2015–16 A-League
The 2015–16 A-League was the 39th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the 11th since the establishment of the A-League in 2004. Melbourne Victory were both the defending A-League Premiers and Champions. The regular season schedule was released on 29 June 2015. The season commenced on 8 October 2015 and concluded on 10 April 2016. The finals series commenced on 15 April 2016 and concluded with the 2016 Grand Final, held on 1 May 2016.
Season | 2015–16 |
---|---|
Dates | 8 October 2015 – 1 May 2016 |
Champions | Adelaide United (1st title) |
Premiers | Adelaide United (2nd title) |
Champions League | Adelaide United Western Sydney Wanderers Brisbane Roar |
Matches played | 135 |
Goals scored | 421 (3.12 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Bruno Fornaroli (25 goals) |
Best goalkeeper | Thomas Sørensen |
Biggest home win | Brisbane Roar 5–0 Melbourne Victory (12 March 2016) |
Biggest away win | Newcastle Jets 1–6 Perth Glory (24 January 2016) |
Highest scoring | Perth Glory 6–3 Brisbane Roar (20 February 2016) |
Longest winning run | Western Sydney Wanderers (7 games) |
Longest unbeaten run | Adelaide United (14 games) |
Longest winless run | Central Coast Mariners Sydney FC (11 games) |
Longest losing run | Central Coast Mariners (6 games) |
Highest attendance | 40,539 Sydney FC vs. Western Sydney Wanderers (24 October 2015) |
Lowest attendance | 4,514 Central Coast Mariners vs. Melbourne City (3 December 2015) |
Average attendance | 12,309 |
← 2014–15 2016–17 → |
The 2016 Grand Final took place on 1 May 2016, with Adelaide United claiming their first Championship with a 3–1 win against Western Sydney Wanderers.
Clubs
Team | City | Home Ground | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Adelaide United | Adelaide | Coopers Stadium | 17,000 |
Brisbane Roar | Brisbane | Suncorp Stadium | 52,500 |
Central Coast Mariners | Gosford | Central Coast Stadium | 20,119 |
Melbourne City | Melbourne | AAMI Park | 30,050 |
Melbourne Victory | Melbourne | Etihad Stadium AAMI Park |
56,347 30,050 |
Newcastle Jets | Newcastle | Hunter Stadium | 33,000 |
Perth Glory | Perth | nib Stadium | 20,500 |
Sydney FC | Sydney | Allianz Stadium | 45,500 |
Wellington Phoenix | Wellington | Westpac Stadium | 34,500 |
Western Sydney Wanderers | Sydney | Pirtek Stadium | 21,487 |
Personnel and kits
Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Kit partner |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adelaide United | Kappa | Veolia | ||
Brisbane Roar | Umbro[1] | Steadfast | ||
Central Coast Mariners | Kappa | Masterfoods | ||
Melbourne City | Nike | Etihad | ||
Melbourne Victory | Adidas[2] | Community Training Initiatives (h) Oliana Foods (a) | ||
Newcastle Jets | BLK | Beechwood Homes (h) Inspirations Paints (a) | ||
Perth Glory | Macron[3] | QBE Insurance | ||
Sydney FC | Puma | The Star | ||
Wellington Phoenix | Adidas | Huawei | ||
Western Sydney Wanderers | Nike[4] | NRMA Insurance |
- Additionally, referee kits are made by Umbro.
Transfers
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brisbane Roar | Resigned[5] | 26 May 2015 | Pre-season | 26 May 2015[6][7] | ||
Newcastle Jets | Sacked[8][9] | 26 May 2015 | Pre-season | 18 June 2015[10][11] | ||
Adelaide United | Resigned[12] | 24 July 2015 | Pre-season | 24 July 2015[13] |
Foreign players
The following do not fill a Visa position:
1Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian citizenship (and New Zealand citizenship, in the case of Wellington Phoenix);[14]
2Australian citizens (and New Zealand citizens, in the case of Wellington Phoenix) who have chosen to represent another national team;
3Injury Replacement Players, or National Team Replacement Players;
4Guest Players (eligible to play a maximum of fourteen games)
Salary cap exemptions and captains
The following concessions to the salary cap were introduced for this season:[48]
- A Loyalty allowance on a sliding scale for players who have played 5 years at the same club. Maximum $200,000 for 10 years.
- A Mature Aged Rookie over the age of 21 who has not played in a fully professional league for the last 18 months and last played football in Australia.
- Each Club can pay three players who started their careers with the club outside the Salary Cap. This season the total has been lifted from $150,000 to $200,000.
- The two Marquee Players (which sit outside the Salary Cap) can be two foreigners.
- Salary Cap Banking will allow clubs to carry over money not spent inside the Salary Cap in the previous two seasons to the following season, up to 105% of the Salary Cap in the relevant contract year.
Regular season
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Adelaide United (C) | 27 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 45 | 28 | +17 | 49 | Qualification to Finals series and AFC Champions League group stage |
2 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 27 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 48 | |
3 | Brisbane Roar | 27 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 49 | 40 | +9 | 48 | Qualification to Finals series and AFC Champions League second preliminary round |
4 | Melbourne City | 27 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 63 | 44 | +19 | 44 | Qualification to Finals series |
5 | Perth Glory | 27 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 49 | 42 | +7 | 43 | |
6 | Melbourne Victory | 27 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 33 | +7 | 41 | |
7 | Sydney FC | 27 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 34 | |
8 | Newcastle Jets | 27 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 28 | 41 | −13 | 30 | |
9 | Wellington Phoenix[lower-alpha 1] | 27 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 34 | 54 | −20 | 25 | |
10 | Central Coast Mariners | 27 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 33 | 70 | −37 | 13 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
- Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.
Results
Positions by round
Leader and qualification to AFC Champions League Group stage | |
Qualification to Finals series |
Notes:
- Melbourne City were tied with Sydney FC at the end of Round 1, as were Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory.
- Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory had a game in hand between Rounds 5 and 10, with their Round 5 game played before the start of Round 11 on 16 December.
Finals series
The Grand Final winner (Champion) qualified for the 2017 AFC Champions League group stage
Elimination-finals | Semi-finals | Grand Final | |||||||
Adelaide United | 4 | ||||||||
Melbourne City | 2 | Melbourne City | 1 | ||||||
Perth Glory | 0 | Adelaide United | 3 | ||||||
Western Sydney Wanderers | 1 | ||||||||
Western Sydney Wanderers (a.e.t.) | 5 | ||||||||
Brisbane Roar | 2 | Brisbane Roar | 4 | ||||||
Melbourne Victory | 1 |
Elimination-finals
15 April 2016 | Brisbane Roar | 2–1 | Melbourne Victory | Brisbane |
19:30 AEST | Report | Berisha |
Stadium: Suncorp Stadium Attendance: 20,157 Referee: Jarred Gillett |
17 April 2016 | Melbourne City | 2–0 | Perth Glory | Melbourne |
17:00 AEST |
|
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 11,273 Referee: Chris Beath |
Semi-finals
22 April 2016 | Adelaide United | 4–1 | Melbourne City | Adelaide |
19:00 ACST | Djite McGowan Sánchez |
Report | Fitzgerald |
Stadium: Coopers Stadium Attendance: 15,489 Referee: Strebre Delovski |
24 April 2016 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 5–4 (a.e.t.) | Brisbane Roar | Parramatta |
16:30 AEST | Castelen Šantalab Vidošić |
Report | D. Petratos Andreu Maclaren |
Stadium: Pirtek Stadium Attendance: 20,084 Referee: Peter Green |
Grand Final
1 May 2016 | Adelaide United | 3–1 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Adelaide |
15:30 ACST | Kamau Isaías Sánchez |
Report | Neville |
Stadium: Adelaide Oval Attendance: 50,119 Referee: Jarred Gillett Man of the Match: Isaías |
Statistics
Attendances
By club
These are the attendance records of each of the teams at the end of the home and away season. The table does not include finals series attendances.
- As of matches played on 10 April 2016.
Team | Hosted | Average | High | Low | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne Victory | 13 | 23,112 | 40,217 | 14,383 | 300,452 |
Sydney FC | 14 | 16,071 | 40,539 | 8,717 | 224,999 |
Western Sydney Wanderers | 13 | 14,297 | 19,627 | 9,860 | 185,866 |
Brisbane Roar | 14 | 12,850 | 17,696 | 5,162 | 179,895 |
Adelaide United | 13 | 11,287 | 19,079 | 6,205 | 146,736 |
Melbourne City | 14 | 11,047 | 25,738 | 5,953 | 154,657 |
Newcastle Jets | 14 | 9,586 | 14,886 | 7,210 | 134,202 |
Perth Glory | 13 | 8,986 | 14,504 | 5,398 | 116,824 |
Central Coast Mariners | 14 | 8,111 | 14,268 | 4,514 | 113,560 |
Wellington Phoenix | 13 | 8,042 | 13,654 | 5,103 | 104,551 |
League total | 135 | 12,309 | 40,539 | 4,514 | 1,661,742 |
By round
Round | Total | Games | Avg. Per Game |
---|---|---|---|
Round 1 | 64,580 | 5 | 12,916 |
Round 2 | 84,448 | 5 | 16,890 |
Round 3 | 72,865 | 5 | 14,573 |
Round 4 | 67,074 | 5 | 13,415 |
Round 5 | 48,233 | 5 | 9,647 |
Round 6 | 58,681 | 5 | 11,736 |
Round 7 | 58,931 | 5 | 11,786 |
Round 8 | 59,295 | 5 | 11,859 |
Round 9 | 40,586 | 5 | 8,117 |
Round 10 | 46,988 | 5 | 9,398 |
Round 11 | 53,104 | 5 | 10,621 |
Round 12 | 73,423 | 5 | 14,685 |
Round 13 | 63,085 | 5 | 12,617 |
Round 14 | 55,954 | 5 | 11,191 |
Round 15 | 68,565 | 5 | 13,713 |
Round 16 | 76,749 | 5 | 15,350 |
Round 17 | 58,838 | 5 | 11,768 |
Round 18 | 63,419 | 5 | 12,684 |
Round 19 | 64,364 | 5 | 12,873 |
Round 20 | 86,207 | 5 | 17,241 |
Round 21 | 59,582 | 5 | 11,916 |
Round 22 | 44,628 | 5 | 8,926 |
Round 23 | 63,679 | 5 | 12,736 |
Round 24 | 49,476 | 5 | 9,895 |
Round 25 | 62,727 | 5 | 12,545 |
Round 26 | 58,268 | 5 | 11,654 |
Round 27 | 57,681 | 5 | 11,536 |
Elimination Final | 31,430 | 2 | 15,715 |
Semi Final | 35,573 | 2 | 17,787 |
Grand Final | 50,119 | 1 | 50,119 |
Source:[49]
Club membership
Club | Members |
---|---|
Adelaide United | 8,750 |
Brisbane Roar | 5,347 |
Central Coast Mariners | 6,059 |
Melbourne City | 9,548 |
Melbourne Victory | 27,054 |
Newcastle Jets | 9,266 |
Perth Glory | 7,109 |
Sydney FC | 13,154 |
Wellington Phoenix | 5,062 |
Western Sydney Wanderers | 18,361 |
Total | 109,710 |
Average | 10,971 |
Last updated: 10 April 2016.
Source: aleague.com.au
Player stats
Top scorers
- As of matches played on 10 April 2016[50]
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Melbourne City | 23 | |
2 | Brisbane Roar | 18 | |
3 | Melbourne Victory | 17 | |
4 | Perth Glory | 13 | |
5 | Melbourne City | 11 | |
6 | Sydney FC | 10 | |
Perth Glory | |||
Western Sydney Wanderers | |||
Melbourne City | |||
Western Sydney Wanderers |
Hat-tricks
Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wellington Phoenix | Western Sydney Wanderers | 5–2 | 14 February 2016 | [51] | |
Melbourne City | Sydney FC | 3–0 | 5 March 2016 | [52] | |
Brisbane Roar | Melbourne Victory | 5–0 | 12 March 2016 | [53] | |
Western Sydney Wanderers | Brisbane Roar | 5–4 | 24 April 2016 | [54] |
- Note
4 Player scored 4 goals
Own goals
- As of matches played on 10 April 2016
Clean sheets
- As of matches played on 10 April 2016[50]
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Adelaide United | 12 | |
2 | Sydney FC | 8 | |
3 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 7 | |
Melbourne Victory | |||
Brisbane Roar | |||
6 | Perth Glory | 5 | |
7 | Melbourne City | 4 | |
8 | Newcastle Jets | 3 | |
Wellington Phoenix | |||
10 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 2 | |
Discipline
During the season each club is given fair play points based on the number of cards they received in games. A yellow card is worth 1 point, a second yellow card is worth 2 points, and a red card is worth 3 points. At the annual awards night, the club with the fewest points wins the Fair Play Award.[55]
Club | FP Pts | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Brisbane Roar | 45 | 1 | 0 | 47 |
Perth Glory | 56 | 4 | 1 | 67 |
Adelaide United | 70 | 0 | 0 | 70 |
Newcastle Jets | 57 | 5 | 1 | 70 |
Sydney FC | 64 | 1 | 2 | 72 |
Wellington Phoenix | 68 | 3 | 0 | 74 |
Western Sydney Wanderers | 69 | 0 | 2 | 75 |
Melbourne City | 72 | 2 | 1 | 79 |
Central Coast Mariners | 58 | 6 | 3 | 80 |
Melbourne Victory | 73 | 1 | 2 | 81 |
League total | 632 | 23 | 12 | |
Last updated: 9 April 2016.
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Awards
NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award
The NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award was awarded to the finest U-23 player talent throughout the Hyundai A-League 2015–16 competition, based on a monthly nominee
Month | Nominee | Club |
---|---|---|
October 2015 | Brisbane Roar | |
November 2015 | Sydney FC | |
December 2015 | Brisbane Roar | |
January 2016 | Brisbane Roar | |
February 2016 | Adelaide United | |
March 2016 | Melbourne Victory |
End of season awards
The following end of the season awards were announced at the 2015–16 Dolan Warren Awards night held at the Carriageworks in Sydney on 26 April 2016.[62]
- Johnny Warren Medal – Diego Castro, Perth Glory
- NAB Young Footballer of the Year – Jamie Maclaren, Brisbane Roar
- Nike Golden Boot Award – Bruno Fornaroli, Melbourne City (23 goals)
- Goalkeeper of the Year – Thomas Sørensen, Melbourne City
- Coach of the Year – Guillermo Amor, Adelaide United
- Fair Play Award – Brisbane Roar
- Referee of the Year – Jarred Gillett
- Goal of the Year – Roy O'Donovan, Central Coast Mariners (Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners, 27 March 2016)
See also
- 2015–16 Adelaide United FC season
- 2015–16 Brisbane Roar FC season
- 2015–16 Central Coast Mariners FC season
- 2015–16 Melbourne City FC season
- 2015–16 Melbourne Victory FC season
- 2015–16 Newcastle Jets FC season
- 2015–16 Perth Glory FC season
- 2015–16 Sydney FC season
- 2015–16 Wellington Phoenix FC season
- 2015–16 Western Sydney Wanderers FC season
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