A-League 2008-09 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasia

Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...

n A-League

A-League

The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...

association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder

North Queensland Fury FC

North Queensland Fury FC were a professional football club based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, which competed in the A-League. North Queensland played its home fixtures at Dairy Farmers Stadium. The club was closed on 1 March 2011, due to financial instability.-History:A Townsville bid was...

and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion plans are on hold until the 2009–10 season. Based on their 2007–08 performances, the and the competed in the 2009 AFC Champions League

AFC Champions League 2009

The 2009 AFC Champions League was the 28th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation , and the 7th under the current AFC Champions League title. The final took place at National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on November 7...

for the first time.

Changes to the league included:

The introduction of both a youth league
A-League National Youth League
The A-League National Youth League is an Australian national football league run in parallel to the A-League. The aim of a league is to provide a pathway for young players and state league players to play regular high-level football, and allow reserve players from senior A-League teams to remain...

and women's league
W-League (Australia)
The W-League is the preeminent women's semi-professional football league in Australia. Established in 2008, it is composed of eight teams - seven of them are affiliated with seven of the Australian clubs currently in the A-League, with the eighth team based in Canberra...

aligned with A-League clubs.
An increase in the salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...

to A$ 1.9 million.
The addition of a Junior Marquee player. (A player under the age of 23 who has up to A$150,000 of his salary outside of the cap.
Injury replacement players can only match the injured players' salary, or have any excess included within the total Salary Cap.
A-League squads will be increased to 30 or 35. (inclusive of Youth Team Players)

Clubs

Club	Location	Stadium
	Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...	Hindmarsh Stadium Hindmarsh Stadium Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United.... (17,000)
	Gosford Gosford, New South Wales Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...	Bluetongue Stadium (20,119)
	Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...	Etihad Stadium (56,347)
	Newcastle Newcastle, New South Wales The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...	Energy Australia Stadium (26,164)
	Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....	Members Equity Stadium (18,156)
	Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...	Suncorp Stadium (52,500)
	Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...	Sydney Football Stadium (45,500)
	Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...	Westpac Stadium Westpac Stadium Westpac Stadium, is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Due to its shape and silver coloured external walls, it is colloquially known as The Cake-Tin to the locals and other New Zealanders... (36,000)

Pre-season Challenge Cup

All A-League clubs played the pre-season cup competition held in July and August, and were drawn into two groups. Group A consisted of , , and . Group B was , , and .

The winner of each group, and , met in Wellington

Wellington

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

on 6 August 2008 for the Pre-Season Cup Final. With the score at 0–0 after 90 minutes, the game went to penalties, eventually prevailing 8–7, thus becoming the first team in A-League history to claim all three available trophies, after winning the Premiership and Championship in the 2006–07 season.

Home and away season

The 2008-09 A-League season was played over 21 rounds, followed by a finals series.

League table

Rules for classification:1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored.
# = Position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Round 20

Round 21

Finals series

Leading scorers

Total	Player		Team	Goals per Round
Total	Player		Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
12		Shane Smeltz Shane Smeltz Shane Edward Smeltz is a New Zealand professional association football player. He plays as a striker for Perth Glory FC.-Club career:...		1	2				1	2				1	1	1			1		2
11		Matt Simon Matt Simon Matthew Simon is a football player. Simon currently plays as a striker for the Australian A-League club Central Coast Mariners.-Club career:...		1		1		2		1			2	1						1		2
11		Daniel Allsopp Daniel Allsopp Daniel Lee "Danny" Allsopp is an Australian professional football player.He is a full international for the Australia national football team, and is Melbourne Victory's second highest, and the A-League's third highest all-time goalscorer, behind teammate Archie Thompson and Shane Smeltz.-Club...			2	2				2						1			1		1	1	1
11		Sergio van Dijk Sergio van Dijk Serginho "Sergio" van Dijk is a Dutch-born Indonesian footballer player, who currently plays for Adelaide United in the A-League...				1									1		1	1		1		2	3	1
10		Eugène Dadi Eugène Dadi Eugène Dadi is an Ivorian association football Striker who is playing for Manado United on Liga Primer Indonesia side. He has previously played for clubs in Switzerland, France, Austria, Scotland, England, Israel, Australia, New Zealand and currently played in Indonesia...			1	2		1						1			2	1				2
10		Nikita Rukavytsya Nikita Rukavytsya Nikita Vadimovich Rukavytsya is a Ukrainian-Australian professional football player currently playing for Hertha BSC in the German Bundesliga...			1				1			1	2	1		2						1		1
8		Archie Thompson Archie Thompson Archibald Gerald Thompson is a New Zealand-born Australian professional football player, currently playing for Melbourne Victory in the Hyundai A-League, where he holds the League all time scoring record...				1		2						1	1					1			1	1
8		Cristiano Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues , commonly known as Cristiano, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a striker for South Australian Premier League side White City FC.-Early career:...				2			2	1							2							1
7		Charlie Miller Charlie Miller Charles "Charlie" Miller is a Scottish football player who is currently without a club following his release from Clyde...		1	1	1	1			1			1		1
7		Travis Dodd Travis Dodd Travis Dodd is an Indigenous Australian football player who plays for Perth Glory in the A-League. He plays as an attacking midfielder or winger.-Club career:...		1	1					1		1	1		1		1
7		Joel Griffiths Joel Griffiths Joel Griffiths is an Australian football player who currently plays for Beijing Guoan.-Club career:He played for Sydney United, Parramatta Power and Newcastle United in the now defunct National Soccer League...		1	1			1					1	1				1		1
6		Mile Jedinak Mile Jedinak Michael John "Mile" Jedinak is an Australian professional football player. He is currently contracted to Crystal Palace of the English Championship...				1			1	2						1		1
6		Sasho Petrovski Sasho Petrovski Sasho Petrovski is an Australian football player. He is a striker who last played for the Newcastle Jets in the Hyundai A-League. Petrovski has two caps for the Australian national team...			2				1					1		1				1
5		Ney Fabiano de Oliveira Ney Fabiano de Oliveira Ney Fabiano de Oliveira , more commonly known as Ney Fabiano, is a Brazilian football player, currently playing for Chonburi in the Thai Premier League.-Club career:...			1												1		1	1		1
5		Kevin Muscat Kevin Muscat Kevin Muscat is an Australian football player who currently plays for Victorian State League Division 1 side Sunshine George Cross and is assistant coach of Melbourne Victory...			1		1						2											1
5		Alex Brosque Alex Brosque Alex Brosque is an Australian professional football player who currently plays for J. League side Shimizu S-Pulse...				1		1	1															2
As of the end of the home and away season

EWLINE

A goal was scored from a penalty kick

Penalty kick

A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

EWLINE

Two goals were scored from penalty kicks

Awards

The Premiers' Plate was awarded to the , who finished on top of the ladder after 21 rounds.
The Johnny Warren Medal
Johnny Warren Medal
The Johnny Warren Medal is the award for best player in the Australian national football club competition. It was first awarded in the National Soccer League in 1990, and upon the NSL's demise in November 2004, was carried forward into the A-League, the competition in Australia...

was awarded to Shane Smeltz
Shane Smeltz
Shane Edward Smeltz is a New Zealand professional association football player. He plays as a striker for Perth Glory FC.-Club career:...

from the
The Coach of the Year was awarded to Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar is an Australian football player and former captain of the Australian national team. He is currently not tied to any A-league club...

of
The Wooden Spoon
Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...

was awarded to the , who finished bottom on the ladder after 21 rounds.
The Reebok Golden Boot was awarded to Shane Smeltz
Shane Smeltz
Shane Edward Smeltz is a New Zealand professional association football player. He plays as a striker for Perth Glory FC.-Club career:...

of the for scoring twelve goals at the end of the home and away season.
The Rising Star award was awarded to Scott Jamieson
Scott Jamieson
Scott Jamieson is an Australian football player who plays for Sydney FC in the Hyundai A-League.-Club career:...

of
The Fair Play Award was awarded to the
Goalkeeper of the Year was awarded to Eugene Galekovic
Eugene Galekovic
Eugen-Josip "Eugene" Galeković is an Australian football player who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Adelaide United in the A-League and internationally for Australia.-Club career:...

of
Referee of the Year was awarded to Matthew Breeze
Matthew Breeze
Matthew Christopher Breeze is an Australian association football referee. He is also a barrister and a former police prosecutor.-Domestic career:He officiates in the Australian A-League football competition....
Foreign Player of the Year was awarded to Charlie Miller
Charlie Miller
Charles "Charlie" Miller is a Scottish football player who is currently without a club following his release from Clyde...

of the

Attendance

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.

* Adelaide United played a one off match at the Adelaide Oval

Adelaide Oval

The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...

against Sydney FC in their Round 18 match. This is why Adelaide United's highest single attendance exceeds the capacity of Hindmarsh Stadium

Hindmarsh Stadium

Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....

Top 10 Attendances

Attendance	Round	Date	Score	Venue	Weekday	Time of Day
53,273	Grand Final	28 February 2009	1 – 0	Telstra Dome	Saturday	Night
34,736	Major SF (L2)	14 February 2009	4 – 0	Telstra Dome	Saturday	Night
31,654	Round 9	25 October 2008	0 – 2	Telstra Dome	Saturday	Night
28,905	Round 21	23 January 2009	2 – 0	Telstra Dome	Friday	Night
27,196	Round 15	6 January 2009	1 – 0	Telstra Dome	Tuesday	Night
25,398	Round 17	27 December 2008	3 – 2	Telstra Dome	Saturday	Night
24,812	Round 4	12 September 2008	1 – 0	Telstra Dome	Friday	Night
24,003	Round 20	16 January 2009	3 – 0	Telstra Dome	Friday	Night
23,705	Minor SF (L2)	13 February 2009	2 – 1	Suncorp Stadium	Friday	Night
23,447	Round 18	2 January 2009	2 – 1	Telstra Dome	Friday	Night

Fair Play Award

The Fair Play Award was awarded to Queensland Roar, the team with the lowest points on the fair play ladder at the conclusion of the home and away season.

External links

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