2011–12 A-League Explained

Competition:	A-League
Season:	2011–12
Dates:	8 October 2011 – 22 April 2012
Winners:	Brisbane Roar (2nd title)
Premiers:	Central Coast Mariners (2nd title)
Continentalcup1:	Champions League
Continentalcup1 Qualifiers:	Central Coast Mariners Brisbane Roar
Matches:	135
Total Goals:	365
League Topscorer:	Besart Berisha (19 goals)
Best Goalkeeper:	Mathew Ryan
Biggest Home Win:	Brisbane Roar 7–1 Adelaide United (28 October 2011)
Biggest Away Win:	Adelaide United 0–4 Central Coast Mariners (2 December 2011) Sydney FC 0–4 Melbourne Heart (29 December 2011)
Highest Scoring:	Brisbane Roar 7–1 Adelaide United (28 October 2011) Perth Glory 4–2 Melbourne Victory (24 March 2012)
Longest Wins:	Central Coast Mariners (6)
Longest Unbeaten:	Central Coast Mariners (15)
Longest Winless:	Gold Coast United (13)
Longest Losses:	Brisbane Roar Gold Coast United (5)
Highest Attendance:	40,351
Lowest Attendance:	1,141
Average Attendance:	10,488 (2,095)
Prevseason:	2010–11
Nextseason:	2012–13

The 2011–12 A-League was the 35th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the seventh season of the Australian A-League soccer competition since its establishment in 2004. At the end of the previous season, the North Queensland Fury were cut from the competition by the governing body, Football Federation Australia, due to financial reasons.^[1]

Clubs

Team	City	Home Ground	Capacity
Adelaide United	Adelaide	Hindmarsh Stadium	17,000
Brisbane Roar	Brisbane	Suncorp Stadium	52,500
Central Coast Mariners	Gosford	Bluetongue Stadium	20,119
			27,400
Melbourne Heart	Melbourne	AAMI Park	30,050
Melbourne Victory	Melbourne	Etihad Stadium AAMI Park	55,000 30,050
			33,000
Perth Glory	Perth	NIB Stadium	20,500
Sydney FC	Sydney	Sydney Football Stadium	45,500
Wellington Phoenix	Wellington	Westpac Stadium	36,000

Personnel and kits

Team	Manager	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Jersey sponsor
Adelaide United			Erreà	Coopers
Brisbane Roar		Matt Smith	Puma	The Coffee Club
Central Coast Mariners			Hummel	Soccer5s
Gold Coast United			Fi-ta	Hyatt Regency Coolum
Melbourne Heart		Fred	ISC	Westpac
Melbourne Victory			Adidas^[2]	Adecco
Newcastle Jets			ISC	Hunter Ports
Perth Glory			X-blades	QBE Insurance
Sydney FC			Adidas	UNICEF
Wellington Phoenix			Adidas	Sony

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Newcastle Jets		Sacked	4 October 2011^[3]	Pre-season		20 October 2011^[4]
Adelaide United		Sacked	18 December 2011	9th		18 December 2011
Melbourne Victory		Sacked	6 January 2012^[5]	8th		7 January 2012^[6]
Gold Coast United		Sacked/Resigned	19 February 2012^[7] ^[8]	10th		20 February 2012^[9]

Foreign players

Club	Visa 1	Visa 2	Visa 3	Visa 4	Visa 5	Non-Visa foreigner(s)	Former player(s)
Adelaide United	Cássio	Sergio van Dijk	Yevhen Levchenko	Francisco Usúcar		Ricardo^1
Brisbane Roar	Besart Berisha	Sayed Mohamed Adnan	Henrique	Issey Nakajima-Farran	Thomas Broich	Jack Hingert^2
Central Coast Mariners	John Sutton	Patrick Zwaanswijk	Michael McGlinchey			John Hutchinson^2 Brad McDonald^2
Gold Coast United	Robson	Adama Traoré	Paul Beekmans	Peter Jungschläger	Maceo Rigters	Ante Rožić^2 Samuel Tesfagabr^1 Ambesager Yosief^1 Glen Moss^2	Jonas Salley^1 Alex Smith
Melbourne Heart	Jonatan Germano	Fred	Maycon	Alex Terra	Rutger Worm
Melbourne Victory	Fábio	Carlos Hernández	Jean Carlos Solórzano	Marco Rojas	Ubay Luzardo	Grant Brebner^1
Newcastle Jets	Tiago	Michael Bridges	Francis Jeffers	Jeremy Brockie	Byun Sung-hwan	Ali Abbas^1
Perth Glory	Billy Mehmet	Liam Miller	Bas van den Brink	Victor Sikora	Steven McGarry	Andrezinho^3 Shane Smeltz^2 Ndumba Makeche^1
Sydney FC	Bruno Cazarine	Juho Mäkelä	Hirofumi Moriyasu	Pascal Bosschaart	Karol Kisel	Terry McFlynn^1
Wellington Phoenix	Paul Ifill	Chris Greenacre	Dani Sánchez	Tony Warner	Alex Smith	Daniel^1 Manny Muscat^2

The following do not fill a Visa position:
¹Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian Residency (and New Zealand Residency, in the case of Wellington Phoenix);
²Australian residents (and New Zealand residents, in the case of Wellington Phoenix) who have chosen to represent another national team;
³Injury Replacement Players, or National Team Replacement Players;
⁴Guest Players (eligible to play a maximum of ten games)

Salary cap exemptions and captains

Club	Australian Marquee	International Marquee	Junior Marquee	Captain	Vice-Captain
Adelaide United	Dario Vidosic^[10] ^[11]	Sergio van Dijk^[12]	None	Jon McKain^[13] Eugene Galekovic^[14]	Cássio
Brisbane Roar	None	None	None	Matt Smith^[15]	Shane Stefanutto
Central Coast Mariners	None	None	Oliver Bozanic^[16]	Alex Wilkinson^[17]	None
Gold Coast United	None	None	Tahj Minniecon^[18] ^[19]	Michael Thwaite^[20]	Paul Beekmans Glen Moss
Melbourne Heart	None	Fred^[21]	None	Fred^[22]	Matt Thompson^[23]
Melbourne Victory	Archie Thompson^[24] ^[25]	Harry Kewell^[26]	None	Adrian Leijer^[27]	Archie Thompson
Newcastle Jets	None	None	None	Jobe Wheelhouse^[28]	Kasey Wehrman^[29]
Perth Glory	Mile Sterjovski^[30]	Shane Smeltz^[31]	None	Jacob Burns^[32]	Chris Coyne^[33]
Sydney FC	Nick Carle^[34]	Brett Emerton^[35]	None	Terry McFlynn^[36]	Alex Brosque
Wellington Phoenix	None	None	None	Andrew Durante^[37]	Tim Brown

Regular season

Home and away season

The 2011–12 season saw each team play 27 games, host 13 and play 1 regional game over 25 rounds. On 4 January, over 11 hours of soccer was broadcast with all matches aired back to back starting in Wellington and ending in Perth. The season began on 8 October 2011 and concluded on 22 April 2012. All times are local unless otherwise stated.

Round 9

Midweek Fixture^[38]

Round 10

Midweek Fixture

Round 15

Midweek Fixture

Round 16

Midweek Fixture

Round 17

Midweek Fixture

Round 20

Postponed Round 17 Fixture^[39]

Round 25

Table of results

Finals series

Elimination-finals

----

Semi-finals

Brisbane Roar won 5–2 on aggregate.----

Grand Final

See also: 2012 A-League Grand Final.

Season statistics

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Besart Berisha	Brisbane Roar	19
2	Shane Smeltz	Perth Glory	13
3	Carlos Hernández	Melbourne Victory	10
4	Eli Babalj	Melbourne Heart	9
	Jeremy Brockie	Newcastle Jets
	Ryan Griffiths	Newcastle Jets
	Mitch Nichols	Brisbane Roar
8	Bruno Cazarine	Sydney FC	8
	Harry Kewell	Melbourne Victory
	Sergio van Dijk	Adelaide United

Own goals

Player		Team	Against	Week
				7
				11
				14
				14
				18
				19

Attendances

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.Updated to the 25 March 2012 note: Adelaide United's lowest crowd was at Bathurst's Carrington Park(NSW) as part of the regional round fixtures.

Top 10 Season Attendances

Attendance	Round	Date	Home	Score	Away	Venue	Weekday	Time of Day
50,334	GF	22 April 2012		2–1			Sunday	Afternoon
40,351	1	8 October 2011		0–0			Saturday	Night
39,309	3	22 October 2011		0–0			Saturday	Night
26,579	12	23 December 2011		3–2			Friday	Night
26,395	18	4 February 2012		0–0			Saturday	Night
24,820	5	5 November 2011		2–2			Saturday	Night
20,959	15	13 January 2012		1–1			Friday	Night
20,078	7	19 November 2011		1–1			Saturday	Afternoon
20,053	17	26 January 2012		2–2			Thursday	Afternoon
19,339	8	26 November 2011		4–0			Saturday	Night

Discipline

Updated to end of Week 17, 2 February 2012The Fair Play Award will go to the team with the lowest points on the fair play table at the conclusion of the home and away season.

• Wellington Phoenix's Nick Ward was given a straight red card that was later rescinded by the Match Review Panel.

Awards

End-of-season awards

• Johnny Warren Medal – Thomas Broich, Brisbane Roar
• NAB Young Footballer of the Year – Mathew Ryan, Central Coast Mariners
• Nike Golden Boot Award – Besart Berisha, Brisbane Roar, 19 Goals
• Goalkeeper of the Year – Mathew Ryan, Central Coast Mariners
• Manager of the Year – Graham Arnold, Central Coast Mariners
• Fair Play Award – Brisbane Roar
• Referee of the Year – Jarred Gillett
• Foreign Player of the Year – Thomas Broich, Brisbane Roar
• Solo Goal of the Year – Carlos Hernández, Melbourne Victory FC (Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners, 10-Feb-12)

All-Star team

Formation: 3–4–3^[40]

Position	Name	Club
GK	Matt Ryan	Central Coast Mariners
RB	Michael Marrone	Melbourne Heart
CB	Patrick Zwaanswijk	Central Coast Mariners
LB	Joshua Rose	Central Coast Mariners
RM	Mitch Nichols	Brisbane Roar
CM	Thomas Broich	Brisbane Roar
CM	Fred	Melbourne Heart
LM	Aziz Behich	Melbourne Heart
RF	Paul Ifill	Wellington Phoenix
ST	Besart Berisha	Brisbane Roar
LF	Archie Thompson	Melbourne Victory
Coach	Graham Arnold	Central Coast Mariners
Substitutes:
GK	Clint Bolton	Melbourne Heart
CB	Andrew Durante	Wellington Phoenix
CM	Nicky Carle	Sydney FC
CM	Carlos Hernandez	Melbourne Victory
LF	Harry Kewell	Melbourne Victory

See also

• 2011 Australian football code crowds

Team season articles

• 2011–12 Adelaide United season
• 2011–12 Brisbane Roar season
• 2011–12 Central Coast Mariners season
• 2011–12 Gold Coast United season
• 2011–12 Melbourne Heart season
• 2011–12 Melbourne Victory season
• 2011–12 Newcastle Jets season
• 2011–12 Perth Glory season
• 2011–12 Sydney FC season
• 2011–12 Wellington Phoenix season

Notes and References

1. Web site: North Queensland Fury officially axed from A-League | Australia/Asia News . Tribal Football . 2013-05-07.
2. Web site: Melbourne Victory extends partnership with adidas. Melbourne Victory. 6 February 2017.
3. Web site: Newcastle Jets Home.
4. News: Gary Van Egmond returns to helm at Newcastle Jets . Peter . Kogoy . 20 October 2011 . The Australian.
5. Web site: Durakovic, Victory part ways – Sportal for melbournevictory.com.au – Melbourne Victory FC 2013 . https://archive.today/20121230121331/http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/melbournevictory/news-display/Durakovic-Victory-part-ways/44153 . dead . 2012-12-30 . Footballaustralia.com.au . 2013-05-07 .
6. Web site: Magilton keen to start – Jonathan Healy for melbournevictory.com.au – Melbourne Victory FC 2013 . Footballaustralia.com.au . 2013-05-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120502191546/http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/melbournevictory/news-display/Magilton-keen-to-start/44188 . 2 May 2012 . dead . dmy-all .
7. Web site: Miron Bleiberg quits Gold Coast United – Paul Johnson & Sportal – Football Australia 2013 . Footballaustralia.com.au . 2013-05-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120226052534/http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news-display/Miron-Bleiberg-quits-Gold-Coast-United/45503 . 26 February 2012 . dead . dmy-all .
8. Web site: Mensink: Miron was sacked – Vince Rugari, Sportal – Football Australia 2013 . Footballaustralia.com.au . 2013-05-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120223033951/http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news-display/Mensink-Miron-was-sacked/45525 . 23 February 2012 . dead . dmy-all .
9. http://au.sports.yahoo.com/news/article/-/12959917/coast-sacks-bleiberg-appoints-mulvey
10. News: Socceroo Vidosic signs with Reds. Richard. Earle. The Advertiser. 6 July 2011. Vidosic's signature as an Australian marquee player....
11. News: Adelaide United star Dario Vidosic leaves A-League club to join Swiss outfit FC Sion. Val. Migliaccio. news.com.au. 27 August 2013.
12. Web site: Coolen grateful to snare Vidosic. Football Federation Australia. Adelaide United. 7 July 2011. Next to our marquee player Sergio van Dijk....
13. Web site: McKain to lead Reds. Football Federation Australia. A-League. 26 August 2011.
14. News: Galekovic takes over as Reds skipper . 28 December 2011 . . . 28 December 2011 . dead . https://archive.today/20120731115017/http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news-display/galekovic-takes-over-as-reds-skipper/43927 . 31 July 2012 .
15. News: Matt Smith to replace Matt McKay as Brisbane Roar skipper. The Courier-Mail. 6 September 2011 . 22 December 2012.
16. Web site: Local junior returns home. Football Federation Australia. Central Coast Mariners. 10 May 2010. Oliver Bozanic agreeing to link up with the club for the next two Hyundai A-League seasons as the club’s Under 23 Marquee player.
17. Web site: Captain Wilkinson promoted to Centurion. Football Federation Australia. Central Coast Mariners. 8 February 2011. Wilkinson took the captain-s armband from an injured Noel Spencer late in the second season of the Hyundai A-League.
18. Web site: Gold Coast signs two more. Football Federation Australia. A-League. 6 January 2009. Minniecon has also been confirmed as the club's under-23 marquee signing.
19. News: It's make or break for Tahj Minniecon with the Wanderers. Marco. Monteverde. news.com.au. 28 August 2012. Now 23, Minniecon had a breakthrough 2008-09 season with the Roar, and it was enough for a Gold Coast side about to enter the league to offer him a three-year youth marquee deal worth about $140,000 a season..
20. News: Moss gets extra responsibility at Gold Coast. Fred. Woodcock. Stuff.co.nz. 4 October 2011.
21. Web site: Fred leading from the front. Football Federation Australia. A-League. 17 November 2011.
22. News: Colosimo replaced as Heart captain. ABC News. 27 September 2011.
23. Web site: Heart Announces Championship Moves Partnership. Football Federation Australia. Melbourne City. 28 October 2011. Part of the partnership includes Melbourne Heart Vice Captain Matt Thompson....
24. News: Archie Thompson should play on after leaving Melbourne Victory. Michael. Lynch. The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 April 2016. As Victory's inauguaral marquee signing....
25. News: Archie Thompson, Adrian Leijer sign new deals with Melbourne Victory. The Guardian. 2 May 2014. Victory's first ever signing, and scorer, will join up with new marquee Besart Berisha next season, after agreeing a new deal with the club that takes him inside the salary cap.
26. News: Fans welcome Victory marquee player Harry Kewell to Melbourne as the Socceroo joins A-League soccer. Aaron. Langmaid. The Daily Telegraph. 12 September 2011.
27. News: Mark Milligan favourite to captain Melbourne Victory after Adrian Leijer relieved of armband. David. Davutovic. news.com.au. 11 September 2013.
28. News: Jets captain Jobe Wheelhouse taking nothing for granted. James. Gardiner. The Newcastle Herald. 3 October 2011.
29. News: Kasey Wehrman asks for call on Jets future. James. Gardiner. The Newcastle Herald. 7 December 2011. Wehrman, who is vice-captain....
30. News: Three Year Deal For Sterj. FTBL. 12 June 2009.
31. Web site: Glory days ahead for Smeltz. SBS. The World Game. 20 March 2011.
32. News: Jacob Burns to captain Perth Glory. Justin. Chadwick. The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 July 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20140202095540/http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/jacob-burns-to-captain-perth-glory-20090729-e0t0.html. 2 February 2014. dead.
33. News: Dose of Reality. Mike. Bovell. FTBL. 15 September 2010. ...one day we might even see vice-captain Chris Coyne again don the purple colours.
34. Web site: Sydney FC gets their marquee man, Carle joins Champions. Football Federation Australia. Sydney FC. 27 May 2010.
35. News: History as Emerton swaps EPL for Sydney. Michael. Cockerill. The Age. 25 August 2011. Emerton has signed a three-year deal to fill the Sky Blues' second marquee spot.
36. Web site: Terry McFlynn Named Sydney FC Captain. Goal. 23 July 2010.
37. News: Durante named Wellington Phoenix skipper. Nine MSN. 17 July 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20120330072014/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=598972. 30 March 2012. dead.
38. Game was postponed due to severe weather in Perth, preventing travel for Perth Glory.
39. Game was postponed due to risk of flooding in the Gold Coast.
40. Web site: Arnie's Delight at Coach of the Year Award – Australia News – Australian FourFourTwo – The Ultimate Football Website . Au.fourfourtwo.com . 2012-03-28 . 2013-05-07 . 12 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121012104519/http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/235686,arnies-delight-at-coach-of-the-year-award.aspx . dead .