Dear Members,
On the anniversary of the Club’s most historic day and as we enter our most exciting period in the past 10 years, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for your support in season 2025/26 and reflect on what has already been a significant year for Adelaide United.
At the beginning of the season, as is a regular theme, there were many outside the Club who questioned our finals credentials. Internally, our belief was strong, and our year-to-date success has only reinforced that belief.
Our Men’s team now heads into our 15th A-League Finals Series in outstanding form, unbeaten in 10 matches, second on the ladder with a guaranteed home Semi-Final in two weeks time.
Credit must go to Airton Andrioli, his coaching staff, and the entire playing group for what they have achieved in their first season together. Early season the new coaching and playing group took time to gel but since our unforgettable win against Victory in January, we have arguably been the form team of the competition.
That Regular Season form culminated last Sunday with Luka’s priceless winner which is also expected to secure Asian football for the first time since 2017, with a play-off spot in the AFC Champions League Elite competition likely to be confirmed by the AFC this month, and a play-off date set for late July or early August.
Our Women’s season came to an end on the weekend with a disappointing loss to Brisbane Roar. Like the Men’s program, we were a little slow to get started in 2025/26 but a club record run of 4 wins in a row had us as high as second by March. Whilst the final regular season matches and weekend’s result was not the desired outcome; it should not take away from what was a very positive campaign in Theo Tsiounis’ first season in charge.
Securing back-to-back Finals appearances is something we can be proud of, noting that establishing consistency has been a major priority for our Women’s program. With so much talent emerging from local clubs and the Football SA NTC program, we are confident the program will only continue to improve in future seasons.
Our redevelopment of the Adelaide United Training Centre at Playford will see our Women’s 2026/27 pre-season kick off alongside the Men’s and Youth program, unifying the club for the first time in our history. This is an exciting proposition as we commence planning for next season.
Our long-term strategy remains grounded in giving opportunities to South Australian talent, developing players, and playing football that our fans can be proud of. This season, 21 South Australians were on professional contracts on our Men’s roster, the highest number of local players in our history. This commitment can at times create angst where foreign and interstate signings at times bring more attention; however, you only need to look at the number of Adelaide United graduates enjoying success overseas to appreciate that the strategy is in the best interest of both the club and South Australian football.
While reaching 2nd on the ladder is an incredible achievement, we are not done yet. The players and staff are hungry for more, and we have not lost focus on the task in front of us once our Semi-Final opponent is confirmed on Saturday.
This focus is even more acute after the home Semi-Final sold out in 24 hours earlier this week. We understand there will be some disappointment amongst those who missed out, but we can confirm there will be a limited second ticket release next week so please stay tuned for further communications from APL.
On the crowd front, your support has again been a major strength in 2025/26 where we have averaged over 11,000 per match at Coopers Stadium, the highest average attendance since 2014/15 and above the Championship winning season in 2015/16.
This reinforces Coopers Stadium’s position as the best football stadium in the country and a big thank you to AVM for their incredible support in creating an unforgettable match day experience each week.
As we look ahead, it would be remiss not to reflect on the past and the achievements of all those who contributed to our success on 1 May 2016. Many on the field that day are still involved in the club and whilst it is nostalgic to think what might be 10 years later, there is no doubt the anniversary serves as extra motivation for all of us.
For now, however; our focus is firmly on the away leg of the Semi-Final next weekend and any thoughts beyond that can only serve as a distraction at this point in time.
Thank you again for your support, your belief, and your passion, and we look forward to seeing you at Coopers Stadium on 15 May.
Kind regards,
Nathan Kosmina
Chief Executive Officer
Adelaide United Football Club
