A-Leagues scrap controversial Sydney grand final deal in favour of new ‘Unite Round’ | OneFootball

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has made an about-face on its controversial decision to sell off the rights to host its grand finals to the NSW government for $12m after a furious backlash from football fans.

The APL and NSW government confirmed on Wednesday they would scrap the remainder of the three-year deal which guaranteed Sydney would host the men’s and women’s grand finals through to 2025.

The decision means a return to tradition in Australian football in which the title deciders are played at the highest-placed team’s home ground.

The NSW government won’t be getting its money back. Instead, it has struck a deal with the APL to host two special rounds in Sydney featuring all 12 men’s and women’s matches in an effort to make the most of the league’s U-turn.

From 12 to 14 January, Sydney will host every team in the league, in the style of the NRL’s Magic Round and the AFL’s Gather Round. The government expects 42,000 people to attend.

The “Unite Round” will feature double-header matches in which the women’s and men’s teams play one after another. The matches will be held at Allianz Stadium at Moore Park, Parramatta’s Commbank Stadium and the ageing Leichhardt Oval in Lilyfield.

Announcing the new deal on Wednesday, the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, insisted Leichhardt Oval would be equipped to host the matches.

“We’re not worried about that … Obviously the council is working on a plan for an upgrade but that was always as a capital works program for the years ahead,” Minns said.

“That’s certainly not going to be up and running by January but we’re confident it can host this wonderful competition.”

The Inner West Council has waged a long-running campaign with successive state governments to upgrade Leichhardt Oval, where spectators fell onto a concrete pathway when a railing collapsed during a rugby match in August last year.

The council now plans to seek funding from the state and federal governments to implement its masterplan redesign – which would cost between $44m and $142.74m.

Leichhardt is set to host Unite Round matches between Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory, Wellington Phoenix and the Central Coast Mariners, Canberra United and Adelaide United, and Brisbane Roar and the Newcastle Jets.

The Unite Round will clash with the Socceroos AFC Asian Cup match against India in Qatar on 13 January. But the government says Moore Park will be set up to host a viewing party.

The weekend will also feature grassroots tournaments for junior boys and girls at venues across Sydney.

Minns said the new deal amounted to “recognition” and “understanding” by his government and the APL of football culture in Australia after listening to feedback from fans.

The decision to grant NSW the rights to host every grand final under a deal between the APL and the former Perrottet government last December proved hugely unpopular with fans, who staged protests in response.

Amid one protest, 150 people stormed the pitch at the A-League Men derby between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City. One of the pitch invaders threw a bucket at Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover. He was sentenced to three months jail in August this year.

Police charged dozens of the people involved and Victory were slapped with a record $550,000 fine over the incident.

Addressing the media alongside the premier, the APL chair, Stephen Conroy, said the league had already received “tremendous” support from clubs and fans in response to the decision to scrap NSW’s hosting rights to the grand finals.

Asked if the controversial deal had been a mistake, Conroy did not answer directly but said the eventual outcome was a “win” for clubs, fans, and the NSW government.

The tickets for the A-Leagues Unite Round will be on sale from 6 November.

Header image: [Photograph: Mark Evans/Getty Images for APL]