A-League

A-League
Country	Australia and New Zealand
Confederation	AFC
Founded	2005
Level	1
Number of teams	10
Current champions	Brisbane Roar (2011–12)
Most successful club	Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC (2)
Website	a-league.com.au

A-League is an association football (soccer) league which is the top division in Australia and New Zealand.

Unlike professional soccer leagues in most of the rest of the world, the A-League has what is called a "franchise" system—the same teams play in the league each year, unless a team drops out of the league on its own, or the league decides to add one or more new teams. This system is normal for pro sports leagues in Australia, as well as in the United States and Canada.

2012–13 clubs

• Adelaide United
• Brisbane Roar
• Central Coast Mariners
• Melbourne Heart
• Melbourne Victory
• Newcastle Jets
• Perth Glory
• Sydney FC
• Wellington Phoenix
• Western Sydney Wanderers

Former clubs

• Gold Coast United (2009–2012)
• New Zealand Knights (2005–2007)
• North Queensland Fury (2009–2011)

Champions and premiers

The A-League, like other professional leagues in Australia, crowns its champion at the end of a knockout playoff series involving top teams on the regular-season table. The final match is called the Grand Final, a term used in several other Australian sports. The team that finishes on top of the regular-season table is called the "Premiers". Media sometimes incorrectly call the Premiers the "minor premiers", a term used in other football codes in the country.

Season	Premiers	Champions
2005–06	Adelaide United	Sydney FC
2006–07	Melbourne Victory	Melbourne Victory
2007–08	Central Coast Mariners	Newcastle United Jets
2008–09	Melbourne Victory	Melbourne Victory
2009–10	Sydney FC	Sydney FC
2010–11	Brisbane Roar	Brisbane Roar
2011–12	Central Coast Mariners	Brisbane Roar