The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) inked a deal with Destination NSW which sees Sydney host the Isuzu UTE A-League, Liberty A-League and E-League Grand Final for the next three seasons.
The rights begin in 2023 with the A-League Women decider on 30 April, followed by the E-League on 27 May and the A-League Men final on 3 June, as well as the Dolan Warren Awards on 1 June.
The pair have outlined that the fixtures will be supported by a range of other football-related events and activities to create a “must-see” experience for fans.
APL CEO Danny Townsend said: “The FIFA World Cup 2022 showed that we are a country of football fans and whet the region’s appetite for the FIFA Women’s World Cup next year. But fans don’t want to wait for four years in-between competitions to see our best sporting talent perform.”
“This is a unique opportunity to build a tradition for football fans. When you think about a cup final in England, you think about the trip to Wembley, and we want fans in Australia to look forward to the A-Leagues finals in the same way.
“We have already broken the previous record for attendance this season in the Liberty A-League Women and have a clear objective to make history again with Grand Final attendance in the year that we host the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
Furthermore, the move will also see benefits for New South Wales, with money going into the local economy as a result of adding the A-Leagues Grand Finals to Sydney’s annual sporting events calendar.
“As the nation’s home of football I am delighted to be partnering with the APL to bring the Men’s and Women’s A-Leagues Grand Finals to Sydney,” Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin explained.
“Sydney is renowned for hosting world-class sporting events and we are going to create a new tradition for Australian football fans, making the A-Leagues Grand Finals a week-long extravaganza that showcases football and the best of the Harbour City.
“Tens of thousands of football fans are expected to flock to Sydney for the A-Leagues Grand Finals and are forecast to inject $26m of visitor expenditure into NSW.”
