Just as Europe’s top-flight football leagues are kicking into high gear, Australia’s A-League Men is getting set to kick off its season on Friday, October 7, with defending champions Western United taking on Melbourne City in a rematch of the 2022 Grand Final. The A-League has been around since 2005, and has grown from eight teams to 12 over that time.
Here’s a look at what teams from across Australia and New Zealand will be wearing when they take the pitch starting this weekend …
Note: This preview includes kits unveiled as of October 6, 2022.
- Nickname: The Reds
- Based in: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Founded: 2003
- Stadium: Cooper’s Stadium (16,500)
- A-League Championships: 2016
- Kit manufacturer: Ucan
The tonal triangles on Adelaide United’s red home kit are “inspired by structural elements of Coopers Stadium’s Western Grandstand and newly redeveloped Eastern Stand,” specifically the cantilever roof trusses. The away kit is bone white with a subtle pattern woven into the fabric that includes an AUFC monogram, the year of the club’s founding (2003) and a silhouette of a piping shrike, which is also found on the flag of South Australia.
- Nickname: The Roar
- Based in: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Founded: 1957 (as Hollandia-Inala FC)
- Stadium: Moreton Daily Stadium (11,500)
- A-League Championships: 2011, 2012, 2014
- Kit manufacturer: New Balance
Brisbane Roar maintains its traditional orange home kit — a tie to the Dutch immigrants who founded the club in 1957 — but adds black raglan sleeves and a swirling tonal pattern across the front. The away kit is gray with an orange and maroon sash across the front.
- Nicknames: The Mariners; The Yellow and Navy
- Based in: Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
- Founded: 2004
- Stadium: Central Coast Stadium (20,059)
- A-League Championships: 2013
- Kit manufacturer: Paladin
Central Coast Mariners are back in their traditional yellow home kits for 2022-23, this time with blue sleeves and a blue band across the front. The blue away kit features tonal vertical stripes, while the third kit is mostly white with blue sleeves.
- Nickname: The Bulls
- Based in: South Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Founded: 2017 (as Macarthur South West United)
- Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium (20,000)
- A-League Championships: none
- Kit manufacturer: Kelme
Macarthur FC have switched uniform suppliers this year, going from Macron to Spanish company Kelme. The home kit is white with black vertical stripes bordered in gold, plus an extra gold stripe down the center. The away kit is black with tonal vertical stripes. This is also Macarthur’s first season with real estate development company Aland as their main sponsor.
- Nicknames: City; Heart
- Based in: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Founded: 2009 (as Melbourne Heart)
- Stadium: AAMI Park (30,050)
- A-League Championships: 2021
- Kit manufacturer: Puma
Melbourne City FC again show their links to parent club Manchester City with their sky blue home kits, this year featuring a tonal zigzag pattern. The away kit is white with two-tone red vertical stripes. The away kit is maroon with tonal chevrons on the front and neon green accents.
- Nicknames: Victory; Boys in Blue; Big V
- Based in: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Founded: 2004
- Stadium: AAMI Park (30,050)
- A-League Championships: 2007, 2009, 2015, 2018
- Kit manufacturer: Macron
Melbourne Victory are playing with tradition on their new home kit for 2022-23. The usual white chevron across the front of the navy blue shirt has been replaced with a tonal chevron containing an embossed pattern. This is also the first season the Victory have been sponsored by Bonza, a low-cost airline.
- Nickname: The Jets
- Based in: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
- Founded: 2000
- Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium (33,000)
- A-League Championships: 2008
- Kit manufacturer: Legend
Newcastle Jets have also switched uniform suppliers, going from Viva to Australian brand Legend Sportswear. Both the home and third kits feature a tonal pattern of hexagons, while the away kit features gold vertical stripes fade into the white base as they move up from the hem.
- Nickname: The Glory
- Based in: Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Founded: 1995
- Stadium: HBF Park (20,500)
- A-League Championships: none
- Kit manufacturer: Macron
Perth Glory’s home kit features a purple base and a pattern of hexagons of varying shapes that form orange vertical stripes with a snakeskin-like appearance. “[T]he shirt seamlessly fuses futuristic design features with nods to proud club tradition,” the club website reads. The white away kit features a “chevron shadow weave” and an embossed image of the Perth skyline on the back.
- Nickname: The Sky Blues
- Based in: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Founded: 2004
- Stadium: Allianz Stadium (42,500)
- A-League Championships: 2006, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2020
- Kit manufacturer: Under Armour
Both the sky blue home and white away kits for Sydney FC feature a tonal pattern of chverons and diamonds that is meant to resemble to the ceramic tiles on Sydney’s iconic Opera House. Both also have “WE ARE SYDNEY” printed on the back collar.
- Nickname: The Nix
- Based in: Wellington, New Zealand
- Founded: 2007
- Stadium: Sky Stadium (34,500)
- A-League Championships: none
- Kit manufacturer: Paladin
Wellington Phoenix have incorporated New Zealand Indigenous culture into their kits for 2022-23, with Maori artist Charmaine Love designing a traditional tohu, or pattern, for the club to use. This tohu is incorporated into the black stripes of the yellow home kit, and features as a tonal pattern on the navy blue away kit (see photos below). Read more about the elements of the tohu and their meaning here.
- Nickname: The Wanderers
- Based in: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Founded: 2012
- Stadium: CommBank Stadium (30,000)
- A-League Championships: none
- Kit manufacturer: Kappa
Western Sydney Wanderers’ traditional red-and-black hooped home kit gets a bit of a refresh this season, with a brushstroke detail that is “used as metaphor for the hardworking people of Western Sydney who make this club possible,” according to the club’s website. The white away kit features a red-and-black band across the chest along with red and black horizontal pinstripes “to signify that the Wanderers are home even when they are away.”
- Nickname: n/a
- Based in: Truganina, Victoria, Australia
- Founded: 2018 (as Western Melbourne)
- Home stadiums:
- GMHBA Stadium, Geelong (36,000)
- Mars Stadium, Ballarat (11,000)
- University of Tasmania Stadium, Launceston (19,000)
- AAMI Park, Melbourne (30,050)
- A-League Championships: 2021
- Kit manufacturer: Kappa
As defending champions, Western United will sport a gold A-League logo on their chest for the 2022-23 campaign. Their home kit puts a modern twist on their usual green and black stripes, with the green stripes fading out in a halftone gradient. The white away kit features green and black zigzag stripes running down the front of the shirt.