A-League Women 24-25 Season Guide: Tickets, fixtures, broadcast

The wait is almost over. On Friday night, the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season begins.

Sydney FC are aiming for a Championship three-peat, while Melbourne City return as reigning Champions and the Ninja A-League’s sole representative in the AFC Women’s Champions League.

There are new signings, stunning new kits, three new head coaches, young players to watch and so much more to get excited about ahead of Friday night’s opening game between Western United and Wellington Phoenix at Ironbark Fields.

Read on as aleagues.com.au brings you up to speed with everything you need to know about the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season.

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Season dates

Season 2024-25 will see the competition extended to 23 games – a full home-and-away with an additional round for the second edition of A-Leagues’ Unite Round.

Round 1 kicks off on November 1, 2024 and the regular season will run until April 20 before the beginning of the Finals Series.

In 2024-25, Unite Round is scheduled to take place between Friday, November 22 and Sunday, November 24 as the fourth round of the regular season; all six of the Ninja A-League Women Unite Round fixtures will take place at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney, New South Wales.

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Finals structure and key dates

For the second consecutive season, 12 teams make up the Ninja A-League and as a result, the Finals Series will follow an identical format to the 2023-24 campaign.

The top six teams at the end of the regular season will progress to the Finals Series.

Two Elimination Finals between 3rd and 6th and 4th and 5th will determine which two sides meet the first and second-placed finishers in a pair of two-legged Semi-Finals.

The winners of those two-leg Semi-Finals will progress to the Grand Final.

The Elimination Finals will take place between April 25-27, 2025. The two-legged Semi-Finals are scheduled for May 2-4 and May 9-11, with the Grand Final set to be staged between May 17-18 2025.

Ninja A-League Finals Series

Week 1: Elimination Finals (April 25-27 2025)

3rd Place (Home) vs 6th Place (Away)

4th Place (Home) vs 5th Place (Away)

Week 2: Semi-Finals leg 1 (May 2-4 2025)

1st Place vs Lowest Place EF Winner (4th, 5th or 6th on ladder)

2nd Place vs Highest Place EF Winner Match (3rd, 4th or 5th on ladder)

Week 3: Semi-Finals leg 2 (May 9-11 2025)

1st Place vs Lowest Place EF Winner (4th, 5th or 6th on ladder)

2nd Place vs Highest Place EF Winner Match (3rd, 4th or 5th on ladder)

Week 4: Grand Final (May 16-18 2025)

SF winner v SF winner (Highest Placed Team is the Grand Final Host)

FULL FIXTURE: Every match here
TALKING POINTS: More free-to-air games, a New Year’s Eve party & more
DERBY DAYS & KEY DATES: The biggest Ninja A-League Women matches to put in your diary
FINALS SERIES: 2024-25 Ninja A-League Women finals structure and dates

How to watch the Ninja A-League

Paramount Australia remains the exclusive home of Australian football for the 2024-25 season with football fans across the country able to enjoy access to a mountain of football with every single A-Leagues match available to stream live on Paramount+.

Building on the growth in 2023-24, which saw TV viewership grow by more than 133% year-on-year, the minimum number of free-to-air matches on 10 Bold will also increase from one to 10 as the league, alongside Network Ten and new naming rights partner Ninja, continue to elevate the visibility of the women’s game.

One match from each of the four opening rounds will be shown live on 10 Bold, plus one match from each of the last two regular season rounds. During the 2025 Finals Series, one match from each weekend will also be shown live on 10 Bold, including the Grand Final on 16-18 May.

10 games on free-to-air TV in 2024-25!

Network 10 have committed to broadcasting a minimum of 10 Ninja A-League Women fixtures in 2024-25.

The free-to-air scheduling commitment includes a Round 1 bout between Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC, Round 2’s Melbourne Derby, the Sydney Derby in Round 3, Mariners v Victory in Unite Round in Round 4, as well as Sydney v Canberra United in Round 22 and Victory v Western United in the final round of the regular season.

Network 10 will then air one Elimination Final, two Semi-Finals (one first-leg Semi, one second-Leg Semi) and the big one – the Grand Final – on the weekend of May 16-18, 2025.

Every game of the 2024-25 Ninja A-League Women season will be broadcast LIVE and FREE on 10 Play and Paramount+.

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Fixtures

The 23-round regular season schedule is set and there are plenty of big games to look forward to as the 2024-25 campaign gets underway.

In Round 2, the Ninja A-League Women receives its first taste of the Melbourne Derby for the season; the first of two derby battles between the two old rivals will take place at AAMI Park on Saturday, November 9 as part of a doubleheader with the Isuzu UTE A-League Men.

The first Sydney Derby of the season between Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers will take place in Round 3, at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday, November 16 – then comes a Grand Final rematch between the Sky Blues and Melbourne City in Round 4.

Those eager to witness the next instalment of the F3 Derby between Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets must wait until Round 14 when the Mariners host the Jets on Saturday, February 1; the two bitter foes meet again in the final round of the season on Saturday, April 19.

Click here for the round-by-round breakdown of the 2024-25 fixture

A snapshot of some of the key facts about the 2024-25 fixture:

Every game of the Ninja A-League season will be LIVE and FREE on Paramount+ and 10 Play
Season kicks off on Friday, November 1 2024 and ends with the Grand Final on the weekend of May 17-18 2025
23-round season: a full home-and-away, 22-round schedule for all 12 clubs, plus Unite Round
Minimum of 10 free-to-air matches on 10 Bold, up from one in 2023-24

NINJA A-LEAGUE WOMEN 2024-25 FIXTURE DETAILS

Derby days in 2024-25

Original Rivalry: Melbourne Victory & Adelaide United

Round 1: Saturday, November 2 2024 @ ServiceFM STadium
Round 21: Saturday, March 29 2024 @ AAMI Park (Double Header)

Sydney Derby: Western Sydney Wanderers & Sydney FC

Round 3: Saturday, November 16 2024 @Leichhardt Oval
Round 21: Friday, March 28 2025 – Venue TBC

F3 Derby: Newcastle Jets & Central Coast Mariners

Round 13: Saturday, February 1 2025 @ Industree Group Stadium (Double Header)
Round 23: Saturday, April 19 2025 @ Maitland Regional Sportsground

Melbourne Derby: Melbourne City & Melbourne Victory

Round 2: Saturday, November 9 2024 @ AAMI Park (Double Header)
Round 14: Saturday, February 1 2025 @ City Football Academy

Big Blue: Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory

Round 8: Saturday, December 28 @ Allianz Stadium
Round 13: Friday, January 24 @ AAMI Park (Double Header)

Click here for the round-by-round breakdown of the 2024-25 fixture

Some Other Notable Matches…

Round 4: 2024 Unite Round – Friday 22 November – Sunday 24 November, Leichhardt Oval
Grand Final rematches – Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory: Unite Round (November 24, 2024 -Leichhardt Oval), Round 10 (January 5, 2025 – Leichhardt Oval), Round 16 (February 15, 2025 – AAMI Park)
Round 9 – Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne City: Tuesday, December 31 2024 @ Industree Group Stadium (New Year’s Eve Double Header)
Round 21: Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United – Saturday 29 March @ AAMI Park (Pride Cup/Original Rivalry)
Round 23 – Adelaide United v Sydney FC: Friday, April 18 2025 @ Coopers Stadium (Good Friday Double Header)
Round 23 – Perth Glory v Melbourne City Friday, April 18 2025 @ Sam Kerr Football Centre (Good Friday Double Header)
Round 23 – Wellington Phoenix v Western United Sunday, April 20 2025 @ Porirua Park (Easter Sunday)
Round 23 – Western Sydney Wanderers v Canberra United Sunday, April 20 2025 @ Wanderers Football Park (Easter Sunday)
Wellington Phoenix vs Perth Glory – Saturday 4 January @ Porirua Park (Distance Derby)
Canberra United vs Perth Glory – Saturday 1 February @ McKellar Park (2015 Grand Final Anniversary)

Memberships & tickets

Memberships

Become a member of your A-Leagues club today!

You can click here to find a membership package at your favourite A-Leagues club – or, you can access membership packages via these specific club links:

BECOME A MEMBER OF YOUR A-LEAGUES CLUB TODAY

Tickets

If you are looking to buy regular season tickets for A-Leagues matches you should always buy them directly from A-Leagues Clubs.

You can purchase tickets safely from official Club websites or ticket offices linked here for the Ninja A-League Men’s competition.

Clubs will also provide details of any authorised ticket partners on their official site.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS TO THE NINJA A-LEAGUE

The transfer window

It’s been a busy off-season in the Ninja A-League, highlighted by the return of CommBank Matildas striker Kyah Simon to Sydney FC after one season at Central Coast Mariners.

Matildas Taylor Ray (Central Coast), Matilda McNamara (Adelaide), Jessika Nash (Central Coast) and Casey Dumont (Perth Glory) have also landed at new clubs this off-season.

FULL INS & OUTS: NINJA A-LEAGUE TRANSFER CENTRE

New arrivals

Adelaide United: Matilda McNamara , Tiarna Karambasis, Erin Healy, Fiona Worts , Abby Clarke
Brisbane Roar: Danelle Tan , Zara Kruger, Evdokia Popadinova , Emily Pringle , Tanaye Morris, Isabela Hoyos (scholarship contract), Momo Hayashi , Laini Freier , Leia Varley, Olivia Sekany (loan from Racing Louisville)
Canberra United: Sally James, Elizabeth Anton, Aideen Keane, Jynaya Dos Santos, Darcey Malone, Bethany Gordon , Maja Markovski, Emma Robers
Central Coast Mariners: Taylor Ray , Jade Pennock, Brooke Nunn , Jessika Nash, Chloe Carmichael, Brianne Riley, Tiana Fuller, Lily McMahon, Leia Puxty
Melbourne City: Alexia Apostolakis, Mariana Speckmaier, Malena Mieres, Emilia Murray, Lourdes Bosch , Tyla-Jay Vlajnic
Melbourne Victory: Alana Jancevski , Nickoletta Flannery, Sofia Sakalis, Ellie Wilson, Claudia Bunge
Newcastle Jets: Bel Rolley, Danielle Krzyzaniak , India Breier , Ava Piazza, Chloe Walandouw, Josie Allan , Mia Green , Claire Adams, Sheridan Gallagher (NRLW)
Perth Glory: Gabby Hollar , Naomi Chinnama , Ella Abdul-Massih, Sarah O’Donoghue , Tijan McKenna, Ischia Brooking , Onyinyechi Zogg , Kelli Brown, Megan Wynne, Miranda Templeman, Jessica Skinner , Natalie Tathem , Casey Dumont , Miku Sunaga, Ella Lincoln, Charli Wainwright
Sydney FC: Millie Farrow, Amber Luchtmeijer, Brianna Edwards, Hana Lowry , Faye Bryson, Rubi Sullivan, Kyah Simon
Wellington Phoenix: Carolina Vilão (Benfica), Olivia Fergusson , Aimee Danieli (scholarship contract), Ella McMillan (scholarship contract), Ela Jerez (scholarship contract), Ella McCann (scholarship contract), Grace Jale, Maya McCutcheon , Lara Wall (scholarship contract), Mebae Tanaka
Western Sydney Wanderers: Milly Bennett (scholarship contract), Sienna Saveska, Talia Kapetanellis
Western United: Chloe Lincoln, Sasha Grove , Alana Cortellino, Sara Eggesvik , Isabel Dehakiz, Claudia Mihocic , Emily Roach , Sandra Ibarguen

Club departures

Adelaide United: Hannah Blake, Annabel Haffenden, Jenna Holtz, Alana Jancevski, Mariah Lee, Rosetta Taylor, Grace Wilson, Maruschka Waldus, Emilia Murray
Brisbane Roar: Ayesha Norrie, Hollie Palmer , Mia Corbin, Leah Scarpelli
Canberra United: Chloe Lincoln, Sasha Grove, Vesna Milivojevic, Emma Ilijoski, Nickoletta Flannery
Central Coast Mariners: Rola Badawiya, Jazmin Wardlow, Tiarna Karambasis, Alexia Karrys-Stahl, Maya Lobo, Briana Woodall, Kyah Simon, Casey Dumont, Faye Bryson, Paige Hayward, Wurigumula
Melbourne City: Hannah Wilkinson , Emina Ekić, Bárbara, Naomi Chinnama, Julia Grosso , Daniela Galic, Leia Varley, Tijan McKenna, Cariel Ellis
Melbourne Victory: Emma Checker (Retired), Jamilla Rankin, Miranda Templeman, Jessika Nash, Kurea Okino, Tori Hansen
Newcastle Jets: Gema Simon (Retired), Alex Huynh (Retired), Sarina Bolden , Melina Ayres
Perth Glory: Tash Rigby (retired), Millie Farrow , Morgan Aquino, Hana Lowry , Sally James, Sofia Sakalis, Jessika Cowart
Sydney FC: Cortnee Vine, Charlotte McLean, Taylor Ray, Darcey Malone, Zara Kruger, Teigan Collister, Aideen Keane, Lucy Johnson, Jynaya Dos Santos, Fiona Worts, Jada Whyman, Sienna Saveska
Wellington Phoenix: Macey Fraser, Grace Wisnewski, Hope Breslin, Kate Taylor, Kelli Brown, Mariana Speckmaier, Rylee Foster, Brianna Edwards, Marisa van der Meer (mutual termination*), Michaela Foster, Michaela Robertson (break from football)
Western Sydney Wanderers: Alexia Apostolakis, Kaylie Collins, Vicky Bruce, Maliah Morris, Ischia Brooking, Bethany Gordon, Melissa Caceres, India Breier, Lauren Keir (retired)
Western United: Hannah Keane, Stacey Papadopoulos, Jaclyn Sawicki, Emma Robers, TJ Vlajnic, Natasha Dakic, Lucy Richards, Raquel Deralas, Silver Bell Morris

The coaches

There are three new head coaches in the Ninja A-League this season.

After the departure of Alex Epakis, Perth Glory turned to NPLW NSW Coach of the Year Stephen Peters, who has taken on his first top job in the Ninja A-League after three-consecutive titles with Macarthur Rams.

.@PerthGloryFC's new coach is arriving in the A-Leagues with a three-peat under his belt 🔥👏

Stephen Peters led Macarthur Rams to a third straight NPLW NSW title over the weekend.

✅ 2022 ✅ 2023 ✅ 2024

What a way to sign off. pic.twitter.com/40X16TCxnS
— Ninja A-League (@aleaguewomen) September 9, 2024

The reigning Premiers also have a new coach leading them into the 2024-25 Ninja A-League campaign; Melbourne City finished first in 2023-24 under Dario Vidosic, who has since departed to Women’s Super League (WSL club Brighton and Hove Albion.

Michael Matricciani has replaced Vidosic in the top job at City; like Peters, Matricciani is taking his first senior head coaching role in the A-Leagues, having previously served as an assistant coach at Adelaide United, where he also played for the Reds during 2005-06 Isuzu UTE A-League season.

In Canberra, Antoni Jagarinec is in charge having replaced Njegosh Popovich as head coach.

Described as “a standout” candidate for the job by club CEO Samantha Farrow, Jagarinec was previously an assistant coach at the club, and has become the ninth head coach in Canberra’s history.