The A-Leagues All Star Game is an association football match contested by the A-Leagues All Stars team against an invitee club. The All Stars team is made up of selected A-League Men or A-League Women players. The game is played during the footballing off-season, the first of which was held on 20 July 2013.
| Founded | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Region | Australia (AFC) |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Current champions | A-Leagues All Stars Men (men, 1st title) Arsenal (women, 1st title) |
| Television broadcasters | Network 10 |
After the 2014 edition, the All Star Game was not held for almost a decade, before the concept was revived in 2022 and was expected to continue for at least the 2023, 2024 and 2025 A-League seasons as part of the commercial agreement with the NSW State Government to play a "Football Festival" culminating with the A-League Grand final in Sydney for those three seasons.
A-League All Stars Men
editBackground
editOn 13 November 2012, it was confirmed that Manchester United would come to Australia and play an all-star team consisting of A-League players.[1] The inaugural A-League All Stars Game took place on 20 July 2013, against Manchester United. The A-League team was picked by an online vote by fans and by the appointed manager. On 20 December 2013, it was confirmed that Juventus would compete against the all-star team for the 2014 game, again hosted in Sydney.[2] On 6 April 2022 it was announced that a third A-League All Stars match would be held against Barcelona on 25 May 2022, again in Sydney.[3][4]
The 2023 edition was under negotiations with Bayern Munich to appear as the foreign club but the APL were unable to fund the multi-million dollar appearance fee.[5]
On 18 March 2024, it was announced that the A-League All Stars would be facing Premier League side Newcastle United on 24 May 2024 as part of Global Football Week Melbourne, 5 days after the conclusion of the Premier League season. The game was played at Marvel Stadium, and is the first time in 10 years that United have visited Australia.[6]
Games
edit| 20 July 2013 2013 | A-League All Stars   | 1–5 |  Manchester United | Sydney |
| 19:30 AEST | Berisha  51' |
Report | Lingard 10', 54' Welbeck 33', 70'Van Persie 86' |
Stadium: ANZ Stadium Attendance: 83,127 Referee: Masaaki Toma (Japan) |
| 10 August 2014 2014 | A-League All Stars | 2–3 |  Juventus | Sydney |
| 19:30 AEST | Carrusca 9' Jurić 76' |
Report | Llorente 58' Pogba 87'Pepe 90+3' |
Stadium: ANZ Stadium Attendance: 55,364 Referee: Felix Brych (Germany) |
| 25 May 2022 2022 | A-Leagues All Stars | 2–3 |  Barcelona | Sydney |
| 20:05 AEST | Report | Stadium: Accor Stadium Attendance: 70,174 Referee: Alex King (Australia) |
| 24 May 2024 2024 | A-Leagues All Stars Men | 8–0 | Newcastle United | Melbourne |
| 17:15 AEST |
|
Report | Stadium: Marvel Stadium Attendance: 42,120 Referee: Daniel Elder (Australia) |
The 2013 and 2014 matches were televised in Australia by Seven Network. The 2022 and 2024 matches were televised on 10 Bold.
A-Leagues All Stars Women
editBackground
editOn 18 March 2024, it was announced that the A-League All Stars would be facing Women's Super League side Arsenal on 24 May 2024 as part of Global Football Week Melbourne, 5 days after the conclusion of the WSL season. The game was played at Marvel Stadium.
Games
edit| 24 May 2024 2024 | A-Leagues All Stars Women | 0–1 | Arsenal | Melbourne |
| 20:05 AEST | Report | Russo 39' |
Stadium: Marvel Stadium Attendance: 42,120 Referee: Casey Reibelt (Australia) |
The 2024 Match was broadcast on 10 Bold.
References
edit- ^ "Stage set for Manchester United to play A-League all-stars". The Australian. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Italian giants Juventus coming to Sydney". Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ^ Bossi, Dominic (11 March 2022). "Barcelona set to play in Sydney against A-League All Stars". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Barcelona announce Sydney tour to play A-Leagues All Stars". A-League Men. 6 April 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "Bayern blow kills ALM All Stars clash as GF locked in". Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ "Newcastle United announce post-season matches in Australia". Newcastle United Football Club. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.