A-Leagues Increase Capacity At Go Media Stadium For 2025 Finals Series
A-Leagues to increase Go Media Stadium capacity by 2,700+.
Auckland FC to host leg two of their Semi Final on Saturday 24 May.
Additional 800 seats to be added if Auckland progress to debut Grand Final.
Friday 9 May: In partnership with Go Media Stadium and Auckland FC, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has increased the capacity of Go Media Stadium for the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025 Finals Series.
Following strong early demand for finals tickets, and a fantastic record of home support during the regular season, the APL has added 2,700 seats to the north end of Go Media Stadium, giving more Auckland FC and travelling fans the opportunity to watch their team in leg two of the Semi Final showdown on Saturday 24 May.
A further 800 seats will be added should Auckland qualify for the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025 Grand Final and earn the right to host the showpiece event on Saturday 31 May.
With the additional capacity, the Black Knights continue a strong record of home support at Go Media Stadium as the club continues to build an incredible connection with the local football community. Across the regular season, the Isuzu UTE A-League Men has seen a 9% growth in overall attendance year-on-year, and this weekend is set to surpass 1.5m total fans through the gates for the first time since 2018/19.
A-Leagues Executive Chair, Hon. Stephen Conroy said: 'The fans in Auckland, and across the league, have been fantastic this season. As it stands, we're on track to record the highest attended season since 2016/17.
'As we enter an exciting month of A-Leagues action, it's great to be able to increase the overall capacity at Go Media Stadium for the 2025 Finals Series to give more fans the chance to see their team in action.
'Credit to all involved at Auckland FC for the momentum they've built, and a huge shout out to their growing fan base, for the passion and connection they've shown to the club in their first season.'
The 2025 Finals Series kicks off this weekend with two cut-throat Elimination Finals, with the two winners progressing to the Semi Finals to face either Auckland FC or Melbourne City who earned the week off finishing as the top two teams in the regular season.
As Premiers, Auckland FC will play the lowest placed Elimination Final winner in a two-legged Semi Final, with the first leg away, before the return leg at Go Media Stadium on Saturday 24 May. The highest placed team from the regular season that wins through from the Semi Finals, will earn the right to host the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025 Grand Final on Saturday 31 May.
Tickets for Auckland's second leg at Go Media Stadium on Saturday 24 May are currently on sale for Auckland FC members via ticketmaster.co.nz, while tickets for away club fans go on sale at 10am AEST / 12pm NZT on Monday 12 May. General public tickets will go on sale at 1pm AEST / 3pm NZT on Tuesday 13 May.
For Australian viewers, the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025 Finals Series matches will be shown live across a mix of Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+.
For New Zealand viewers, every match of the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025 Finals Series, including Auckland FC, is available live on Sky Sport and streamed on Sky Sport Now.
Notes:
Isuzu UTE A-League Men 2025 Finals Series:
Week 2: Semi Finals (Leg 1), Friday 16 May - Saturday 17 May
Lowest Placed Elimination Final Winner vs Auckland FC
Highest Placed Elimination Final Winner vs Melbourne City
Week 3: Semi Finals (Leg 2), Saturday 24 May
Auckland FC vs Lowest Placed Elimination Final Winner, 4:00pm AEST / 6:00pm NZT on Saturday 24 May at Go Media Stadium.
Melbourne City vs Highest Placed Elimination Final Winner, 7:35pm AEST on Saturday 24 May at AAMI Park.
Week 4: Grand Final, Saturday 31 May
Highest ranked Semi Final Winner vs Lowest ranked Semi Final Winner, Saturday 31 May.
About A-Leagues:
The A-Leagues represent the pinnacle of professional football in Australia and New Zealand, comprising Isuzu UTE A-League Men's and Ninja A-League Women competitions. The 2024/25 season will see 13 clubs compete in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and 12 in the Ninja A-League Women.
The A-Leagues, operated by Australian Professional Leagues (APL), is delivering against its bold ambition to develop top-tier professional football talent in Australia and New Zealand, drive engagement across the leagues and to build on football's undisputed position as the country's most popular participation sport.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
ANZ Premiership live updates: Pulse v Mystics
Mystics goal attack Dani Binks, left, lines up a shot under challenge from Pulse captain Kelly Jackson during the ANZ Premiership Grand Final. Photo: Marty Melville/Photosport The Pulse and Mystics are both gunning for outright top spot this weekend, as they are locked in a three way tie with the Tactix. Play starts at 7pm. Follow all the action with RNZ's live blog:
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
NRL: What we learnt as NZ Warriors overwhelmed Cronulla Sharks
Chanel Harris-Tavita and Sam Healey celebrate a try against the Sharks. Photo: DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP Despite their 9-3 record through the opening half of the NRL season, NZ Warriors had not exactly dominated opponents. Resilience had become their trademark, with many of their successes built on dramatic late-game feats or gritty defence to hold charging opponents at bay. Their points differential had been in the negative through most of the campaign and sat at just plus-5 entering their contest against Cronulla Sharks. They had lost co-captain Mitch Barnett for the season , veteran second-rower Kurt Capewell was covering at centre and they lost star hooker Wayde Egan to a hip complaint before kickoff. At Shark Park, the Warriors finally took their game to another level that must now have the competition on warning, outscoring their opponents 28-0 after halftime. Here are a few takeaways from their breakout 40-10 victory . Already reeling from the lose of Barnett for the season, the Warriors also had to deal with Egan's late withdrawal. While Barnett is a big loss, Egan is arguably a bigger one - and especially against the Sharks. After 13 rounds, he led the competition in dummy half runs and tackles, heading off Cronulla counterpart Blayke Brailey in both categories. His grip on the Warriors No.9 jersey is absolutely ironclad. Replacement Sam Healey was unproven, after logging 14 minutes off the bench in his NRL debut against North Queensland Cowboys last month. Jackson Ford reverted back to his favoured interchange role. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport The other change saw Marata Niukore shifted from second row to prop, with Jackson Ford - initially handed Barnett's No.10 jersey - slipping back to an interchange role he has made his own this season and Jacob Laban promoted into the starting second row. This was an entirely predictable change, probably inevitable. Healey's elevation into the gameday squad completed his journey to the top flight, after leaving the Sharks to search for a first-grade opportunity. Dad Mitch played 222 games for Cronulla from 1989-2000, so gaining his first start at Shark Park would have been an emotional moment for Sam. He played 47 minutes, running eight times for 71 metres and making 27 tackles, without looking out of place. Brailey went the distance for the Sharks, making a game-high 53 tackles in his 150th NRL outing. The other one that got away from the 'Shire' was Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf, who inherited the No.7 jersey from Shaun Johnson at the start of the season and has made every post a winner since, leading the Dally M standings when they went behind closed doors last week. He had seven appearances for Cronulla, but found his career path blocked by the arrival of Nico Hynes from Melbourne Storm, and has instead found a home at Mt Smart. Metcalf outplayed his much-vaunted rival, kicking 6/8 off the tee, making a linebreak and providing two try assists, while likely putting some ground on Sharks fullback Will Kennedy, one of his closest Dally M rivals. Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated head-to-head match-up of the night saw former Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake take on the man that replaced him at the club - James Fisher-Harris. Fonua-Blake was back-to-back Dally M Prop of the Year during his last two years in Auckland and is compiling a similar case this season, leading the league in metres after contact. Inspirational Kiwis skipper Fisher-Harris spent a few weeks sidelined by a pec injury and then copped a suspension in his first game back, but with Barnett out of the picture, his team will now depend on him in the trenches going forward. They battled each other to a standstill - Fonua-Blake had more running metres and they both made 34 tackles - but Fisher-Harris scored his first try in a Warriors uniform to start the second-half avalanche of points. A feature of the Warriors season has been the emergence of the next generation of young forwards, led by teenager Leka Halasima. After grabbing tries in three consecutive games earlier in the season, he has now scored in back-to-back games against South Sydney and Cronulla to continue his meteoric rise. Laban let no-one down in his starting role and now provides another option for coach Andrew Webster, with Capewell currently deployed in midfield. The revelation was Demitric Vaimauga , who started the campaign slowly, but has started to show his ability in recent weeks. His 40-minute shift produced 11 runs for 106 metres, 21 tackles and a try, but the highlight may have been his short pass for Fisher-Harris' try after halftime. Demitric Vaimauga scores a try against the Sharks. Photo: David Neilson/Photosport Halasima, 19, and Laban, 21, are signed through 2029, while Vaimauga, 21, is committed through 2028, so they have plenty of time left with the Warriors. Healey, 22, showed he is worth long-term investment, while Tanner Stowers-Smith, 21, also recorded his second game at his level off the bench. "The pleasing thing is the effort of our young guys, off the back of really strong leadership this year," Webster said. "We spoke about trying to be Barney , but be better at what they're doing, and I thought they stood up. "This place has changed and you see young kids feeling comfortable in their skin, feeling safe to be themselves, and then go out on the field and express themselves." This will be how the Warriors cover the absence of Barnett this season. "I didn't know when it was going to come, but at halftime, I said to the boys, 'We love being in these tight games, these kind of battles', so I was rapt they got the rewards late." Warriors coach Andrew Webster The Warriors are now 7/7 this season, when they lead at halftime and continue to lead the competition in set completion on 83 percent, after converting 92 percent (36/39) against the Sharks. The Warriors take their second bye of the season, which guarantees two points on the table. The week off is timely for Egan, who is obviously a bit nicked up and will enjoy some extra rest, as will others in the squad that have probably been carrying niggles into games over the past couple of months. In two weeks, they'll host four-time defending champions Penrith Panthers, just three days after Origin II in Perth. That's a long trip for players hoping to back up for their club. The Panthers have struggled this season and uncharacteristically sit near the bottom of the table. No-one is fooled by that and they are surely not far from a run at the playoffs. That said, the Warriors lost to Melbourne Storm off their first bye of the season, so they will need to turn that around. Since March 21, they will have played just once at Mt Smart in 12 rounds, but now face five games in the next eight there, as well as a third bye. They are now entering a very favourable phase of their schedule. Don't look now, Warriors fans, this may yet be your year. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Super Rugby Pacific live updates: Hurricanes' season on the line against Brumbies
David Feliuai is tackled during the Brumbies v Hurricanes, Super Rugby Pacific Qualifying Final match, GIO Stadium, Canberra. Photo: Mark Evans/ActionPress Who will come out on top in the battle of the capitals? The Canes got the job done the last time they were in Canberra, kick-off is at 9:35pm NZT.
