FFA CEO Mr Ben Buckley this morning revealed the fixtures list for the A-League and expects the year-on-year increase in domestic football support to continue. The newest club in the A-League, Wellington Phoenix, will play their home matches at Westpac Stadium and will be tested early when the club hosts Melbourne Victory in the opening round.

Perth Glory on the other hand, is yet to confirm their home venue for the new season. Their previous deal with Members Equity Stadium has expired and the club is currently looking at alternative options. It is believed a return to Members Equity Stadium is still possible and that an announcement will be made “shortly”.

The 2007/08 season will kick off on Friday 24 August when Sydney FC host Central Coast Mariners at Aussie Stadium. The corresponding match last season drew a crowd of 19,724. Queensland Roar will take on Adelaide United and Perth will face the Newcastle Jets in the other opening round fixtures A Finals Series for the top four sides will again take place, beginning on January 25.

“The second season of the Hyundai A-League was a terrific success and we have a great base now to build upon next season.

“We now have two seasons of experience behind us and with the support of the clubs and the venues, we have developed a very competitive draw,” said Mr Buckley.

Buckley also confirmed a number of other details, including the increase of squad sizes. Clubs are now required to have at least 20 players on their rosters, with a maximum of 23. Two goalkeepers will also need to be on each club’s books, which will help avoid the situation Newcastle Jets faced early last season, when Ben Kennedy was the only goalkeeper available for selection. In the A-League’s first two seasons, squad sizes were limited to just 20 players. The league’s salary cap has also been increased from $A1.6million to $A1.8 million.

A national youth league still seems some time away, as the high cost of launching one was cited as the main stumbling block. Each A-League club must include three U-20 players on their rosters however.

The entire draw for the 2007/08 season can be downloaded by clicking here.