| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 October 2015 – 1 May 2016 |
| Champions | Adelaide United(1st title) |
| Premiers | Adelaide United(2nd title) |
| Champions League | Adelaide United Western Sydney Wanderers Brisbane Roar |
| Matches | 135 |
| Goals | 421 (3.12 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Bruno Fornaroli (25 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Thomas Sørensen |
| Biggest home win | Brisbane Roar 5–0Melbourne Victory (12 March 2016) |
| Biggest away win | Newcastle Jets 1–6Perth Glory (24 January 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Perth Glory 6–3Brisbane Roar (20 February 2016) |
| Longest winning run | Western Sydney Wanderers (7 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Adelaide United (14 games) |
| Longest winless run | Central Coast Mariners Sydney FC (11 games) |
| Longest losing run | Central Coast Mariners (6 games) |
| Highest attendance | 40,539 Sydney FC vs.Western Sydney Wanderers (24 October 2015) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,514 Central Coast Mariners vs.Melbourne City (3 December 2015) |
| Average attendance | 12,309 ( |
2016–17 → | |
The2015–16 A-League was the 39th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the 11th since the establishment of theA-League in 2004.Melbourne Victory were both the defending A-League Premiers and Champions. The regular season schedule was released on 29 June 2015. The season commenced on 8 October 2015 and concluded on 10 April 2016. The finals series commenced on 15 April 2016 and concluded with the 2016 Grand Final, held on 1 May 2016.
The2016 Grand Final took place on 1 May 2016, withAdelaide United claiming their first Championship with a 3–1 win againstWestern Sydney Wanderers.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Kit partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide United | Kappa | Veolia | ||
| Brisbane Roar | Umbro[1] | Steadfast | ||
| Central Coast Mariners | Kappa | Masterfoods | ||
| Melbourne City | Nike | Etihad | ||
| Melbourne Victory | Adidas[2] | Community Training Initiatives (h) Oliana Foods (a) | ||
| Newcastle Jets | BLK | Beechwood Homes (h) Inspirations Paints (a) | ||
| Perth Glory | Macron[3] | QBE Insurance | ||
| Sydney FC | Puma | The Star | ||
| Wellington Phoenix | Adidas | Huawei | ||
| Western Sydney Wanderers | Nike[4] | NRMA Insurance |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Roar | Resigned[5] | 26 May 2015 | Pre-season | 26 May 2015[6][7] | ||
| Newcastle Jets | Sacked[8][9] | 26 May 2015 | 18 June 2015[10][11] | |||
| Adelaide United | Resigned[12] | 24 July 2015 | 24 July 2015[13] |
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 ofWellington Phoenix);[14]
2Australian citizens (and New Zealand citizens, in the case ofWellington 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 fourteen games)
The following concessions to the salary cap were introduced for this season:[48]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide United(C) | 27 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 45 | 28 | +17 | 49 | Qualification for2017 AFC Champions League group stage andFinals series |
| 2 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 27 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 48 | |
| 3 | Brisbane Roar | 27 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 49 | 40 | +9 | 48 | Qualification for2017 AFC Champions League second preliminary round andFinals series |
| 4 | Melbourne City | 27 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 63 | 44 | +19 | 44 | Qualification forFinals series |
| 5 | Perth Glory | 27 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 49 | 42 | +7 | 43 | |
| 6 | Melbourne Victory | 27 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 33 | +7 | 41 | |
| 7 | Sydney FC | 27 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 34 | |
| 8 | Newcastle Jets | 27 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 28 | 41 | −13 | 30 | |
| 9 | Wellington Phoenix[a] | 27 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 34 | 54 | −20 | 25 | |
| 10 | Central Coast Mariners | 27 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 33 | 70 | −37 | 13 |
| Home \ Away | ADE | BRI | CCM | MBC | MVC | NEW | PER | SYD | WEL | WSW | ADE | BRI | CCM | MBC | MVC | NEW | PER | SYD | WEL | WSW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide United | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | |||||||
| Brisbane Roar | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–4 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | ||||||
| Central Coast Mariners | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | ||||||
| Melbourne City | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | ||||||
| Melbourne Victory | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |||||||
| Newcastle Jets | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 1–6 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | ||||||
| Perth Glory | 3–1 | 6–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 | |||||||
| Sydney FC | 0–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | ||||||
| Wellington Phoenix | 4–2 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–2 | |||||||
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 0–0 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 4–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–5 |
The Grand Final winner (Champion) qualified for the2017 AFC Champions League group stage
| Elimination-finals | Semi-finals | Grand Final | |||||||||
| Adelaide United | 4 | ||||||||||
| Melbourne City | 2 | Melbourne City | 1 | ||||||||
| Perth Glory | 0 | Adelaide United | 3 | ||||||||
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 1 | ||||||||||
| Western Sydney Wanderers (a.e.t.) | 5 | ||||||||||
| Brisbane Roar | 2 | Brisbane Roar | 4 | ||||||||
| Melbourne Victory | 1 | ||||||||||
| Melbourne City | 2–0 | Perth Glory |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Adelaide United | 4–1 | Melbourne City |
|---|---|---|
| Djite McGowan Sánchez | Report | Fitzgerald |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 5–4 (a.e.t.) | Brisbane Roar |
|---|---|---|
| Castelen Šantalab Vidošić | Report | D. Petratos Andreu Maclaren |
| Adelaide United | 3–1 | Western Sydney Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| Kamau Isaías Sánchez | Report | Neville |
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 | 13 | 23,112 | 40,217 | 14,383 | 300,452 |
| Sydney FC | 14 | 16,071 | 40,539 | 8,717 | 224,999 |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 13 | 14,297 | 19,627 | 9,860 | 185,866 |
| Brisbane Roar | 14 | 12,850 | 17,696 | 5,162 | 179,895 |
| Adelaide United | 13 | 11,287 | 19,079 | 6,205 | 146,736 |
| Melbourne City | 14 | 11,047 | 25,738 | 5,953 | 154,657 |
| Newcastle Jets | 14 | 9,586 | 14,886 | 7,210 | 134,202 |
| Perth Glory | 13 | 8,986 | 14,504 | 5,398 | 116,824 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 14 | 8,111 | 14,268 | 4,514 | 113,560 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 13 | 8,042 | 13,654 | 5,103 | 104,551 |
| {{{T11}}} | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| {{{T12}}} | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| League total | 135 | 12,309 | 40,539 | 4,514 | 1,661,742 |
| Round | Total | Games | Avg. Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 64,580 | 5 | 12,916 |
| Round 2 | 84,448 | 5 | 16,890 |
| Round 3 | 72,865 | 5 | 14,573 |
| Round 4 | 67,074 | 5 | 13,415 |
| Round 5 | 48,233 | 5 | 9,647 |
| Round 6 | 58,681 | 5 | 11,736 |
| Round 7 | 58,931 | 5 | 11,786 |
| Round 8 | 59,295 | 5 | 11,859 |
| Round 9 | 40,586 | 5 | 8,117 |
| Round 10 | 46,988 | 5 | 9,398 |
| Round 11 | 53,104 | 5 | 10,621 |
| Round 12 | 73,423 | 5 | 14,685 |
| Round 13 | 63,085 | 5 | 12,617 |
| Round 14 | 55,954 | 5 | 11,191 |
| Round 15 | 68,565 | 5 | 13,713 |
| Round 16 | 76,749 | 5 | 15,350 |
| Round 17 | 58,838 | 5 | 11,768 |
| Round 18 | 63,419 | 5 | 12,684 |
| Round 19 | 64,364 | 5 | 12,873 |
| Round 20 | 86,207 | 5 | 17,241 |
| Round 21 | 59,582 | 5 | 11,916 |
| Round 22 | 44,628 | 5 | 8,926 |
| Round 23 | 63,679 | 5 | 12,736 |
| Round 24 | 49,476 | 5 | 9,895 |
| Round 25 | 62,727 | 5 | 12,545 |
| Round 26 | 58,268 | 5 | 11,654 |
| Round 27 | 57,681 | 5 | 11,536 |
| Elimination Final | 31,430 | 2 | 15,715 |
| Semi Final | 35,573 | 2 | 17,787 |
| Grand Final | 50,119 | 1 | 50,119 |
Source:[49]
| Club | Members |
|---|---|
| Adelaide United | 8,750 |
| Brisbane Roar | 5,347 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 6,059 |
| Melbourne City | 9,548 |
| Melbourne Victory | 27,054 |
| Newcastle Jets | 9,266 |
| Perth Glory | 7,109 |
| Sydney FC | 13,154 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 5,062 |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 18,361 |
| Total | 109,710 |
| Average | 10,971 |
Last updated: 10 April 2016.
Source:aleague.com.au
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington Phoenix | Western Sydney Wanderers | 5–2 | 14 February 2016 | [51] | |
| Melbourne City | Sydney FC | 3–0 | 5 March 2016 | [52] | |
| Brisbane Roar | Melbourne Victory | 5–0 | 12 March 2016 | [53] | |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | Brisbane Roar | 5–4 | 24 April 2016 | [54] |
4 Player scored 4 goals
During the season each club is given fair play points based on the number of cards they received in games. A yellow card is worth 1 point, a second yellow card is worth 2 points, and a red card is worth 3 points. At the annual awards night, the club with the fewest points wins the Fair Play Award.[55]
| Club | FP Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Roar | 45 | 1 | 0 | 47 |
| Perth Glory | 56 | 4 | 1 | 67 |
| Adelaide United | 70 | 0 | 0 | 70 |
| Newcastle Jets | 57 | 5 | 1 | 70 |
| Sydney FC | 64 | 1 | 2 | 72 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 68 | 3 | 0 | 74 |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 69 | 0 | 2 | 75 |
| Melbourne City | 72 | 2 | 1 | 79 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 58 | 6 | 3 | 80 |
| Melbourne Victory | 73 | 1 | 2 | 81 |
| League total | 632 | 23 | 12 |
Last updated: 9 April 2016.
Source:ultimatealeague.com
The following end of the season awards were announced at the 2015–16 Dolan Warren Awards night held at theCarriageworks in Sydney on 26 April 2016.[56]