Soccer in Australia

Soccer in Australia
The Australian national team playing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, May 2006
CountryAustralia
Governing bodyFootball Australia (FA)
National teamsAustralia men's national soccer team
Australia women's national soccer team
NicknamesSocceroos, Matildas
First played7 August 1875 in Goodna, Queensland.
Registered players1,232,726 (adult)
632,249 (child)
Clubs14,021[citation needed]
National competitions
Club competitions
Audience records
Single match114,000
Spain vs Cameroon; Stadium Australia, 30 September 2000 (National teams)
99,382
Real Madrid vs Manchester City; Melbourne Cricket Ground, 24 July 2015 (Club teams)

Soccer is the most played code of football and outdoor team sport in Australia and ranked in the top ten for television audience as of 2015. Football Australia Limited (FA), a national administrative organisation, is composed of nine state and territory member federations. The local club soccer season in Australia is played in autumn and winter but the Australian Professional Leagues Company Pty Ltd's A-Leagues play in summer, to avoid competing with Australian rules football and Rugby league which dominate spectator and media interest in the country.

Soccer was introduced in Australia in the late 19th century by mostly British immigrants. The first club formed in Australia, Wanderers, was founded on 3 August 1880 in Sydney, while the oldest club in Australia currently in existence is Balgownie Rangers, formed in 1883 in Wollongong. Wanderers were also the first recorded team to play under the Laws of the Game. A semi-professional national league, the National Soccer League (NSL), was introduced in 1977. The NSL was replaced by professional A-League Men, in 2004. The Australian Soccer Federation was a founding member of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) before moving to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006. The main professional leagues are the A-League Men, A-League Women and the Australia Cup; however, foreign leagues such as the Premier League, the Championship and the Women's Super League are also popular.

The men's and women's national teams, known as the Socceroos and the Matildas respectively, compete globally. Australia cohosted the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup with New Zealand. The Matildas finished fourth in that tournament (Australia's best ever performance at any World Cup, male or female), and the majority of Australians watched them play on television or at the stadium. It had a major impact on Australian sport, and the phenomenon is commonly known as "Matildas fever".

History

St Kilda Soccer Club at Middle Park, 1909

19th century

An early match took place at the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum, located in Wacol in suburban Brisbane, on 7 August 1875, when a team of inmates and wards men from the asylum played against the visiting Brisbane Australian rules football club; the rules of the match which clearly stated that the "ball should not be handled nor carried" was a direct reference to British Association Rules.

In Hobart on 10 May 1879 the newly formed Cricketers FC, who had adopted the British Association Rules, played a scratch game among its members. On 7 June 1879 the Cricketers club met the New Town FC in a soccer match. Days later both clubs joined the newly formed Tasmanian Football Association which became an Australian rules football body.

The first recorded match in Sydney under the Laws of the Game was contested between Wanderers and members of the Kings School rugby team at Parramatta Common on 14 August 1880. The Wanderers, considered the first soccer club in Australia, was established on 3 August 1880, by English-émigré John Walter Fletcher. Later, in 1882, Fletcher formed the New South Wales English Football Association (also referred to as the South British Football Soccer Association), the first supra-club soccer organisation in Australia and one of the first to be established outside the United Kingdom.

In 1883, Balgownie Rangers, the oldest existing club in Australia was founded; the club currently competes in the Illawarra regional league. Later that year, the first inter-colonial game was played at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground, between a representative Victorian team and one from the neighbouring colony of New South Wales.

As soccer participation continued to grow in Australia, John Fletcher's New South Wales soccer association gave inspiration to other states to establish their own organising bodies for the sport. In 1884, Victoria formed its own association, the Anglo-Australian Football Association (now Football Victoria), as did Queensland, in the Anglo-Queensland Football Association (now, Football Queensland), and Northern New South Wales, in the Northern District British Football Association (now, Northern New South Wales Football). In 1896, the Western Australian Soccer Football Association was formed. In 1900, a Tasmanian association was formed, and later, the South Australian British Football Association was formed in 1902.

20th century

Association football (soccer) team of the 'Australian Squadron' of the British Royal Navy. HMS Psyche. 1910

It was not until 1911 that a national-level organisation, the Commonwealth Football Association, was formed. However, this body was superseded by the Australian Soccer Association, which was formed in 1921.

Australia is regarded as the first country where squad numbers in soccer were used for the first time when Sydney Leichardt and HMS Powerful players displayed numbers on their backs, in 1911. One year later, numbering in soccer would be ruled as mandatory in New South Wales.

The first Australia national team playing in game 2 against New Zealand during Australia's first ever tour to New Zealand in 1922

On 17 June 1922, the first Australian national representative soccer team was constituted by the Australian Soccer Association to represent Australia for a tour of New Zealand. During the tour the Australia men's national team lost two out of the three matches against the newly formed New Zealand side.

A football pitch used by the Federal Woollen Mills team in North Geelong, Victoria. Photo circa 1925/1935

After World War I, large numbers of British and southern European arrived seeking opportunities in new industries across parts of Australia which led to establishing soccer as a major sport in the country.

RAAF soccer team from No 4 Initial Training School, Victor Harbor, South Australia 1941.
Australian Imperial Force play a Saturday afternoon soccer game in Darwin. Signals versus Navy. 1943

A distinct rise in popularity in New South Wales and Victoria, among other states, was linked to the post-World War II immigration. Migrant players and supporters were prominent, providing the sport with a new but distinct profile. Soccer served as a cultural gateway for many emigrants, acting as a social lubricant. Soccer transcended cultural and language barriers in communities which bridged the gap between minority communities and other classes within the country, thus bringing about a unique unity.

The most prominent soccer clubs in Australian cities during the 1950s and 1960s were based around migrant-ethnic groups, all of which expanded rapidly at that time: Croatian, Greek, Macedonian and Italian communities gave rise to most of the largest clubs, the most notable being South Melbourne (Greek-based), Sydney Olympic (Greek-based), Marconi Stallions (Italian-based), Adelaide City (Italian-based), Melbourne Knights (Croatian-based), Sydney United (Croatian-based) and Preston Lions (Macedonian-based).

Game of soccer at the Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre. North East Victoria 1952.

In 1956, Australia became a FIFA member through the Australian Soccer Association, though Australia's membership was soon suspended in 1960 after disobeying FIFA mandate on recruiting foreign players without a transfer fee. In 1961, the Australian Soccer Federation was formed and later admitted to FIFA in 1963, after outstanding fines had been paid. In 1966, Australia became founding members of the Oceania Football Federation (now Oceania Football Confederation).

Pre-1960s, competitive soccer in Australia was state-based. In 1962, the Australia Cup was established, but its ambition of becoming an FA Cup style knockout competition went unfulfilled with its demise in 1968. In 1977, the first national soccer competition, the National Soccer League, was founded.

Migrants continued to boost interest in and player for the sport in the 1970s and 1980s, especially from the Middle East and from the former Yugoslavia.

In 1984, the National Soccer Youth League was founded as a reserve and academy league to run in parallel to the National Soccer League. In 1996, the first national women's soccer competition, the Women's National Soccer League was founded. The National Soccer League and those for women and youth flourished through the 1980s and early 1990s, though with the increasing departure of Australian players to overseas leagues.[citation needed]

Soccer reached notable popularity among Australian people during the second half of the 20th century. Johnny Warren, a prominent advocate for the sport, who was a member of the Australia national team at their first FIFA World Cup appearance in 1974, entitled his memoir Sheilas, Wogs, and Poofters (a reference to the Australian slang: sheila, wog, poofter), giving an indication of how Warren considered the wider Australian community viewed "wogball".

In the mid-1990s, Soccer Australia Limited, under the Chairmanship of David Hill, attempted to shift soccer into the Australian mainstream and away from direct club-level association with migrant roots. Many clubs across the country were required to change their names and badges to represent a more inclusive community.

21st century

The sport experienced major change in the country in 2003, after the then Minister for Sport, Rod Kemp, and the Australian Parliament commissioned a report by the Independent Soccer Review Committee. Its findings on the structure, administration and management of soccer in Australia led the restructure of Football Federation Australia (previously Australian Soccer Federation, Soccer Australia, Australia Soccer Association) and later in 2005, the succeeding relaunched national competition, the A-League.

The restructuring of the sport in Australia also saw the adoption of "football" by administrators, in preference to "soccer", to align with the general international name of the sport. Although the use of "football" was largely cultural, as part of an attempt to reposition the sport within Australia, there were also "practical and corporate reasons for the change", including a need for the sport to break away from the baggage left over from previous competitions. However, the move created problems within the wider community, engendering confusion due to the naming conflict with other football codes, and creating conflict with other sporting bodies.

Australia ended a 32-year absent streak when the nation team qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The team's qualification and success in the tournament helped increase the profile and popularity of the sport in the country.

The national team qualified for second and third consecutive FIFA World Cups in 2010 and 2014; and placed second in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. The joining of Western Sydney Wanderers to the A-League in 2012 saw a rise in interest for the league within Australia, particularly increasing mainstream interest and re-engagement with disaffected Western Sydney soccer fans. Also, the formation of the National Premier Leagues in 2013 and subsequent restructuring of state leagues as part of the National Competition Review and Elite Player Pathway Review has paved the way for the development of the sport throughout the country. The launch of the Australia Cup (then known as FFA Cup) in 2014 has also similarly increased mainstream interest and grassroots development.[citation needed]

In the 21st century, a major migrant group furnishing new players in the A-League has been the African Australian community, with 34 players making an appearance in the 2020-2021 A-League season, up on 26 the previous year. These include Kusini Yengi and his brother, Tete Yengi, from South Sudan, and their friends, brothers Mohamed and Al Hassan Toure.

In 2020, Football Federation Australia officially unveiled a plan called "XI Principles for the future of Australian Football", shortened as Vision 2035, with the aim to restructure and expand football across the country, with the rebranding of the domestic league, establishment of a national second division, alignment with FIFA Domestic Match Calendar, restart and rebuilding of Australian football products (mainly by fixing the youth football development), reducing costs of football in the country, possibility of establishing promotion and relegation system, and expansion of women's football, with the aim to achieve the Vision 2035 for football in the country.

In summer 2021, Football Australia officials announced a series of major reforms: the shift in calendar by aligning with Domestic Match Calendar and to avoid clashing with FIFA days so it could help the Socceroos to compete; establishment of a second-tier professional league; club licensing framework; domestic transfer system; as well a potential adoption of promotion-relegation system, expected to be implemented by 2022–23.

Organisation

Football Australia Limited (FA) is a national-level organisation affiliated with FIFA which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), since leaving the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in 2006.

FA has nine state and territory based member federations, although there are two federations a northern and southern federation in New South Wales. These federations organise competitions within their respective region, including the state league and cup tournaments.

Former and current Australian professional soccer players are represented by the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), a trade union affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions and a member of FIFPro, the global representative organisation for professional soccer players. The association tends to soccer players' pay and conditions, and also protects soccer players from unfair dismissal.

Competition system

A-League Men

The A-League Men was founded in 2005 and replaced Australia's former National Soccer League. The A-League Men is contested between 12 clubs. The competition is operated by the Australian Professional Leagues.

National Premier Leagues

The National Premier Leagues Men's has 100 clubs, divided into eight divisions (excluding the Northern Territory). Despite the organisational split, promotion and relegation does not take place between the A-League Men and NPL.

A separate, post-season spring competition for 16 NPL Men's teams, called the Australian Championship, commenced in October 2025.

The National Premier Leagues Women's has 68 clubs, divided into seven divisions (excluding Tasmania and the Northern Territory). No promotion/relegation with the A-League Women occurs.

State-league soccer

Below the NPL, is what is commonly known as "state-league". This refers to clubs outside of NPL, although they still play in organised competitions for each state in the Australian soccer competition system.

District soccer

There are many soccer clubs in Australia and district competition associations and leagues. Examples include NSW districts Bankstown, Blacktown, Eastern Suburbs with their own semi-professional competitions with clubs from their respective districts.

Youth leagues

Many club sides have youth teams. The premier youth soccer competition in Australia is the A-League Youth, which currently has 10 teams, is divided into two groups each with five teams. The winners of both groups contest the end-of-season Grand Final to decide the competition champions.

Cup competitions

There are several cup competitions for clubs at different levels of the soccer pyramid. The only major cup competitions are the Australia Cup.

There have also been other cup competitions which are no longer run:

Participation

According to Ausplay in 2024, there were 1,232,726 adults and 632,249 children playing the sport of which about a quarter were female with an overall participation per capita of 6.9% making it the most participated team sport.

According to FIFA's Big Count in 2006, a total of 970,728 people in Australia participated in the sport, with 435,728 registered players, and 535,000 unregistered players. These numbers were higher than the equivalents for other sports such as cricket, Australian rules football, rugby league and rugby union. In 2013, an audit on the sport by Gemba found that 1.96 million Australians were actively involved in the game as a player. When coaches, referees and fans are included it is estimated that involvement with the sport is around 3.1 million.

Region/State/Territory Overview Adult players 2016Adult players 2022Adult players 2023/2024
Australia National1,143,6401,157,0501,232,726
New South Wales New South WalesOverview440,470477,174471,480
Victoria (state) VictoriaOverview250,613243,956227,213
Queensland QueenslandOverview232,668211,923217,749
Western Australia Western AustraliaOverview103,636111,085117,248
South Australia South AustraliaOverview51,60161,70584,263
Tasmania TasmaniaOverview17,98415,52214,594
Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital TerritoryOverview25,21025,90528,916
Northern Territory Northern TerritoryOverview8,8459,78011,457

Men's national teams

National Men's soccer teams of various age groups represent Australia in international competition. Australian national teams historically competed in the OFC, though since FFA's move in 2006, Australian teams have competed in AFC competitions.

The Australia national soccer team, nicknamed the "Socceroos", represents Australia in international soccer. Australia is a four-time OFC champion, one time Asian champion and AFC National Team of the Year for 2006. The Men's team has represented Australia at the FIFA World Cup tournaments in 1974, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.

In the Olympic arena, Australia first fielded a men's team at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. Australia did not compete again in the Olympic arena, until the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. Apart from London 2012, where it failed to qualify a team, Australia has competed in all Olympic Men's Football competitions since 1988.

There are also a number of national youth teams: Under-17 team, nicknamed the "Joeys"; Under-20 team, nicknamed the "Young Socceroos"; and the Under-23 team, nicknamed the "Olyroos". The latter is considered to be a feeder team for the national team.

In addition there is a beach team, nicknamed the "Beach Socceroos", which represents Australia in international beach soccer and a Paralympic team, nicknamed the "Pararoos", which competes in international Paralympic association football.

Women's soccer

The participation of Australian women in soccer was first recorded in the early 1920s. It has since become one of the country's most popular women's team sports. As with the men's game, the women's game in Australia saw a large expansion following the post-war immigration, though it is only in recent years that women's soccer has gained momentum, with such factors as the creation of the W-League and the success of the Australia women's national soccer team nicknamed "the Matildas" aiding the increasing popularity of the game. In 2021 the W-League was renamed to A-League Women.

Women's soccer was added to the Olympic program in 1996, with Australia first fielding a Women's team at Sydney 2000. Australia fielded a team at the Athens 2004 Olympics, but did not qualify for the final Olympic tournament again until Rio 2016.

Australia cohosted the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup with New Zealand. The Matildas finished fourth in that tournament (Australia's best ever performance at any World Cup, male or female), and the majority of Australians watched them play on television or at the stadium. It had a major impact on Australian sport, and the phenomenon is commonly known as "Matildas fever".

In April 2024, the 2023–24 A-League Women season set the record for the most attended season of any women's sport in Australian history, with the season recording a total attendance of 284,551 on 15 April 2024, and finishing with a final total attendance of 312,199.

Stadiums in Australia

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is the largest stadium in the country with a capacity of 100,000. It is owned by the Victorian Government and stages some of Australia's home matches. Stadium Australia is the largest stadium with a rectangular configuration, followed by Docklands Stadium and Lang Park.

Variations

Futsal, an indoor variant of soccer, was introduced in Australia in the early 1970s and soon gained popularity after a wet period during the winter football season forced players indoors where they took up the new sport.

Media coverage

Pay television is the predominant outlet for both domestic and international soccer in Australia. Some games can also be heard on local radio stations. The anti-siphoning list which controls what must be kept on free to air television in Australia includes only specific international matches, including all matches at the FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women's World Cup featuring Australia as well as both the FIFA World Cup Final and the FIFA Women's World Cup Final.

In 2007, a A$120 million, seven-year broadcasting deal between FFA and Fox Sports Australia gave the subscription television exclusive rights to all Australia internationals, all A-League and AFC Asian Cup fixtures, FIFA World Cup qualifiers through the AFC, and all AFC Champions League matches. In 2013, FFA signed a joint A$160 million, four-year deal with Fox Sports and SBS for the A-League. SBS would show a delayed simulcast for the second round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, before the Nine Network broadcast the live simulcast rights for the third round and intercontinental play-offs. In 2017, Fox Sports renewed its deal with FFA for a further six years, with Network 10 simulcasting one A-League match each week. ABC TV would later receive the simulcast rights for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons. In 2020, Fox Sports terminated its contract following financial losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Paramount+ currently holds the broadcasting rights for the A-Leagues and AFC Champions League competitions until the end of the 2025/26 season, along with all Socceroos and Matildas matches until 2028. Network 10 currently holds simulcast rights for some matches.

Since 1986, SBS has been the official Australian broadcast rights holder for the FIFA World Cup, and the television network will continue to hold the rights to the competition until 2026. The Nine Network broadcast sixteen matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including exclusive coverage of the final, and would also have shown all Australian matches had the Socceroos qualified. Similarly, Optus Sport briefly held exclusive rights to every game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup before relinquishing them to SBS due to technical issues.

Optus Sport is Australia's primary broadcaster of foreign soccer leagues such as the Premier League and the Women's Super League, along with the UEFA European Championship and UEFA European Qualifiers. From 2016 to 2019, SBS held simulcast rights to one Premier League game per round. Stan Sport, which the Nine Network owns, holds the broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League competitions.

Support

Soccer is a widely supported sport in Australia, with many Australians following the Socceroos and the Matildas. Many Australians also follow an A-League club and/or other foreign clubs, most commonly English clubs that play in either the Premier League or the Championship.[citation needed]

A study from 2018 has found that over 3.8 million Australians or 19% of Australians watch soccer of one sort or another on TV and the favoured TV viewing experience is the FIFA World Cup watched by over 3 million Australians.

Many Australians, male and female, play for foreign clubs. The majority of both Socceroos and Matildas players play for clubs outside Australia, mostly for clubs in England. As of the 2024–25 season, fourteen Australians play in the Women's Super League (WSL), with three in the Premier League.

Ange Postecoglou is the first ever Australian to manage a Premier League club, having managed Tottenham Hotspur since 2023. He has heavily contributed to the club's rising popularity in Australia.

Most supported clubs

A-League

Roy Morgan Research (2023)
Club Supporters
Adelaide United 401,000
Brisbane Roar 595,000
Central Coast Mariners 177,000
Macarthur 69,000
Melbourne City 281,000
Melbourne Victory 590,000
Newcastle Jets 207,000
Perth Glory 441,000
Sydney FC 693,000
Wellington Phoenix 59,000
Western Sydney Wanderers 238,000
Western United 66,000

Premier League

Online survey (Reddit, 2024)
Club %
Arsenal 17.2%
Chelsea 6.9%
Ipswich Town 5.2%
Liverpool 19.0%
Manchester City 5.2%
Manchester United 6.9%
Tottenham Hotspur 20.7%
Other 18.9%

Seasons in Australian soccer

The following articles are an incomplete list of Seasons in Soccer in Australia since 1884. Each article covers the leagues and competitions played that season, as well as games played by all national teams during that period. National soccer in Australia was not played until the 1962 season as the first 78 seasons only played regional soccer.

1880s 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889
1890s 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
1900s 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 / 1989–90
1990s 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000
2000s 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
2010s 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20
2020s 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26

Seasons in Top Flight[clarification needed]

53 teams have taken part in 47 National Soccer League and A-League seasons that have been played from the 1977 season until the 2023–24 season. The teams in bold compete in the A-League Men currently.

Largest Australian soccer stadiums by capacity

Stadium Image City Capacity Team(s) Notes
Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne 100,024 Australia men's national soccer team
Australia women's national soccer team
Stadium Australia Sydney 83,500 Australia men's national soccer team
Australia women's national soccer team		 Commercially known as Accor Stadium.
Perth Stadium Perth 65,000 Australia men's national soccer team Commercially known as Optus Stadium.
Docklands Stadium Melbourne 56,347 Australia men's national soccer team
Australia women's national soccer team		 Commercially known as Marvel Stadium.
Adelaide Oval Adelaide 53,500 Australia men's national soccer team
Lang Park Brisbane 52,500 Australia men's national soccer team
Australia women's national soccer team
Brisbane Roar		 Commercially known as Suncorp Stadium.
Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre Brisbane 48,500 Australia women's national soccer team
Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney 48,000 Australia men's national soccer team
Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 42,500 Australia women's national soccer team
Sydney FC
Sydney FC ALW		 Commercially known as Allianz Stadium.
The Gabba Brisbane 42,500 Australia men's national soccer team

Attendances

Historical attendances

The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:

SeasonLeague averageBest clubBest club average
2018–1910,411Melbourne Victory20,604
2017–1810,671Melbourne Victory17,631
2016–1712,294Melbourne Victory22,008
2015–1612,326Melbourne Victory23,112
2014–1512,511Melbourne Victory25,388
2013–1413,041Melbourne Victory21,808
2012–1312,347Melbourne Victory21,885
2011–1210,497Melbourne Victory20,714
2010–118,429Melbourne Victory18,458
2009–109,793Melbourne Victory20,750
2008–0912,180Melbourne Victory24,516
2007–0814,610Melbourne Victory26,064
2006–0712,911Melbourne Victory27,728
2005–0610,956Melbourne Victory16,167

Sources: League pages on Wikipedia

See also

Overview by state or territory

References

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