Get out your calendar and pen – it is so close now that you can almost touch it.
The Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season kicks off soon and the excitement is palpable after a long pre-season.
And this could be the biggest campaign to date. Read on to find out why.
RIVALRIES: Every key derby date for Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season
ROUND 1: Five blockbuster fixtures to kick off Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season
MATCH CENTRE: Visit the match centre for every 2019/20 fixture
Western United FC
The Hyundai A-League has a new face in 2019/20: Western United FC.
The Melbourne-based club, who will play their home matches in Geelong and Ballarat, have got all the ingredients to make a splash in their inaugural season.
United have appointed ex-Sydney FC great Mark Rudan at the helm after he guided Wellington Phoenix to a sixth-place finish in 2018/19.
And with the likes of Alessandro Diamanti and Panagiotis Kone on board, former Italian and Greek national team representatives respectively, the new kids on the block are certainly not here to make up the numbers.
EVERY PLAYER: Western United FC’s signing so far
SEASON DRAW: Western United FC’s full draw
Bankwest Stadium
It is the moment Western Sydney Wanderers fans have been waiting for.
The Wanderers have spent three years in the wilderness but are back at their spiritual Parramatta home this season, the new Bankwest Stadium.
The 30,000-seat state of the art arena was officially opened in April, and proudly claims it will bring fans closer to the action more than ever before in Australia.
Bankwest Stadium features the steepest grandstands in the country, a safe-standing area for the club’s active support group, the Red and Black Bloc, and is sure to be high on the list of away day trips for opposition fans.
GALLERY: A look inside the Wanderers’ new home
Fowler headlines coaching line up
The off-season brought winds of change throughout the country, and we’ve got a stacked cast of coaches in hotseats around the country.
One of them is former Premier League legend Robbie Fowler, who takes charge of Brisbane Roar in what is his first campaign in full-time coaching.
Esteemed French national youth team coach Erick Mombaerts is another arrival sure to whet the appetite of Melbourne City fans, and so too is new Adelaide United boss Gertjan Verbeek.
And across the ditch, there is huge excitement to see what ex-Sydney FC assistant can do in the dugout of Wellington Phoenix.
FOWLER: ‘It’s taken me a long time to get back. Thankfully now I’m here’
Key Points for the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season
Key Features
- 11 Clubs
- 29 Rounds (13 Home + 13 Away matches per club – 3 Byes per club)
- Round 1: 11-13 October 2019
- No break for FIFA International dates
- No Split Rounds (Bye preference for 3 clubs participating in the AFC Champions League 2020)
- Round 29: 24-26 April 2020
- Hyundai A-League 2020 Finals Series structure remains the same (Elimination Finals (3v6 & 4v5), Semi-Finals (1 v lowest-ranked winner from Elimination Finals, 2 v highest-ranked winner from Elimination Finals,) and the Grand Final)
- Hyundai A-League 2020 Finals Series – commences weekend 1-3 May 2020
- Hyundai A-League 2020 Grand Final – weekend of 16-17 May 2020
- Grand Final Re-Match (Perth Glory v Sydney FC) in Round 7 (Saturday, 23 November 2019 @ HBF Park)
Key Rivalries
- Sydney Derbies (Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers FC)
- Round 3 (Saturday 26 October 2019 @ Bankwest Stadium)
- Round 18 (Saturday 8 February 2020 @ Netstrata Jubilee Stadium)
- Round 24 (Saturday 21 March 2020 @ Bankwest Stadium)
- Melbourne Derbies (Melbourne City FC v Melbourne Victory)
- Round 1 (Saturday 12 October 2019 @ Marvel Stadium)
- Round 11 (Saturday 21 December 2019 @ AAMI Park)
- Round 18 (Friday 7 February 2020 @ AAMI Park)
- F3 Derbies (Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets)
- Round 2 (Saturday 19 October 2019 @ Central Coast Stadium)
- Round 18 (Sunday 9 February 2020 @ McDonald Jones Stadium)
- Round 25 (Saturday 28 March 2020 @ Central Coast Stadium)
- Big Blue (Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC)
- Round 6 (Saturday 16 November 2019 @ Netstrata Jubilee Stadium)
- Round 16 (Friday 24 January 2020 @ AAMI Park)
- Round 22 (Saturday 7 March 2020 @ Marvel Stadium)
- Original Rivalry: Adelaide United vs Melbourne Victory
- Round 7 (Saturday 23 November 2019 @ Coopers Stadium)
- Round 15 (Friday 17 January 2020 @ Coopers Stadium)
- Round 21 (Saturday 29 February 2020 @ Marvel Stadium)
- Fixtures played outside Home Cities
- Round 9 – Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers FC @ Eden Park, Auckland – Saturday, 7 December 2019
- Round 19 – Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne City FC @ Eden Park, Auckland – Saturday, 15 February 2020
- Round 12 – Western United FC v Wellington Phoenix @ Mars Stadium, Ballarat – Saturday, 28 December 2019
- Round 19 – Western United FC v Brisbane Roar FC @ Mars Stadium, Ballarat – Sunday, 16 February 2020
- Round 25 – Western United FC v Western Sydney Wanderers FC @ Mars Stadium, Ballarat – Sunday, 29 March 2020
- Round 6 – Brisbane Roar FC v Melbourne City FC @ Dolphin Stadium, Redcliffe – Sunday, 17 November 2019
- Round 20 – Brisbane Roar FC v Perth Glory @ Dolphin Stadium, Redcliffe – Sunday, 23 February 2020
- Round 27 – Brisbane Roar FC v Newcastle Jets @ Dolphin Stadium, Redcliffe – Sunday, 12 April 2020
- Themed Rounds
- Remembrance Round – Round 5 (8-10 November 2019)
- rebel Play Football Round – Round 18 (14-16 February 2020)
- rebel Female Football Round – Round 23 (13-15 March 2020)
- Anzac Day Fixtures
- Round 29 – Brisbane Roar FC v Adelaide United @ Suncorp Stadium – Saturday, 25 April 2020
- Round 29 – Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Wellington Phoenix @ Bankwest Stadium – Saturday, 25 April 2020
- FOX SPORTS will broadcast and stream on www.foxsports.com.au every match of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season and the Hyundai A-League 2020 Finals Series live.
- Kayo Sports (www.kayosports.com.au) will stream all matches of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season and Hyundai A-League 2020 Finals Series live.
- All Hyundai A-League 2019/20 and Hyundai A-League 2020 Finals Series matches will also be available on the MyFootball Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers
For all membership, ticketing, news and match information including exclusive behind-the-scenes content on the Hyundai A-League visit www.a-league.com.au.