The A-League’s current deal with Foxtel,a reduced one-year contract worth $28 million that was negotiated post-pandemic,is due to expire at the end of July.
Stan - which is owned by Nine,the publisher of this masthead - has not submitted a bid. Sources say there are other international parties keen to enter the Australian market who are also in conversations,which could include companies like Amazon Prime or DAZN.
Stan’s interest is predicated on the A-League and W-League continuing to be played in the summer months,as opposed to winter,which would be in direct competition with the three other football codes - two of which Nine now holds the rights to.
That is at odds with Football Australia boss James Johnson’s personal desire to change the domestic calendar and align the professional leagues with grassroots and state-based competitions,which generally run from February to November.
Football Australia no longer has operational control of the A-League and W-League,with the broadcast rights process for those domestic competitions being run by the clubs as the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).
But FA retains regulatory oversight over the competitions,and as part of the independence deal that was brokered on New Year’s Eve,they have the final say on the timing of the season.