New season with Western United to feature three byes per team

Next season each A-League club will have three byes in a 29-round campaign featuring newcomers Western United.

Next season each A-League club will have three byes in a 29-round campaign featuring newcomers Western United.

Football Federation Australia has announced there will be no split rounds or breaks for international dates in the next A-League season.

Western United’s entry has expanded the number of rounds from 27 to 29 in a season to start on October 11 and finish with a grand final on the weekend of May 16-17 next year.

FFA head of leagues Greg O’Rourke says Western United’s debut, and the Asian under-23 Championships in January next year, presented a mix of challenges for the A-League.

The Asian under-23 tournament doubles as the qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“For the past eight seasons we have had 10 clubs who have played each other three times over 27 rounds,” O’Rourke said in a statement on Friday.

“With the introduction of Western United ... we needed to facilitate a bye each round.

“The presence of a bye necessitates that we apply a new format to the competition.

“This season, clubs will play each other twice with an additional six matches per club that will see some clubs play each other three times.”

O’Rourke said the full fixture list would be released in July. The finals format will remain unchanged.

AAP