The Australian competition has finally secured a deal for their free-to-air rights on the eve of the season
The A-League will be telecast on free-to-air television for the next two years after a deal was struck with ABC TV.
The arrangement will see 29 A-League regular season matches broadcast live on Saturdays in conjunction with main rights holder Fox Sports.
Three finals games – an elimination final, semi final and grand final – will also be shown on delay by the government-owned broadcaster.
The FFA have had to adjust the kickoff times of 46 games, mainly to fit in with the scheduling of ABC’s nightly 7pm news.
Also included in the arrangement is broadcast rights to the Matildas, W-League, Socceroos and Olympic qualifiers.
One W-League match a round will be televised and the entire finals series will be shown live, as the local women’s game returns to ABC after a year’s absence.
The Matildas will have all friendlies and Qlympic qualifiers broadcast, while the next two rounds of Socceroos World Cup qualifiers will be telecast on ABC or SBS.
Socceroos boss Graham Arnold was positive about the deal and reminisced about the days when he was on ABC while playing in the NSL.
“It is fantastic news that live, free-to-air coverage of a variety of elite Australian football will feature on the ABC,” Arnold said.
“I remember when I was playing in the National Soccer League that the ABC showed the match of the day, and provided great exposure of the competition.
“The ABC provides a truly national platform across many mediums – TV, radio, and online – so having the ABC involved to provide coverage of the Socceroos, Matildas, A-League, and W-League is a big win for the game.
“The Socceroos will be the first team to be shown live by the ABC as part of this agreement next Thursday night when we play Nepal in Canberra.
“We expect to put on a great display for fans across the nation and it is welcome news that many more supporters will be able to watch us live throughout our journey to Qatar.”
The A-League season kicks off on October 11 with a match between Adelaide United and Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium.
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