2016–17 A-League


The 2016–17 A-League was the 40th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the 12th since the establishment of the A-League in 2004. The season began on 7 October 2016.
Adelaide United were both the defending A-League Premiers and Champions. The 2017 Grand Final took place on 7 May 2017, with Sydney FC claiming their third Championship with a 1–1 win against Melbourne Victory. Sydney FC also claimed the premiership for the 2016–17 regular season, their second in club history.

Clubs

TeamCityHome GroundCapacity
Adelaide UnitedAdelaideCoopers Stadium17,000
Brisbane RoarBrisbaneSuncorp Stadium52,500
Central Coast MarinersGosfordCentral Coast Stadium20,119
Melbourne CityMelbourneAAMI Park30,050
Melbourne VictoryMelbourneEtihad Stadium
AAMI Park
56,347
30,050
Newcastle JetsNewcastleMcDonald Jones Stadium33,000
Perth GloryPerthnib Stadium20,500
Sydney FCSydneyAllianz Stadium45,500
Wellington PhoenixWellingtonWestpac Stadium34,500
Western Sydney WanderersSydneyANZ Stadium
Spotless Stadium
84,000
24,000

Personnel and kits

Transfers

Managerial changes

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 ;

2Australian citizens who have chosen to represent another national team;

3Injury Replacement Players, or National Team Replacement Players;

4Guest Players

Salary cap exemptions and captains

ClubFirst MarqueeSecond MarqueeGuest MarqueeMature Age RookieCaptainVice-Captain
Adelaide United Eugene Galekovic Marcelo CarruscaNoneNone Eugene Galekovic Marcelo Carrusca
Brisbane Roar Matt McKay Thomas BroichNoneNone Matt McKay Jade North
Central Coast MarinersNoneNoneNoneNone Nick MontgomeryNone
Melbourne City Bruno Fornaroli Nicolás Colazo Tim CahillNone Bruno FornaroliNone
Melbourne Victory Oliver Bozanic Besart BerishaNoneNone Carl Valeri Leigh Broxham
Newcastle JetsNoneNoneNone Joel Allwright Nigel Boogaard Mateo Poljak
Perth Glory Diego CastroNoneNoneNone Rostyn Griffiths Andy Keogh
Sydney FC Filip Hološko BobôNoneNone Alex Brosque Alex Wilkinson
Wellington Phoenix Kosta Barbarouses Guilherme FinklerNoneNone Andrew DuranteNone
Western Sydney Wanderers Nicolás MartínezNoneNoneNone Dimas Mitch Nichols

Regular season

League table

Results

Positions by round

Finals series

Elimination-finals

Semi-finals

Grand Final

Statistics

Attendances

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.

By round

Club membership

Player stats

Top scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Besart BerishaMelbourne Victory19
1 Jamie MaclarenBrisbane Roar19
3 Bruno FornaroliMelbourne City17
4 BobôSydney FC15
5 Brendon SantalabWestern Sydney Wanderers14
6 Diego CastroPerth Glory12
6 Andy KeoghPerth Glory12
6 Roy KrishnaWellington Phoenix12
6 Marco RojasMelbourne Victory12
6 Adam TaggartPerth Glory12

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef
Andy KeoghPerth GloryMelbourne City3–221 10 2016
Besart BerishaMelbourne VictoryWellington Phoenix6–131 10 2016
Besart BerishaMelbourne VictoryWestern Sydney Wanderers3–010 12 2016
Brendon SantalabWestern Sydney WanderersMelbourne City3–124 3 2017
Jamie MaclarenBrisbane RoarCentral Coast Mariners5–12 4 2017

† - On 24 March 2017 Besart Berisha switched nationalities from Albania to Kosovo.

Own goals

PlayerClubAgainstRound
Liam ReddyPerth GloryCentral Coast Mariners1
Jack HingertBrisbane RoarNewcastle Jets2
Rhyan GrantSydney FCPerth Glory6
Neil KilkennyMelbourne CityWestern Sydney Wanderers7
Josh RisdonPerth GloryAdelaide United7
Iain FyfeNewcastle JetsMelbourne Victory8
Jake McGingCentral Coast MarinersWestern Sydney Wanderers9
Milan SmiljanićPerth GloryNewcastle Jets10
Jake McGingCentral Coast MarinersMelbourne Victory12
Carl ValeriMelbourne VictoryNewcastle Jets13
James DonachieMelbourne VictoryBrisbane Roar15
Alan BaróMelbourne VictoryMelbourne City18
Manny MuscatMelbourne CityMelbourne Victory18
Iacopo La RoccaAdelaide UnitedPerth Glory19
Ryan LowryWellington PhoenixMelbourne City20
Nick MontgomeryCentral Coast MarinersMelbourne City22
Ruon TongyikMelbourne CityCentral Coast Mariners22
Jason HoffmanNewcastle JetsWellington Phoenix24
Lucian GoianPerth GlorySydney FC24

Clean sheets

RankPlayerClubClean
sheets
1 Danny VukovicSydney FC15
2 Lawrence ThomasMelbourne Victory7
3 Vedran JanjetovićWestern Sydney Wanderers6
4 Glen MossWellington Phoenix5
5 Paul IzzoCentral Coast Mariners4
5 Michael TheoBrisbane Roar4
7 Eugene GalekovicAdelaide United3
7 Lewis ItalianoWellington Phoenix3
7 Liam ReddyPerth Glory3
10 Dean BouzanisMelbourne City2
10 Jack DuncanNewcastle Jets2
10 Jamie YoungBrisbane Roar2

NB - An additional clean sheet was kept by Melbourne City, however this is not listed due to a goalkeeper substitution.

Discipline

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.
Club
Central Coast Mariners441252
Adelaide United522056
Brisbane Roar511156
Newcastle Jets551057
Melbourne Victory561264
Sydney FC642068
Wellington Phoenix622169
Western Sydney Wanderers581472
Perth Glory671275
Melbourne City731384
League total5821315

Awards

NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award

The NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award was awarded to the finest U-23 player talent throughout the Hyundai A-League 2016–17 competition, based on a monthly nomination.
MonthNomineeClub
October 2016 Brandon O'NeillSydney FC
November 2016 Joshua BrillanteSydney FC
December 2016Western Sydney Wanderers
January 2017Brisbane Roar
February 2017Central Coast Mariners
March 2017Adelaide United
April 2017Brisbane Roar

End of season awards

The following end of the season awards were announced at the 2016–17 Dolan Warren Awards night held at the Star Event Centre in Sydney on 1 May 2017.