Details Soccer

Description: Australian A-League

The A-League is a professional men's soccer league, run by Football Federation Australia (FFA). At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's primary competition for the sport. The A-League was established in 2004 as a successor to the National Soccer League (NSL) and competition commenced in August 2005. The league is currently contested by ten teams; nine based in Australia and one based in New Zealand. It is known as the Hyundai A-League (HAL) through a sponsorship arrangement with the Hyundai Motor Company. Seasons run from October to May and include a 27-round regular season and an end-of-season finals series playoff tournament involving the highest-placed teams, culminating in a grand final match. The winner of the regular season tournament is dubbed 'premier' and the winner of the grand final is 'champion'. This differs from the other major football codes in Australia, where 'premier' refers to the winner of the grand final and the winner of the regular season is the 'minor premier'. The A-League's non-standard terminology is reflective of the increased prestige associated with winning the regular season in association football compared to other football codes in Australia. Successful A-League clubs gain qualification into the continental competition, the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL). Since the league's inaugural season, a total of six clubs have been crowned A-League Premiers and five clubs have been crowned A-League Champions. The current premiers and champions are Brisbane Roar, who won both titles in 2013–14.