PFA Reveals Findings from 2024-25 A-League Men Report

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Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) has released the 2024-25 A-League Men Report featuring insights into the developments and challenges experienced across the men’s game throughout last season.  

Recently published, the report collected data through PFA end of season surveys, post-match surveys and fan focus groups to gain a comprehensive understanding of player and fan experiences. The report’s findings will hopefully serve not only to highlight existing issues within the men’s game, but to provide a direction for future decisions by the Australian Premier League going into the 2025-26 season. 

Key findings

Inconsistent Attendances

Aided by the introduction of Auckland FC, the average ALM attendance rose by 9% from last season. As the report shows, the club reached a league-high average crowd of 18,101, cementing Auckland as a dominating force both on the pitch and in the stands. Seven other clubs also increased their game attendances, most notably led by Newcastle Jets with a 14% improvement. 

Despite this, five clubs saw attendances fall drastically. Melbourne City witnessed a concerning decline of 27% compared to the 2023-24 season, representing the highest drop-off in the league despite achieving on-pitch success and topping the PFA’s Club Index scorecard. Poor attendance is a common theme across the ALM and ALW, with the latter seeing all but two clubs (Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar) increase their attendance since the 2023-24 season.

Falling attendances are also emphasised by excessive stadium capacities. Only three clubs, Auckland, Adelaide and Western United, managed to fill over half of their stadium capacity, illustrating the need to address stadium infrastructure across the league in future seasons.

Player Dissatisfaction 

Similar to the findings in the 2024-25 ALW Report, ALM players continue to prefer an independent commission to the current APL board. According to the 2024-25 end of season survey, 52% of players were dissatisfied with the APL’s management of the A-League, and 60% affirmed that the ALM board should be formed by individuals with no formal connections to clubs. 

With the current board featuring five club representatives, decisions are increasingly likely to be impacted by conflicts of interest. To resolve such concerns, following the models of leagues like the AFL and NRL may offer a more effective form of governance, in which commissioners selected by the clubs satisfy the prerequisite balance of skills and experience.  

Youth Representation 

A record number of match minutes were given to players under the age of 21 in the ALM last season. According to the report’s findings, Under 21s made up 18% of match minutes, with players under 25 accounting for 56% of minutes played. 

High levels of youth representation isn’t necessarily a cause for concern, as it implies that club academies are maturing and producing high-quality talents worthy of professional minutes. As future generations look to the professional game for inspiration, seeing young players be given the chance to prove themselves is an encouraging sign. 

However, the increasing reliance on young players may also be influenced by clubs turning towards a transfer-focussed revenue and a desire to cut player costs while traditional revenue (such as from broadcasting) falls. 

What Should the Focus be Moving Forward?

As the APL and competing clubs are currently competing in the 2025-26 season, addressing the issues revealed in the ALM Report will help professional football in Australia to flourish. 

Improving Infrastructure 

Increasing attendances and filling stadium capacity will help to elevate matchday atmospheres and thus create an incentive for consistent attendance throughout the season. To this end, following the model practised by MLS clubs in America could be crucial.

According to the report, 22 out of the 29 MLS clubs with stadium capacities of 18,000 to 30,000 all achieved utilisation rates of 79%. Stadia with lower capacity can drive an improved matchday atmosphere and ultimately encourage fans to regularly attend ALM games. 

Inspire Collaboration 

Earlier this week, the PFA and FSAA (Football Supporters Association Australia) announced a new partnership aimed at establishing connections between players and fans and giving them a voice in future decision-making.

This marks a step in the right direction for the men’s game and points to an optimistic future in which all parties can voice their opinion before changes are implemented. Increased collaboration will ensure decisions are collectively agreed upon and reduce conflicts among stakeholders and participants in the APL.

Pounce on International Opportunities  

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ approaches, clubs in Australia should see the tournament as a unique opportunity for economic and cultural growth within the men’s game. As part of the altered Men’s World Cup Club Benefits Program, clubs who released players for qualifiers and for the final tournament will now receive a share of the pot totalling just under AUD 535 million. Although it remains unclear how much of this will go to ALM clubs, it remains an added incentive for clubs to propel their players into contention for the tournament in North America next year.

With more domestic players performing alongside the most successful footballing nations on the world stage, it proves to clubs, players and fans that football in Australia deserves high-quality governance, infrastructure and working conditions.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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