellekom addressed questions about recruitment, explaining that the Club had explored additional attacking options, but any signing needed to complement the existing squad and its development pathway.
With 29 contracted players and the majority of the Men’s squad retained, he expressed confidence in the balance of experience, emerging talent and competition for places.
“We have a lot of trust in the young boys because we have been seeing what kind of work they put in over the last years and what they can do,” he said.
Kosmina added that discussions about bringing South Australian players home remain welcome, with timing and squad needs guiding those decisions.
Development and ambition together
Andrioli spoke about building on last season’s foundations through belief in young players, the influence of experienced teammates and a commitment to football that supporters want to watch.
“I want to believe in what they can do, not what they can’t do,” Andrioli said.
For the Women’s team, Tsiounis discussed how squad changes create opportunities for players to take on greater responsibility, supported by quality coaching and high standards.
“Our big emphasis is making sure that we create that high-performance environment, creating that learning environment for the players to give them every opportunity of achieving success,” Tsiounis said.
Both coaches emphasised the work on the training pitch that underpins development and the ambition to win matches.
Embracing Asia and staying connected
The panel discussed the demands of Asian competition, including travel, scheduling and different playing conditions, while highlighting the opportunity to challenge the squad and represent Adelaide internationally.
Kosmina also reported positive momentum across membership, commercial partnerships and merchandise. He confirmed that renewal membership prices had been frozen and ticket pricing would remain effectively in line with last season, acknowledging the pressures facing supporters.
The evening reinforced the importance of that support and the connection between the Club and its members.
“We really need to do this together,” Andrioli said.
Adelaide United thanks everyone who attended and contributed questions.
