A-League Men is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competition for the sport. A-League Men was established in 2004 as the A-League by the Football Federation Australia (FFA) as a successor to the National Soccer League (NSL) and competition commenced in August 2005. The league is currently administered by the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), contested by twelve teams; eleven based in Australia and one based in New Zealand. The men's, women's and youth leagues have now been brought together under a unified A-Leagues banner.
Melbourne Victory celebrating after their 2007 A-League Grand Final victory.
Adelaide United against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the AFC Champions League in 2010.
Alessandro Del Piero joined the league in 2012, as Sydney FC's marquee player.
Jamie Maclaren is the leading A-League goalscorer, scoring 151 goals with three clubs.
Australian Professional Leagues
The Australian Professional Leagues, officially abbreviated to the APL, and sometimes referred to as the A-Leagues, are the governing body for the A-League Men, A-League Women, A-League Youth and E-League. Since their formation, they have been mostly independent of Football Australia, but remain under their umbrella.
Australian Professional Leagues
Image: Melbourne Derby 17 Dec 2022 City Protest
Image: Melbourne Derby 17 Dec 2022 Victory Protest