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24 August, 2023: The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has announced the full fixtures for the Liberty A-League Women and Isuzu UTE A-League Men season 2023-24 as football fever consumes Australia and New Zealand.

Commenting on the new fixtures, Nick Garcia, A-Leagues Commissioner: “We’ve been working through club and fan feedback in the off-season to make adjustments to the schedule for season 2023-24. We’ve pushed back kick off times during the summer period to benefit fans and players, we’ve reduced the number of simultaneous matches to ensure more fans can watch more games, and we’ve locked in more fixtures at family-friendly times to make it easier for fans to attend matches.”

Liberty A-League Women

Following a record-breaking 2022-23 season that saw more games, goals and fans than ever before, the Liberty A-League Women will kick off on 14-15 October with a standalone weekend of games in major stadiums to celebrate women’s football.

The regular season has also been extended to 22 games - in line with global benchmarks - as the Central Coast Mariners rejoin the league and become the third new team to join the league in as many seasons. With the addition of a twelfth team, the Finals Series has also been expanded from four to six teams, with the format to mirror the Isuzu UTE A-League Men.

Nick Garcia, Commissioner of the A-Leagues said: “Australia and New Zealand have shown that we are football nations over the last month, and we want to carry this incredible momentum into the Liberty A-League Women.

“Every single CommBank Matilda was made in the Liberty A-League Women and it is the only place to watch current and former national team stars and the next generation every week, in our own backyard. We want everyone to get to a match and show their support for women’s football and for their local heroes.”

Isuzu UTE A-League Men

The Isuzu UTE A-League Men will kick off their season the week after the women, on the weekend of 20-22 October, as the league returns following a record-breaking Finals Series in May, including an all-time record for the men’s Elimination Final.

“The final of the Australia Cup will kick start a huge month of football in October, with the decider of the cup competition set to take place on the weekend of October 6-8. We’ll then kick off the Isuzu UTE A-League regular season a fortnight later, again with a 26 round regular season,” continued Nick Garcia.

‘We are building from a successful season 2022-23 where crowds grew 44% and broadcast viewership was up over 50% on free-to-air television for the finals, and saw a 48% growth in minutes viewed for the Isuzu UTE A-League Men regular season*.

“With internationals and the next generation of stars - including Nestory Irankunda, Noah Botic, Jed Drew, Alou Kuol, Alessandro Lopane, Jake Girdwood-Reich and Archie Goodwin - set to shine , the Isuzu UTE A-League Men season is poised to have another exciting season.”

The full fixtures for season 2023-24, can be found here for the Liberty A-League Women and here for the Isuzu UTE A-League Men.

Season 2023-24 Key Talking Points

‘Summer Period’ kick off times

During the ‘summer period’ (mid-December to end of February) of season 2023-24 there will be no 3pm kick off times in the Liberty A-League Women and Isuzu UTE A-League Men. The majority of kick off times will move to after 5pm.

There will also be five Thursday night fixtures during the mid-December and end of January school holiday period in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men to deliver four nights of football for families to enjoy.

The APL Heat Policy, recognised as a conservative policy by international standards, remains in place and is an important contributing factor in the scheduling process and throughout the season.

No pause for AFC Asian Cup

The Isuzu UTE A-League will not pause for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 set to take place between 12 January and 10 February 2024, and the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 (Olympic Qualifiers) in April and May 2024 due to the knock-on effect to congested fixturing and to retain fixturing continuity throughout the January school holiday period.

“As part of the scheduling, we’ve been working closely with Football Australia, Clubs and other stakeholders to determine the best path forward for our season alongside the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023. In order to maintain consistency, to avoid mid-week regular season games and congestion with the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup competitions, it has collectively been decided that we will not pause the regular season during the tournament.”

“From a fan perspective, we have also scheduled league games to be played in the lead up to key AFC Asian Cup fixtures where possible - to ensure there is no overlap and to give fans football double-headers,” continued Nick Garcia.

While the Isuzu UTE A-League Men won’t stop, it does not preclude selected players from representing Australia during both tournaments.

AFC Club Competitions

The AFC Club Competitions (AFC Champions League and AFC Cup) scheduled across the Isuzu UTE A-League Men season have been factored into the initial draw with regard to Clubs’ adjacent rounds. Further amendments may be required following the AFC Champions League draw scheduled to take place today, Thursday 24 August and pending progression of Clubs through to the group stages.

Broadcast

Working with our Clubs and broadcast partners, this season will see a reduction in the number of simultaneous matches and more fixtures at family-friendly times to make it easier for fans to attend and watch more games. Some of the key broadcast notes include:

Liberty A-League Pass

The Liberty A-League Pass was launched this month, offering a free season pass to under 16 year olds to the Liberty A-League season 2023-24, and has already surpassed last season’s full season total. For more information head to https://keepup.com.au/liberty-a-league-pass/.

FIFA breaks

All FIFA date breaks will be observed for the Men's and Women's FIFA International Match Calendars with the Liberty A-League recognising the October, November-December, February, April FIFA windows, and the Isuzu UTE A-League recognising October, November and March FIFA windows.

Season End

The Liberty A-League Women and Isuzu UTE A-League Men seasons will both conclude in May 2024. With the addition of a twelfth team, the Liberty A-League Women Finals Series has been expanded from four to six teams, with the format to mirror the Isuzu UTE A-League Men.

The Liberty A-League Women Grand Final is set to take place on the weekend of May 4-5, while the Isuzu UTE A-League Men Grand Final is set to take place on the weekend of 25-26 May.

Notes to Editor

Liberty A-League Women season 2023-24, Round 1 fixtures:

Liberty A-League Women season 2023-24, some other notable games:

Isuzu UTE A-League Men season 2023-24, Round 1 fixtures:

Isuzu UTE A-League Men season 2023-24, Round 1 talking points:

Isuzu UTE A-League Men season 2023-24, some other notable games:

About A-Leagues:

The A-Leagues represent the pinnacle of professional football in Australia, comprising Isuzu UTE A-League Men's, Liberty A-League Women's, Youth and E-league competitions. The 2023-24 season will see 12 clubs in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and 12 in Liberty A-League Women.

The A-Leagues, operated by Australian Professional Leagues (APL), is delivering against its bold ambition to develop top-tier professional football talent in Australia, drive engagement across the leagues and to build on football’s undisputed position as the country’s most popular participation sport.

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