25 Nov 2024
Fans Unite Across Sydney at A-Leagues’ Second Unite Round
The A-Leagues has wrapped up the second edition of its Unite Round with a big increase in crowd numbers and exciting football headlining an action-packed weekend across Sydney.
33 goals were scored across 12 games, as the Ninja A-League Women and Isuzu UTE A-League Men descended on Sydney for a full round of attacking and exciting football.
Off the field, crowds were up 50% on the first-ever Unite Round with a cumulative match attendance of more than 71,000 fans. While a huge grassroots Unite Cup tournament, Girls Unite clinics, buzzing fan zones and a multicultural march capped an entertaining weekend for fans.
Commenting on Unite Round 2024/25, Nick Garcia, A-Leagues Commissioner, said: “It was a turbulent build up with a ticketing outage, a change in venue for our six Ninja A-League Women matches and a planned train strike - but we’re really proud to have welcomed 50% more fans from across Australia and New Zealand to Sydney compared to our first-ever Unite Round.”
“We worked with fans, clubs and our event partners to evolve and elevate the fan experience, and across the weekend, Kogarah and Moore Park were a buzz with grassroots activities and fans celebrating the world game.
“We had more than 600 fans, representing 40 countries, take part in our multicultural march on Friday night to honour the cultural diversity of our game. While current stars from the Ninja A-League Women led the next generation of stars in our Girls Unite Gala Days, and almost 100 grassroots teams battled it out across Moore Park to be crowned the first Unite Cup champions.
“We really believe in the long term potential of this partnership with the NSW Government and Destination NSW, establishing a new tradition and welcoming football fans from across Australia and New Zealand to electrify this incredible city. This event really resonates with our young and diverse fanbase, and aligns with our drive to unite communities through a shared love of football. It’s the pinnacle weekend of professional football, and we hope this is a tradition that we can continue to build on and grow in the coming years.”
A feature of Unite Round was also the past and present players that took part in the grassroots and fan zone activity alongside fans, with past players also acknowledged at the matchday function as part of the league’s ongoing celebrations of its 20th season. The weekend caps off a positive opening to the A-Leagues 2024/25 season. “It’s been a really strong start to our 20th season. Crowds have grown by 30% year-on-year across the first four rounds of the Isuzu UTE A-League Men, while the new Saturday night doubleheader on 10 Bold has also increased the free-to-air national audience by 34%. We look forward to continuing this momentum across both leagues as we move into the summer period.”
The A-Leagues’ Unite Round is supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
For more information, please visit www.aleagues.com.au
-ENDS-
For media enquiries please contact:
Joseph Esposito | 0401 306 635 | joseph.esposito@aleagues.com.au
About the A-Leagues: The A-Leagues represent the pinnacle of professional football in Australia, comprising Isuzu UTE A-League Men, Ninja A-League Women and E-league competitions. The 2024/25 season will see 13 clubs in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and 12 in the Ninja A-League Women.
The A-Leagues, operated by Australian Professional Leagues (APL), is delivering against its bold ambition to develop top-tier professional football talent in Australia, drive engagement across the leagues and to build on football’s undisputed position as the country’s most popular participation sport.