Predictions for the A-League from 10 years ago....

[petszk]

Yay for the FTBL forum making a comeback.

Make your predictions for the A-League in 2025...

forum.insidesport.com.au

These were my questions, with the actual answers now provided;

Make your predictions for the A-League (etc.) in the year 2025...

LEAGUE
1. Will there still be an A-League?
Yes

If No;
1a. Why not?
N/A
1b. Will it have been replaced by another national domestic competition, or will the top level in Australia be State League?
N/A

2. Will it still be sponsored by Hyundai, and known as the "Hyundai A-League"?
No

3. How many teams will be in the A-League?
13

4. Will all of the current teams still be in the A-League?
Yes

5. Where will the new teams (if any) come from?
Auckland, West Melbourne, Macarthur

5a. Will they be completely new teams or existing state league teams taking a step up?
New teams

6. Between 2015 and 2025, will there be any new teams which come and then disappear again (like NQF and GCU)?
No

7. Will there be a national 2nd division?
No (it's perpetually "around the corner/18 months away")

If yes;
7a. Will there be promotion & relegation between the A-League & the 2nd division?
N/A (I wish!)
If yes;
7aa. Will the promotion/relegation be automatic, or will 2nd division teams have the option of choosing not to promote?
N/A
7ab. Will promotion/relegation be dependent soley on ladder position, or will there be other criteria (stadium, crowds, geography, etc)
N/A

8. Who will have been the most famous player to have played in the A-League? (subjective question of course, but ATM you could argue for ADP, Yorke, Romario, Kewell, Fowler, etc.)
Not sure if I can come up with any others apart from those already listed in the question.

9. Will there still be a salary cap?
Yes

10. Will we have seen any more current teams "rebrand" their name? (eg: Queensland Roar -> Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Heart -> Melbourne City FC)
No

11. Will there still be a finals competition, or will we go to a "first past the post" system most other countries use?
Finals.
(This is Australia, finals are always going to be here (I don't have a problem with this))

12. How will most people watch games when they are not attending? (Pay TV, FTA TV, Streaming, some other as yet unknown technology)
Streaming I assume. is the most common method.
FTA on Channel 10

13. What will be the average crowd size across the season? (To the nearest 1000, currently 13,000)
9000.
Still haven't gotten back to the pre-covid days.

14. What will be the record winning margin in a match? (currently 7 goals, Adelaide United against both NQF & NJ)
Eight goals now.
14/04/2024 Melbourne City FC 8-0 Perth Glory

15. What will be the record number of goals scored in a match (Currently 9 goals, Adelaide United 8-1 vs NQF & CCM vs SFC 4-5 & CCM vs SFC 7-2)
We've had 2x 10-goal games since then...
Both times the scoreline was 2-8, both times CCM was the home & losing team
14/04/2018 Central Coast Mariners 2-8 Newcastle Jets
9/03/2019 Central Coast Mariners 2-8 Wellington Phoenix

16. What will be the least number of points accumulated by a team in a season? (Currently 6 points in 21 matches, NZK)
No change here.

17. What will be the largest number of bookings in a single match? (Currently 12 - AU vs PG, AU vs MH, AU vs FC Bunyodkor)
Still 12, although it's happened a few more times since then.
13/10/2013 Adelaide United 3-1 Perth Glory
4/02/2017 Melbourne Victory 2-1 Melbourne City FC
3/10/2012 FC Bunyodkor 3-2 Adelaide United after extra time (ACL)
4/04/2014 Adelaide United 2-2 Melbourne Heart
31/12/2023 Central Coast Mariners 4-2 Perth Glory

ALeague Stats

18. What will be the largest number of red cards in a single match? (Currently 3 - CCM vs MV, PG vs SFC, AU vs FC Bunyodkor)
Again, still 3 although some more matches since then
4/11/2007 Central Coast Mariners 2-1 Melbourne Victory
3/10/2012 FC Bunyodkor 3-2 Adelaide United after extra time (ACL)
7/02/2015 Perth Glory 1-3 Sydney FC
2/02/2019 Adelaide United 4-3 Brisbane Roar
25/02/2024 Melbourne Victory 0-1 Central Coast Mariners

ALeague Stats

19. Who will be the A-League's all time top goalscorer? (Currently Archie Thompson on 89, Shane Smeltz on 85, Besart Berisha on 63)
Top 3 are now;
1st: Jamie Maclaren 149
2nd: Besart Berisha 132
3rd: Bruno Fornaroli 109


20. What is the most number of A-League teams a player will have played for? (currently 6, Isaka Cernak)
7 now.
Liam Reddy
Brisbane Roar (76 matches), Central Coast Mariners (63 matches), Newcastle Jets (27 matches), Perth Glory (163 matches), Sydney FC (43 matches), Wellington Phoenix (12 matches), Western Sydney Wanderers (6 matches)

and
Antony Golec
Adelaide United (28 matches), Central Coast Mariners (32 matches), Macarthur FC (18 matches), Perth Glory (10 matches), Sydney FC (10 matches), Wellington Phoenix (6 matches), Western Sydney Wanderers (37 matches)


21. What will be the longest undefeated streak (Currently Brisbane Roar on 36 matches)
Yeah - I'd be surprised if this record is ever broken

22. What will be the lowest position on the ladder that the A-League Grand Final winner finished? (Currently 2nd; SFC in 05/06, NJ in 07/08, BR in 11/12 & CCM in 12/13)
4th 2017/18, Melbourne Victory.



CUP
23. How many times will an A-League side be knocked out by a state league team? (Currently once in one season).
17 times in 10 seasons. Nearly two teams per season

FFA Cup stats

24. Will a state league team have made the final of the FFA Cup?
Yes, Sydney United in the 2022 cup

2022 FFA Cup

25. Will a state league team have actually won the FFA Cup?
Not yet...

26. What will be the record lowest position on the League ladder that that season's FFA cup winner finishes? (Currently 3rd place for this season's winners) (Excluding State League winners, if any)
12th (last) place.
Macarthur FC in 2022/23

ACL
27. How many times will an Australian team have made the final of the ACL? (currently 2)
Still only twice

28. How many times will an Australian team have won the ACL? (currently 1)
Still only once

29. Will we have seen 2 Australian teams meet in the ACL?
Not yet

30. What will the "success rate" of Australian teams making the 2nd round of the ACL be? (Currently a dismal 29%)
Yeah, no improvement here.
From the 2015-2023 ACLs, we've had 3 teams get out of the group stage, and 13 fail (19%).
Although 2 of those "fails" did come 2nd in their groups, which in past editions would've gotten out of the group.
And the most recent ACL had CCM come 11th / 11 in the "league stage".

GENERAL
31. Which team will have won the most silverware?
By my count: Sydney FC with 12 titles.
2nd is Melbourne Victory with 10.
3rd is Adelaide United with 8.

That's counting league titles, GF wins, ACL wins, FFA cup wins, the old preseason cup, and the one time A-League teams played in the OCL

ALeague Stats

Things I didn't predict / question that maybe I should've;
1. The rise of Women's football and questions relating to the A-League Womens (or W-League as it was at the time)
2. A-League teams competing in 2nd-tier international tournaments.

 

[grazorblade]

Yay for the FTBL forum making a comeback.

Make your predictions for the A-League in 2025...

forum.insidesport.com.au

These were my questions, with the actual answers now provided;

Make your predictions for the A-League (etc.) in the year 2025...

LEAGUE
1. Will there still be an A-League?
Yes

If No;
1a. Why not?
N/A
1b. Will it have been replaced by another national domestic competition, or will the top level in Australia be State League?
N/A

2. Will it still be sponsored by Hyundai, and known as the "Hyundai A-League"?
No

3. How many teams will be in the A-League?
13

4. Will all of the current teams still be in the A-League?
Yes

5. Where will the new teams (if any) come from?
Auckland, West Melbourne, Macarthur

5a. Will they be completely new teams or existing state league teams taking a step up?
New teams

6. Between 2015 and 2025, will there be any new teams which come and then disappear again (like NQF and GCU)?
No

7. Will there be a national 2nd division?
No (it's perpetually "around the corner/18 months away")

If yes;
7a. Will there be promotion & relegation between the A-League & the 2nd division?
N/A (I wish!)
If yes;
7aa. Will the promotion/relegation be automatic, or will 2nd division teams have the option of choosing not to promote?
N/A
7ab. Will promotion/relegation be dependent soley on ladder position, or will there be other criteria (stadium, crowds, geography, etc)
N/A

8. Who will have been the most famous player to have played in the A-League? (subjective question of course, but ATM you could argue for ADP, Yorke, Romario, Kewell, Fowler, etc.)
Not sure if I can come up with any others apart from those already listed in the question.

9. Will there still be a salary cap?
Yes

10. Will we have seen any more current teams "rebrand" their name? (eg: Queensland Roar -> Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Heart -> Melbourne City FC)
No

11. Will there still be a finals competition, or will we go to a "first past the post" system most other countries use?
Finals.
(This is Australia, finals are always going to be here (I don't have a problem with this))

12. How will most people watch games when they are not attending? (Pay TV, FTA TV, Streaming, some other as yet unknown technology)
Streaming I assume. is the most common method.
FTA on Channel 10

13. What will be the average crowd size across the season? (To the nearest 1000, currently 13,000)
9000.
Still haven't gotten back to the pre-covid days.

14. What will be the record winning margin in a match? (currently 7 goals, Adelaide United against both NQF & NJ)
Eight goals now.
14/04/2024 Melbourne City FC 8-0 Perth Glory

15. What will be the record number of goals scored in a match (Currently 9 goals, Adelaide United 8-1 vs NQF & CCM vs SFC 4-5 & CCM vs SFC 7-2)
We've had 2x 10-goal games since then...
Both times the scoreline was 2-8, both times CCM was the home & losing team
14/04/2018 Central Coast Mariners 2-8 Newcastle Jets
9/03/2019 Central Coast Mariners 2-8 Wellington Phoenix

16. What will be the least number of points accumulated by a team in a season? (Currently 6 points in 21 matches, NZK)
No change here.

17. What will be the largest number of bookings in a single match? (Currently 12 - AU vs PG, AU vs MH, AU vs FC Bunyodkor)
Still 12, although it's happened a few more times since then.
13/10/2013 Adelaide United 3-1 Perth Glory
4/02/2017 Melbourne Victory 2-1 Melbourne City FC
3/10/2012 FC Bunyodkor 3-2 Adelaide United after extra time (ACL)
4/04/2014 Adelaide United 2-2 Melbourne Heart
31/12/2023 Central Coast Mariners 4-2 Perth Glory

ALeague Stats

18. What will be the largest number of red cards in a single match? (Currently 3 - CCM vs MV, PG vs SFC, AU vs FC Bunyodkor)
Again, still 3 although some more matches since then
4/11/2007 Central Coast Mariners 2-1 Melbourne Victory
3/10/2012 FC Bunyodkor 3-2 Adelaide United after extra time (ACL)
7/02/2015 Perth Glory 1-3 Sydney FC
2/02/2019 Adelaide United 4-3 Brisbane Roar
25/02/2024 Melbourne Victory 0-1 Central Coast Mariners

ALeague Stats

19. Who will be the A-League's all time top goalscorer? (Currently Archie Thompson on 89, Shane Smeltz on 85, Besart Berisha on 63)
Top 3 are now;
1st: Jamie Maclaren 149
2nd: Besart Berisha 132
3rd: Bruno Fornaroli 109


20. What is the most number of A-League teams a player will have played for? (currently 6, Isaka Cernak)
7 now.
Liam Reddy
Brisbane Roar (76 matches), Central Coast Mariners (63 matches), Newcastle Jets (27 matches), Perth Glory (163 matches), Sydney FC (43 matches), Wellington Phoenix (12 matches), Western Sydney Wanderers (6 matches)

and
Antony Golec
Adelaide United (28 matches), Central Coast Mariners (32 matches), Macarthur FC (18 matches), Perth Glory (10 matches), Sydney FC (10 matches), Wellington Phoenix (6 matches), Western Sydney Wanderers (37 matches)


21. What will be the longest undefeated streak (Currently Brisbane Roar on 36 matches)
Yeah - I'd be surprised if this record is ever broken

22. What will be the lowest position on the ladder that the A-League Grand Final winner finished? (Currently 2nd; SFC in 05/06, NJ in 07/08, BR in 11/12 & CCM in 12/13)
4th 2017/18, Melbourne Victory.



CUP
23. How many times will an A-League side be knocked out by a state league team? (Currently once in one season).
17 times in 10 seasons. Nearly two teams per season

FFA Cup stats

24. Will a state league team have made the final of the FFA Cup?
Yes, Sydney United in the 2022 cup

2022 FFA Cup

25. Will a state league team have actually won the FFA Cup?
Not yet...

26. What will be the record lowest position on the League ladder that that season's FFA cup winner finishes? (Currently 3rd place for this season's winners) (Excluding State League winners, if any)
12th (last) place.
Macarthur FC in 2022/23

ACL
27. How many times will an Australian team have made the final of the ACL? (currently 2)
Still only twice

28. How many times will an Australian team have won the ACL? (currently 1)
Still only once

29. Will we have seen 2 Australian teams meet in the ACL?
Not yet

30. What will the "success rate" of Australian teams making the 2nd round of the ACL be? (Currently a dismal 29%)
Yeah, no improvement here.
From the 2015-2023 ACLs, we've had 3 teams get out of the group stage, and 13 fail (19%).
Although 2 of those "fails" did come 2nd in their groups, which in past editions would've gotten out of the group.
And the most recent ACL had CCM come 11th / 11 in the "league stage".

GENERAL
31. Which team will have won the most silverware?
By my count: Sydney FC with 12 titles.
2nd is Melbourne Victory with 10.
3rd is Adelaide United with 8.

That's counting league titles, GF wins, ACL wins, FFA cup wins, the old preseason cup, and the one time A-League teams played in the OCL

ALeague Stats

Things I didn't predict / question that maybe I should've;
1. The rise of Women's football and questions relating to the A-League Womens (or W-League as it was at the time)
2. A-League teams competing in 2nd-tier international tournaments.

I misread that as your predictions and was in awe of how accurate you were

 

[grazorblade]

Predictions for 2035

1. Will there still be an A-League?

Yes

2. Will it still be sponsored by Hyundai, and known as the "Hyundai A-League"?

No

3. How many teams will be in the A-League?

16

4. Will all of the current teams still be in the A-League?

No due to a managed P&R similar to the nsl era

5. Where will the new teams (if any) come from?

Christchurch (boo!), Preston and Canberra with Preston the first promoted

5a. Will they be completely new teams or existing state league teams taking a step up?

Prston steps up

6. Between 2015 and 2025, will there be any new teams which come and then disappear again (like NQF and GCU)?

No I suspect even WUN survives.

7. Will there be a national 2nd division?

Yes starting 2027

If yes;
7a. Will there be promotion & relegation between the A-League & the 2nd division?

promotion with managed relegation as much as I'd like a real pyramid

7aa. Will the promotion/relegation be automatic, or will 2nd division teams have the option of choosing not to promote?

they will have an option

7ab. Will promotion/relegation be dependent soley on ladder position, or will there be other criteria (stadium, crowds, geography, etc)

it will not depend solely on ladder position but will include criteria about crowds, facilities and academies

8. Who will have been the most famous player to have played in the A-League? (subjective question of course, but ATM you could argue for ADP, Yorke, Romario, Kewell, Fowler, etc.)

Herrington from the Brisbane roar or some other young gun that hasn't come through yet

9. Will there still be a salary cap?

No

10. Will we have seen any more current teams "rebrand" their name? (eg: Queensland Roar -> Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Heart -> Melbourne City FC)

No

11. Will there still be a finals competition, or will we go to a "first past the post" system most other countries use?

Finals and good


12. How will most people watch games when they are not attending? (Pay TV, FTA TV, Streaming, some other as yet unknown technology)

Streaming

13. What will be the average crowd size across the season? (To the nearest 1000, currently 13,000)

10000, gonna be optimistic

14. What will be the record winning margin in a match? (currently 7 goals, Adelaide United against both NQF & NJ)

9

15. What will be the record number of goals scored in a match (Currently 9 goals, Adelaide United 8-1 vs NQF & CCM vs SFC 4-5 & CCM vs SFC 7-2)

11


16. What will be the least number of points accumulated by a team in a season? (Currently 6 points in 21 matches, NZK)

no change

17. What will be the largest number of bookings in a single match? (Currently 12 - AU vs PG, AU vs MH, AU vs FC Bunyodkor)

12. This is a huge amount and I think the league is getting less physical so doubt this gets changed

18. What will be the largest number of red cards in a single match? (Currently 3 - CCM vs MV, PG vs SFC, AU vs FC Bunyodkor)

4 just from law of large numbers

19. Who will be the A-League's all time top goalscorer? (Currently Archie Thompson on 89, Shane Smeltz on 85, Besart Berisha on 63)

I don't think Maclaren's record gets beaten as we become more of a development league

20. What is the most number of A-League teams a player will have played for? (currently 6, Isaka Cernak)

stil 7

21. What will be the longest undefeated streak (Currently Brisbane Roar on 36 matches)

Still Roarcelona

22. What will be the lowest position on the ladder that the A-League Grand Final winner finished? (Currently 2nd; SFC in 05/06, NJ in 07/08, BR in 11/12 & CCM in 12/13)

5th due to expanding the finals to 8 teams

CUP
23. How many times will an A-League side be knocked out by a state league team? (Currently once in one season).

Frequency will grow until there is a full nst then perhaps shrink again. So maybe another 20 in 10 years

24. Will a state league team have made the final of the FFA Cup?

Yes 1 more time

25. Will a state league team have actually won the FFA Cup?

Yes between now and the first couple of years of the nst

26. What will be the record lowest position on the League ladder that that season's FFA cup winner finishes? (Currently 3rd place for this season's winners) (Excluding State League winners, if any)

won't beat 12th

ACL
27. How many times will an Australian team have made the final of the ACL? (currently 2)
Still only twice

It seems to be getting harder so gonna hope for 1 more but not optimistic

28. How many times will an Australian team have won the ACL? (currently 1)

why not hope for one more

29. Will we have seen 2 Australian teams meet in the ACL?

No

30. What will the "success rate" of Australian teams making the 2nd round of the ACL be? (Currently a dismal 29%)

With the new system 40% starting next year

GENERAL
31. Which team will have won the most silverware?

I'm predicting Sydney to remain on top