Sydney FC to meet Western Sydney Wanderers amif big changes to A-League’s Unite Round
The A-League’s biggest derby will highlight the 2024-25 season’s “Unite Round” which has been re-worked after poor crowds marred the first installment of the showpiece event.
Similar in concept to the NRL’s Magic Round and the AFL’s Gather Round, Unite Round debuted last season following a deal between the Australian Professional Leagues and the NSW government after a contract for Sydney to host the A-League grand final regardless of its participants was torn up after just one year.
The APL is set to make an official Unite Round announcement later but some details of its makeup in the upcoming season have emerged on social media via a locked FAQ link on the A-League website.
Having been played in January last season, Unite Round will be brought forward to November 22-24 in the upcoming campaign.
It will again include the men’s and women’s A-League competitions, but unlike last season, when CommBank Stadium was also used as a venue, all six of the men’s games will be played at Allianz Stadium, with all the women’s matches to be held at Leichhardt Oval.
Two of the men’s matches have been confirmed, including the feature fixture, a November 23, Saturday night derby between Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers.
The other men’s game revealed is also a derby, with champions and treble winners Central Coast Mariners set to meet the Newcastle Jets on Friday, November 22.
With the addition of Auckland FC to an expanded competition of 13 teams, Melbourne City’s men’s team won’t play in Unite Round due to the weekly bye that will exist in the new season.
“As part of the fixture building process, we sought feedback from clubs on when they may prefer to have their byes,” the APL said in its response to an FAQ.
“Based on a number of factors, it was determined that Melbourne City FC would have a bye during Unite Round.”
SOURCE: NEWS.COM
