Now in its sixth year, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards recognises excellence in on-screen entertainment, with the accolade for Fox Sports’ football coverage a serious feather in the cap for a code that continues to be in the upwards trajectory in the live TV sports arena.

The growing popularity of football for TV audiences was also given extra weight with last week's FFA Cup Final between Sydney FC and Melbourne City recording 157k viewers, with average audiences for this season's competition the highest in its history, up 34% compared to viewing figures for last year’s competition.

Murray Shaw, Executive Producer for Football at Fox Sports, who picked up the award with Geoff Bullock, said: "It's no secret that football has long been on the ascendancy in Australia, but what this award proves is that it also offers one of the best live sports viewing experiences for audiences at home.

“Fox Sports has been committed to growing football in Australia since the A-League’s inception and it's great to see the industry join audiences at home in recognising just how much it brings to the live TV landscape in Australia.”