 | |
| Abbreviation | APL |
|---|---|
| Established | 31 December 2020; 4 years ago (2020-12-31) |
| Legal status | Active |
| Location | |
| Owner | Football Australia |
Chairman | Stephen Conroy (2023–) |
| Website | aplfootball.com.au |
TheAustralian Professional Leagues, officially abbreviated to theAPL and sometimes referred to as theA-Leagues, are the governing body for theA-League Men,A-League Women,A-League Youth andE-League. Since their formation, they have been mostly independent ofFootball Australia, but remain under their umbrella.[1]
Following their unbundling from Football Australia, the APL rebranded various aspects of the professional men's, women's, and youth leagues, including the names, logos, and marketing. In 2021, American private equity firmSilver Lake purchased a 33.33% minority stake in the league for $140 million, valuing the league at $425 million. In December 2022, the APL announced that the next threeA-League Men Grand Finals, in 2023, 2024, and 2025, would be held inSydney as part of a $15 million deal withDestination NSW. The announcement was met with backlash from fans, former players, and support groups. The decision led to fans staging walkouts and boycotts, and an incident at theMelbourne Derby on 17 December 2022 where up to 200 people invaded the pitch injuring goalkeeperTom Glover and refereeAlex King. The decision was walked-back in October 2023 and the deal was replaced withUnite Round. Throughout 2024, the APL encountered financial difficulties, leading to 80–130 staff being laid-off, and the fiscal allocation to clubs being reduced from over $2 million to $530,000. In August 2025, the APL recorded an operating profit of $1.7 million, after losses of $57 million and $37 million in the previous two years.
On 31 December 2020,Football Australia announced that the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) would be separated from the governing body. APL will assume responsibility for operational, commercial, and marketing activities, while Football Australia will continue to manage disciplinary and integrity matters, as well as the registration of clubs, players and officials, transfers, and match scheduling.[2] Ahead of the 2021–22 season, the APL rebranded various aspects of the competitions under its control:[3]
In addition to the name changes, the logos of the three leagues were also changed to reflect the new identity of the organisation. The change drew some criticism from social media, with fans saying that the new logo was "lazy",[4] whilst some pointed out the resemblance to the logo of South Australian companyAdelaide Building Consultants.[5] Others praised the rebranding as it brought the men's and women's competitions under the same brand identity.
On 14 December 2021, it was announced thatAmerican private equity firm,Silver Lake had purchased a 33.33% minority stake in the Australian Professional Leagues, the sale worth $140 million, the largest injection of capital into Australian soccer in its history. The firm stated that they valued the APL at $425 million.[6][7][8]
On 12 December 2022, the APL announced that the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Grand Finals would be hosted inSydney as part of a $15 million deal withDestination NSW.[9] The announcement was met with universal backlash from fans of all teams, former players and active support groups.[10][11]Melbourne Victory andWellington Phoenix both released a statement shortly after the announcement, saying that "they will always prefer to play any Grand Final that they earn the right to host, at their home ground".[12][13]Western United said that they "do not support the Grand Finals being held in Sydney".[14]Perth Glory chairmanTony Sage condemned the decision, also stating that "a majority of (club) owners supported the decision".[15]Adelaide United's chairman Piet van der Pol commented that the club does not have a place on the APL's seven-person board, and thus was not a part of the decision making.[16]Melbourne City released a statement, sympathising with the frustrations of the fans, yet stating that the decision was necessary for the sustainability of the competition.[17]Central Coast Mariners Chairman Richard Peil sent an email to the club's members, saying that the club was not consulted in any way, stating that only five of the clubs had an opportunity to vote on the decision.[18]Sydney FC andWestern Sydney Wanderers both released statements acknowledging the disappointment of the decision, saying that the decision was necessary to grow the financial side of the game.[19][20] Adelaide United wingerCraig Goodwin appeared in a video promoting the Grand Finals, however he stated that he does not support the decision to host the Grand Final in Sydney.[21]
The following week, fans from various clubs staged walkouts. The first match of the weekend, on 16 December,Newcastle Jets fans walked out at the 20th minute in the game againstBrisbane Roar.[22] The most notable walkout of the round was during theMelbourne Derby. Throughoutthe match, supporters of both teams threwflares onto the pitch, which caused the game to be paused. Melbourne City goalkeeperTom Glover threw a flare towards the crowd of Melbourne Victory supporters, sparking a pitch invasion, where between 100–200 people attacked Glover and refereeAlex King, both sustaining minor injuries. The match was abandoned as a result.[23][24][25][26]
On 21 April 2023, fans fromSydney FC's supporter group The Cove stated that they will boycott the entire finals series over the Grand Final decision, as well as the APL backtracking on promises to work with supporter groups from various clubs to reach an agreement.[27] A month later on 10 May,The Cove called off the boycott ahead of their semi-final match against Melbourne City, following the APL's announcement that all 13 clubs had committed to establishing a fan representative group.[28][29]
On 18 October 2023, the Australian Professional Leagues officially walked-back the Grand Final decision a year into the contract's three-year run, renegotiating the deal intoUnite Round, a round where all league games would be played in Sydney. This was a similar concept to theNRL'sMagic Round and theAFL'sGather Round.[30][31][32] Two days later, APL CEODanny Townsend left his role to take up a new job in the Middle East after two years in charge.Stephen Conroy replaced him as chairman.[33]
On 16 January 2024, it was announced that a large amount of the Australian Professional Leagues' workforce had been made redundant, and were laid-off. The exact number of employees laid off is unknown, with the figure ranging from 20–75%, of their 80–130 staff. The layoffs were made to stabilise the APL in the short term, allowing for a restructuring of the company.[34][35]
On 3 July 2024, the money distributed to clubs for the2024–25 A-League Men season was reduced from over $2 million to $530,000,[36] due to the administration's overambitious spending.[37] The cuts were said to be necessary for the APL to stay afloat, as it would allow them to break even over the next financial year.[38]
On 15 August 2025, the Australian Professional Leagues reported a $1.7 million preliminary operating profit for the recently completed financial year, after previously recording losses of $55 million and $37 million in 2023 and 2024 respectively; a 34% reduction in operating expenses from the previous year was cited as a contributing factor behind the APL's improved financial position.[39]
 The KeepUp homepage on 26 February 2024, four days before the website was closed. | |
| Owner | Australian Professional Leagues |
|---|---|
| URL | keepup.com.au |
| Launched | 11 November 2021 |
| Current status | Defunct since 1 March 2024, redirects toaleagues.com.au |
On 11 November 2021, the Australian Professional Leagues launched theKeepUp (stylised as KEEPUP.) app. The app contained news primarily from theA-League Men,A-League Women andAustralia Cup competitions, Asian continental competitions, theAFC Champions League andAFC Cup, and popular European competitions.[40][41] It also featured an official A-Leaguesfantasy and tipping competition, which was launched on 21 September 2022, ahead of the 2022–23 season.[42][43] The app was reported to cost $30 million to launch, which drew some criticism.[44]
As part of the APL's January 2024 layoffs, it was announced that KeepUp would be closed on 1 March 2024, under three years since its launch. One of the reasons for the closure was cited as high expenditure, with the cost of running the service being estimated of up to $50 million.[45][46]
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