Sunday 14 January, 2024: The inaugural Unite Round has concluded with non-stop action on and off-field as the A-Leagues became the first league in Australia to host a full men’s and women’s round in a single city.
On field was headlined with great football, a record-equalling amount of goals in single round and close encounters across the 12 Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Liberty A-League Women games. A total of 28 goals were scored, including two from Michelle Heyman at Canberra United who became the first woman in Liberty A-League Women history to score 100 goals. Wellington Phoenix moved top after a 4-3 win over Perth Glory, and Adelaide United moved into the top six after a thrilling 4-3 victory over Sydney FC in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men.
The weekend also delivered a football feast for fans off-field, kicking off on Friday night with a multicultural celebration at CommBank Stadium that saw more than 350 fans representing 40 nationalities taking part in a lap of honour to celebrate the multicultural foundation of football in Australia and New Zealand.
More than 200 girls also got the chance to rub shoulders with Liberty A-League Women and Matildas stars Cortnee Vine, Alex Chidiac and Kyah Simon at the Girls Unite grassroots clinics that took place over Friday and Saturday at Leichhardt Oval. Across the weekend, fans were also able to engage in an array of other family-friendly activities at fan zones at each stadium including player signings, live music, giveaways, face painting and more.
Nick Garcia, A-Leagues Commissioner, said:
“The A-Leagues is proud to have hosted its first-ever Unite Round which brought fans from every club to Sydney for 12 exciting games of football over three days in fantastic venues.”
“The weekend delivered outstanding football, vibrant energy in stadiums and great family entertainment on and off the field. With cumulative match attendance across the weekend surpassing 47,000 the unique atmosphere created by multiple active fans and families in stadiums was a great showcase of what is unique about Unite Round.”
“This is just the start of a unique tradition in our game. We’ve already begun planning for Unite Round next season, and will take on feedback from fans, clubs, players and partners, as we look to build on this success in years to come.”
