2014–15 A-League
The 2014–15 A-League was the 38th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the 10th season of the A-League since its establishment in 2004. Brisbane Roar were both the defending A-League Premiers and Champions. The regular season commenced on 10 October 2014 and concluded on 26 April 2015. The 2015 Grand Final took place on 17 May 2015. The season was suspended from 9–24 January in order to avoid a clash with the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, which was hosted by Australia.[1]
Season | 2014–15 |
---|---|
Dates | 10 October 2014 – 17 May 2015 |
Champions | Melbourne Victory (3rd title) |
Premiers | Melbourne Victory (3rd title) |
Champions League | Melbourne Victory Sydney FC Adelaide United |
Matches played | 135 |
Goals scored | 401 (2.97 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Marc Janko (16 goals) |
Best goalkeeper | Eugene Galekovic |
Biggest home win | Adelaide United 7–0 Newcastle Jets (24 January 2015) |
Biggest away win | Newcastle Jets 0–4 Brisbane Roar (14 November 2014) Central Coast Mariners 1–5 Sydney FC (24 January 2015) |
Highest scoring | Sydney FC 5–4 Brisbane Roar (15 March 2015) |
Longest winning run | Perth Glory Wellington Phoenix (4) |
Longest unbeaten run | Melbourne Victory Perth Glory (10) |
Longest winless run | Western Sydney Wanderers (13) |
Longest losing run | Brisbane Roar Western Sydney Wanderers (4) |
Highest attendance | 43,729 |
Lowest attendance | 4,162 |
Average attendance | 12,514 ( 527) |
← 2013–14 2015–16 → |
The 2015 Grand Final took place on 17 May 2015, with Melbourne Victory claiming their third Championship with a 3–0 win against Sydney FC.
The season marked the first year that the team formerly known as Melbourne Heart competed as Melbourne City after the club's renaming in June 2014.
Clubs
Team | City | Home Ground | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Adelaide United | Adelaide | Coopers Stadium Adelaide Oval |
17,000 53,583 |
Brisbane Roar | Brisbane | Suncorp Stadium | 52,500 |
Central Coast Mariners | Gosford | Central Coast Stadium | 20,119 |
Melbourne City | Melbourne | AAMI Park | 30,050 |
Melbourne Victory | Melbourne | Etihad Stadium AAMI Park |
56,347 30,050 |
Newcastle Jets | Newcastle | Hunter Stadium | 33,000 |
Perth Glory | Perth | nib Stadium | 20,500 |
Sydney FC | Sydney | Allianz Stadium | 45,500 |
Wellington Phoenix | Wellington | Westpac Stadium | 36,000 |
Western Sydney Wanderers | Sydney | Pirtek Stadium | 21,487 |
Personnel and kits
Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Kit partner |
---|---|---|---|---|
Adelaide United | Josep Gombau | Eugene Galekovic | Kappa | Veolia |
Brisbane Roar | Frans Thijssen | Matt McKay | Umbro[2] | The Coffee Club |
Central Coast Mariners | Tony Walmsley (Head Coach) |
John Hutchinson (Player/Coach) |
Kappa | Masterfoods |
Melbourne City | John van 't Schip | Patrick Kisnorbo | Nike | Etihad |
Melbourne Victory | Kevin Muscat | Mark Milligan | Adidas[3] | Community Training Initiatives (h) Oliana Foods (a) |
Newcastle Jets | Phil Stubbins | Taylor Regan | BLK | Castle Quarry Products |
Perth Glory | Kenny Lowe | Michael Thwaite | Macron[4] | QBE Insurance |
Sydney FC | Graham Arnold | Alex Brosque | Adidas | Webjet |
Wellington Phoenix | Ernie Merrick | Andrew Durante | Adidas | Huawei |
Western Sydney Wanderers | Tony Popovic | Nikolai Topor-Stanley | Nike[5] | NRMA Insurance |
Transfers
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sydney FC | Frank Farina | Sacked[6] | 23 April 2014 | Pre-season | Graham Arnold[7] | 8 May 2014 |
Newcastle Jets | Clayton Zane (caretaker) | End of contract | 5 May 2014 | Phil Stubbins[8] | 5 May 2014 | |
Brisbane Roar | Mike Mulvey | Mutual consent[9] | 23 November 2014 | 8th | Frans Thijssen (caretaker) | 24 November 2014 |
Central Coast Mariners | Phil Moss | Sacked[10] | 6 March 2015 | 8th | Tony Walmsley (caretaker head coach) John Hutchinson (caretaker player/coach) |
6 March 2015 |
Foreign players
The following do not fill a Visa position:
1Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian citizenship (and New Zealand citizenship, in the case of Wellington Phoenix);[11]
2Australian citizens (and New Zealand citizens, in the case of Wellington Phoenix) who have chosen to represent another national team;
3Injury Replacement Players, or National Team Replacement Players;
4Guest Players (eligible to play a maximum of ten games)
Salary cap exemptions and captains
Regular season
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Melbourne Victory (C) | 27 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 56 | 31 | +25 | 53 | Qualification for 2016 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series |
2 | Sydney FC | 27 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 52 | 35 | +17 | 50 | |
3 | Adelaide United | 27 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 47 | 32 | +15 | 46 | Qualification for 2016 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off and Finals series |
4 | Wellington Phoenix[lower-alpha 1] | 27 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 46 | Qualification for Finals series |
5 | Melbourne City | 27 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 36 | 41 | −5 | 35 | |
6 | Brisbane Roar | 27 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 42 | 43 | −1 | 34 | |
7 | Perth Glory[lower-alpha 2] | 27 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 50 | |
8 | Central Coast Mariners | 27 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 26 | 50 | −24 | 23 | |
9 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 27 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 29 | 44 | −15 | 18 | |
10 | Newcastle Jets | 27 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 23 | 55 | −32 | 17 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
- Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.
- Perth Glory disqualified from the Finals series and given a compulsory 7th-place finish due to salary cap violations.[38]
Results
Finals series
Elimination-finals | Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||
1 | Melbourne Victory | 3 | ||||||||||||
4 | Wellington Phoenix | 0 | 5 | Melbourne City | 0 | |||||||||
5 | Melbourne City | 2 | 1 | Melbourne Victory | 3 | |||||||||
2 | Sydney FC | 0 | ||||||||||||
2 | Sydney FC | 4 | ||||||||||||
3 | Adelaide United | 2 | 4 | Adelaide United | 1 | |||||||||
6 | Brisbane Roar | 1 |
Elimination-finals
Adelaide United | 2–1 | Brisbane Roar |
---|---|---|
Goodwin 7' Mabil 87' |
Report | Broich 27' |
Wellington Phoenix | 0–2 | Melbourne City |
---|---|---|
Report | Kennedy 61' Moss 72' (o.g.) |
Semi-finals
Melbourne Victory | 3–0 | Melbourne City |
---|---|---|
Berisha 18' Barbarouses 30' Thompson 87' |
Report |
Grand Final
Melbourne Victory | 3–0 | Sydney FC |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
Statistics
Top goalscorers
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Marc Janko | Sydney FC | 16 |
2 | Nathan Burns | Wellington Phoenix | 14 |
3 | Besart Berisha | Melbourne Victory | 13 |
4 | Andy Keogh | Perth Glory | 12 |
5 | Archie Thompson | Melbourne Victory | 10 |
6 | Roy Krishna | Wellington Phoenix | 9 |
Jamie Maclaren | Perth Glory | ||
8 | Henrique | Brisbane Roar | 8 |
Pablo Sánchez | Adelaide United | ||
Shane Smeltz | Sydney FC | ||
Last updated: 26 April 2015.
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Own goals
Hat-tricks
Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Andy Keogh | Perth Glory | Brisbane Roar | 3–2[39] | 19 October 2014 |
Besart Berisha | Melbourne Victory | Melbourne City | 5–2[40] | 25 October 2014 |
Henrique† | Brisbane Roar | Newcastle Jets | 4–0[41] | 14 November 2014 |
Nathan Burns | Wellington Phoenix | Melbourne City | 5–1[42] | 30 November 2014 |
Archie Thompson | Melbourne Victory | Sydney FC | 3–3[43] | 13 December 2014 |
Robert Koren | Melbourne City | Newcastle Jets | 5–2[44] | 30 December 2014 |
Marc Janko | Sydney FC | Brisbane Roar | 5–4[45] | 15 March 2015 |
Steven Lustica | Brisbane Roar | Central Coast Mariners | 6–1[46] | 2 April 2015 |
Jamie Maclaren | Perth Glory | Melbourne City | 3–1[47] | 19 April 2015 |
† Player came on as substitute.
Clean sheets
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Vedran Janjetović | Sydney FC | 9 |
2 | Tando Velaphi | Melbourne City | 8 |
3 | Nathan Coe | Melbourne Victory | 7 |
Eugene Galekovic | Adelaide United | ||
Glen Moss | Wellington Phoenix | ||
Liam Reddy | Central Coast Mariners | ||
7 | Jamie Young | Brisbane Roar | 5 |
8 | Danny Vuković | Perth Glory | 4 |
9 | Ante Covic | Western Sydney Wanderers | 3 |
Ben Kennedy | Newcastle Jets | ||
Last updated: 26 April 2015.
Source: ultimatealeague.com
NB - Additional clean sheets were kept by Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory, however these are not listed due to goalkeeper substitutions.
By club
These are the attendance records of each of the teams at the end of the home and away season. The table does not include finals series attendances.
Team | Hosted | Average | High | Low | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne Victory | 14 | 25,388 | 43,729 | 18,205 | 355,436 |
Sydney FC | 13 | 17,406 | 41,213 | 11,280 | 226,276 |
Adelaide United | 14 | 12,644 | 33,126 | 7,767 | 177,012 |
Western Sydney Wanderers | 14 | 12,520 | 19,484 | 7,239 | 175,284 |
Brisbane Roar | 13 | 11,660 | 17,131 | 6,813 | 151,586 |
Melbourne City | 13 | 10,374 | 26,372 | 5,867 | 134,859 |
Perth Glory | 14 | 9,540 | 12,271 | 5,821 | 133,564 |
Newcastle Jets | 13 | 8,968 | 11,884 | 4,162 | 116,587 |
Wellington Phoenix | 14 | 8,583 | 13,248 | 6,236 | 120,168 |
Central Coast Mariners | 13 | 7,585 | 12,102 | 4,508 | 98,605 |
League total | 135 | 12,514 | 43,729 | 4,162 | 1,689,377 |
By round
Round | Total | Games | Avg. Per Game |
---|---|---|---|
Round 1 | 90,013 | 5 | 18,003 |
Round 2 | 106,082 | 5 | 21,216 |
Round 3 | 91,836 | 5 | 18,367 |
Round 4 | 73,547 | 5 | 14,709 |
Round 5 | 58,437 | 5 | 11,687 |
Round 6 | 62,752 | 5 | 12,550 |
Round 7 | 62,977 | 5 | 12,595 |
Round 8 | 72,856 | 5 | 14,571 |
Round 9 | 47,373 | 5 | 9,475 |
Round 10 | 64,067 | 5 | 12,813 |
Round 11 | 67,924 | 5 | 13,585 |
Round 12 | 63,190 | 5 | 12,638 |
Round 13 | 72,186 | 5 | 14,437 |
Round 14 | 53,727 | 5 | 10,745 |
Round 15 | 52,157 | 5 | 10,431 |
Round 16 | 75,844 | 5 | 15,169 |
Round 17 | 53,339 | 5 | 10,668 |
Round 18 | 49,016 | 5 | 9,803 |
Round 19 | 67,338 | 5 | 13,468 |
Round 20 | 57,301 | 5 | 11,460 |
Round 21 | 47,703 | 5 | 9,541 |
Round 22 | 53,237 | 5 | 10,647 |
Round 23 | 50,305 | 5 | 10,061 |
Round 24 | 39,366 | 5 | 7,873 |
Round 25 | 53,630 | 5 | 10,726 |
Round 26 | 42,233 | 5 | 8,447 |
Round 27 | 61,841 | 5 | 12,368 |
Elimination Final | 30,326 | 2 | 15,163 |
Semi Final | 77,656 | 2 | 38,828 |
Grand Final | 29,843 | 1 | 29,843 |
Top 10 season attendances
Attendance | Round | Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Weekday | Time of Day |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
50,873 | SF | 8 May 2015 | Melbourne Victory | 3–0 | Melbourne City | Etihad Stadium | Friday | Night |
43,729 | 3 | 25 October 2014 | Melbourne Victory | 5–2 | Melbourne City | Etihad Stadium | Saturday | Night |
41,213 | 2 | 18 October 2014 | Sydney FC | 3–2 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Allianz Stadium | Saturday | Night |
40,042 | 16 | 7 February 2015 | Melbourne Victory | 3–0 | Melbourne City | Etihad Stadium | Saturday | Night |
33,126 | 2 | 17 October 2014 | Adelaide United | 1–1 | Melbourne Victory | Adelaide Oval | Friday | Night |
30,083 | 1 | 10 October 2014 | Melbourne Victory | 4–1 | Western Sydney Wanderers | Etihad Stadium | Friday | Night |
29,843 | GF | 17 May 2015 | Melbourne Victory | 3–0 | Sydney FC | AAMI Park | Sunday | Night |
26,783 | SF | 9 May 2015 | Sydney FC | 4–1 | Adelaide United | Allianz Stadium | Saturday | Night |
26,372 | 11 | 20 December 2014 | Melbourne City | 1–0 | Melbourne Victory | AAMI Park | Saturday | Night |
25,525 | 1 | 11 October 2014 | Sydney FC | 1–1 | Melbourne City | Allianz Stadium | Saturday | Night |
Last updated: 9 May 2015.
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Club membership
Club | Members |
---|---|
Adelaide United | 9,429 |
Brisbane Roar | 12,113 |
Central Coast Mariners | 6,242 |
Melbourne City | 11,741 |
Melbourne Victory | 24,200 |
Newcastle Jets | 10,003 |
Perth Glory | 6,296 |
Sydney FC | 11,508 |
Wellington Phoenix | 4,183 |
Western Sydney Wanderers | 18,706 |
Total | 114,421 |
Average | 11,442 |
Last updated: 26 April 2015.
Source: aleague.com.au
Awards
End-of-season awards
The following end of the season awards were announced at the Hyundai A-League & Westfield W-League 2014–15 Awards night held at the Carriageworks in Sydney on 11 May 2015.[48]
- Johnny Warren Medal – Nathan Burns, Wellington Phoenix
- NAB Young Footballer of the Year – James Jeggo, Adelaide United
- Nike Golden Boot Award – Marc Janko, Sydney FC (16 goals)
- Goalkeeper of the Year – Eugene Galekovic, Adelaide United
- Manager of the Year – Kevin Muscat, Melbourne Victory
- Fair Play Award – Wellington Phoenix
- Referee of the Year – Jarred Gillett
- Goal of the Year – Tarek Elrich, Adelaide United (Adelaide United v Melbourne City, 25 April 2015)
- Joe Marston Medal – Mark Milligan
See also
- 2014–15 Adelaide United FC season
- 2014–15 Brisbane Roar FC season
- 2014–15 Central Coast Mariners FC season
- 2014–15 Melbourne City FC season
- 2014–15 Melbourne Victory FC season
- 2014–15 Newcastle Jets FC season
- 2014–15 Perth Glory FC season
- 2014–15 Sydney FC season
- 2014–15 Wellington Phoenix FC season
- 2014–15 Western Sydney Wanderers FC season
Notes
References
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Leigh Broxham [...] but now he's the vice-captain...
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Western Sydney last week signed Matthew Spiranovic as their Australian marquee
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