2011–12 A-League
The 2011–12 A-League was the 35th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the seventh season of the Australian A-League soccer competition since its establishment in 2004. At the end of the previous season, the North Queensland Fury were cut from the competition by the governing body, Football Federation Australia, due to financial reasons.
Clubs
| Team | City | Home Ground | Capacity |
| Adelaide United | Adelaide | Hindmarsh Stadium | 17,000 |
| Brisbane Roar | Brisbane | Suncorp Stadium | 52,500 |
| Central Coast Mariners | Gosford | Bluetongue Stadium | 20,119 |
| Gold Coast United | Gold Coast | Skilled Park | 27,400 |
| Melbourne Heart | Melbourne | AAMI Park | 30,050 |
| Melbourne Victory | Melbourne | Etihad Stadium AAMI Park | 55,000 30,050 |
| Newcastle Jets | Newcastle | Ausgrid Stadium | 33,000 |
| Perth Glory | Perth | NIB Stadium | 20,500 |
| Sydney FC | Sydney | Sydney Football Stadium | 45,500 |
| Wellington Phoenix | Wellington | Westpac Stadium | 36,000 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Jersey sponsor |
| Adelaide United |  | | Erreà | Coopers |
| Brisbane Roar | | Matt Smith | Puma | The Coffee Club |
| Central Coast Mariners | | | Hummel | Soccer5s |
| Gold Coast United |  | | Fi-ta | Hyatt Regency Coolum |
| Melbourne Heart |  |  Fred | ISC | Westpac |
| Melbourne Victory |  | | Adidas | Adecco |
| Newcastle Jets | | | ISC | Hunter Ports |
| Perth Glory |  | | X-blades | QBE Insurance |
| Sydney FC |  | | Adidas | UNICEF |
| Wellington Phoenix |  | | Adidas | Sony |
Transfers
Managerial changes
Foreign players
The following do not fill a Visa position:1Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian Residency ;
2Australian residents who have chosen to represent another national team;
3Injury Replacement Players, or National Team Replacement Players;
4Guest Players
Salary cap exemptions and captains
Regular season
Home and away season
The 2011–12 season saw each team play 27 games, host 13 and play 1 regional game over 25 rounds. On 4 January, over 11 hours of soccer was broadcast with all matches aired back to back starting in Wellington and ending in Perth. The season began on 8 October 2011 and concluded on 22 April 2012. All times are local unless otherwise stated.Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Midweek FixtureRound 10
Midweek FixtureRound 11
Round 12
Round 13
Midweek Round
Round 14
Round 15
Midweek FixtureRound 16
Midweek FixtureRound 17
Midweek FixtureRound 18
Round 19
Round 20
Postponed Round 17 FixtureRound 21
Round 22
Round 23
Round 24
Round 25
Table of results
Positions by round
| Team / Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | M | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 9 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* | 1 | 1** | 1 | 1 | 1* | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Brisbane Roar | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1* | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Perth Glory | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 5* | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 4* | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Sydney FC | 5 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6* | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| Melbourne Heart | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3* | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Newcastle Jets | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9* | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Melbourne Victory | 5 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8* | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Adelaide United | 9 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7* | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Gold Coast United | 4 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10* | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
- *Team played two games in this round
- **Team did not play in this round
Finals series
Semi-finals
Preliminary final
Grand Final
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 |  Besart Berisha | Brisbane Roar | 19 |
| 2 | Shane Smeltz | Perth Glory | 13 |
| 3 |  Carlos Hernández | Melbourne Victory | 10 |
| 4 | Eli Babalj | Melbourne Heart | 9 |
| 4 | Jeremy Brockie | Newcastle Jets | 9 |
| 4 | Ryan Griffiths | Newcastle Jets | 9 |
| 4 | Mitch Nichols | Brisbane Roar | 9 |
| 8 | Bruno Cazarine | Sydney FC | 8 |
| 8 | Harry Kewell | Melbourne Victory | 8 |
| 8 |  Sergio van Dijk | Adelaide United | 8 |
Own goals
Attendances
These are the attendance records of each of the teams at the end of the home and away season. The table does not include finals series attendances.Updated to the 25 March 2012 note: Adelaide United's lowest crowd was at Bathurst's Carrington Park as part of the regional round fixtures.
Top 10 Season Attendances
Discipline
Updated to end of Week 17, 2 February 2012The Fair Play Award will go to the team with the lowest points on the fair play table at the conclusion of the home and away season.
- Wellington Phoenix's Nick Ward was given a straight red card that was later rescinded by the Match Review Panel.
Awards
NAB Young footballer of the Year Award
The NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award was awarded to the finest U-21 player talent throughout the Hyundai A-League 2011–12 competition, based on a monthly nomination.| Month | Nominee | Club |
| October 2011 | James Brown | Gold Coast United |
| November 2011 | Bernie Ibini-Isei | Central Coast Mariners |
| December 2011 | Mustafa Amini | Central Coast Mariners |
| January 2012 | Mathew Ryan | Central Coast Mariners |
| February 2012 | Tom Rogic | Central Coast Mariners |
| March 2012 | Eli Babalj | Melbourne Heart |
End of season awards
- Johnny Warren Medal – Thomas Broich, Brisbane Roar
- NAB Young Footballer of the Year – Mathew Ryan, Central Coast Mariners
- Nike Golden Boot Award – Besart Berisha, Brisbane Roar, 19 Goals
- Goalkeeper of the Year – Mathew Ryan, Central Coast Mariners
- Manager of the Year – Graham Arnold, Central Coast Mariners
- Fair Play Award – Brisbane Roar
- Referee of the Year – Jarred Gillett
- Foreign Player of the Year – Thomas Broich, Brisbane Roar
- Solo Goal of the Year – Carlos Hernández, Melbourne Victory FC
All-Star team
| Position | Name | Club |
| GK | Matt Ryan | Central Coast Mariners |
| RB | Michael Marrone | Melbourne Heart |
| CB | Patrick Zwaanswijk | Central Coast Mariners |
| LB | Joshua Rose | Central Coast Mariners |
| RM | Mitch Nichols | Brisbane Roar |
| CM |  Thomas Broich | Brisbane Roar |
| CM | Fred | Melbourne Heart |
| LM | Aziz Behich | Melbourne Heart |
| RF |  Paul Ifill | Wellington Phoenix |
| ST | Besart Berisha | Brisbane Roar |
| LF | Archie Thompson | Melbourne Victory |
| Coach | Graham Arnold | Central Coast Mariners |
| Substitutes: | - | - |
| GK | Clint Bolton | Melbourne Heart |
| CB | Andrew Durante | Wellington Phoenix |
| CM | Nicky Carle | Sydney FC |
| CM | Carlos Hernandez | Melbourne Victory |
| LF | Harry Kewell | Melbourne Victory |
Team season articles
- 2011–12 Adelaide United season
- 2011–12 Brisbane Roar season
- 2011–12 Central Coast Mariners season
- 2011–12 Gold Coast United season
- 2011–12 Melbourne Heart season
- 2011–12 Melbourne Victory season
- 2011–12 Newcastle Jets season
- 2011–12 Perth Glory season
- 2011–12 Sydney FC season
- 2011–12 Wellington Phoenix season