A-League Men’s adds Canberra, Auckland to 2024-25 season as part of long-term expansion

Canberra and Auckland will join the A-League next year, with bold plans to increase the competition to 16 teams well underway, writes ADAM PEACOCK.

The A-League is set to expand from 12 to 14 teams next year, with Canberra and Auckland joining the competition.

And there’s more to come, with 16 teams the desired number by 2025.

“We want to be bringing more football to more communities,” Australian Professional Leagues CEO Danny Townsend says.

“We’ve got a clear growth strategy … and the time is now to be doing that.”

Townsend is excited about the growth period ahead for the A-League. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images for APL

Canberra and Auckland will be teams 13 and 14, with exact ownership details to be finalised by this June ahead of entry into the competition for the 2024-25 season.

The APL identified the two cities as the best options, with a further 11 options canvassed.

Two of those 11, from areas such as Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Tasmania and Perth will then be earmarked for entry in the 2025-26 season to get to 16 teams.

The APL is doing things differently, though, with owners not locked in for Canberra or Auckland.

The APL wanted to nail down the right areas to expand into, confident it will attract investors both locally and internationally to pay a fee north of $20 million to join the competition.

“We’re lucky our sport is the global game and there is the penchant there for the best football clubs in the world to own more football clubs,” Townsend says.

Canberra United was an inaugural member of the W-League in 2008. Picture: Jaimi Joy/Getty Images

European powerhouses Chelsea and Newcastle are two examples of English Premier League clubs looking to build a global network like City Football Group, which is built around Manchester City.

Canberra has never had a team in the A-League Men’s, but does have Canberra United competition in the A-League Women’s. One of the APL’s options is to bring Canberra United under the umbrella of the new entity in the nation’s capital.

It’s expected the new side would play at GIO Stadium, home of the Raiders (NRL) and Brumbies (Super Rugby).

Auckland, representing a city of 1.7 million, would be a totally new club with Mt Smart Stadium, home of the NRL’s Warriors, the best fit as home ground. Eden Park is seen as a venue for Kiwi derbies with Wellington Phoenix.

Eden Park played host to the Phoenix in their match with Sydney last weekend. Picture: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

A-Leagues expansion is happening concurrently to Football Australia’s concept of a national second tier, which last week attracted 32 expressions of interest from all across Australia. A final model will be cemented by the end of 2023.

Many of those 32 are clubs from the National Soccer League era and were locked out of the A-League in 2005.

“The national second division, we don’t know what that looks like,” Townsend says.

“We’re supportive of more high-level football in this country and if that paves the way as a connection into the pyramid, we’ve always said that’s something we support.”

Townsend says Football Australia is behind the A-League’s desire to expand.

“We’ve been in constant dialogue through the entire process,” Townsend says.

“They are aware of our thinking, and have seen the work we’ve done.”

Originally published as A-League Men’s adds Canberra, Auckland to 2024-25 season as part of long-term expansion