The 2015–16 A-League was the 39th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the 11th since the establishment of the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

in 2004.

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...

were both the defending A-League Premiers and Champions. The regular season schedule was released on 29 June 2015. The season commenced on 8 October 2015 and concluded on 10 April 2016. The finals series commenced on 15 April 2016 and concluded with the 2016 Grand Final, held on 1 May 2016. The 2016 Grand Final took place on 1 May 2016, with

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...

claiming their first Championship with a 3–1 win against

Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in t ...

Clubs

Personnel and kits

* Additionally, referee kits are made by Umbro.

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 citizenship (and New Zealand citizenship, in the case of

Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League Men, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the 2007–08 ...

);
²Australian citizens (and New Zealand citizens, in the case of

) who have chosen to represent another national team;
³Injury Replacement Players, or National Team Replacement Players;
⁴Guest Players (eligible to play a maximum of fourteen games)

Salary cap exemptions and captains

The following concessions to the salary cap were introduced for this season: * A Loyalty allowance on a sliding scale for players who have played 5 years at the same club. Maximum $200,000 for 10 years. * A Mature Aged Rookie over the age of 21 who has not played in a fully professional league for the last 18 months and last played football in Australia. * Each Club can pay three players who started their careers with the club outside the Salary Cap. This season the total has been lifted from $150,000 to $200,000. * The two Marquee Players (which sit outside the Salary Cap) can be two foreigners. * Salary Cap Banking will allow clubs to carry over money not spent inside the Salary Cap in the previous two seasons to the following season, up to 105% of the Salary Cap in the relevant contract year.

Regular season

League table

Results

Finals series

The Grand Final winner (Champion) qualified for the

2017 AFC Champions League group stage The 2017 AFC Champions League group stage was played from 20 February to 10 May 2017. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout stage of the 2017 AFC Champions League. Draw The seeding of each team i ...

Elimination-finals

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Semi-finals

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Grand Final

Statistics

Attendances

By club

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.

By round

Source:

Club membership

Player stats

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

;Note ⁴ Player scored 4 goals

Own goals

Clean sheets

Discipline

During the season each club is given fair play points based on the number of cards they received in games. A yellow card is worth 1 point, a second yellow card is worth 2 points, and a red card is worth 3 points. At the annual awards night, the club with the fewest points wins the Fair Play Award.

End-of-season awards

The following end of the season awards were announced at the 2015–16 Dolan Warren Awards night held at the

Carriageworks Carriageworks is a multi-arts urban cultural precinct located at the former Eveleigh Carriage Workshops in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, Sydney, Australia. Carriageworks showcases contemporary art and performing arts, as well as being use ...

in Sydney on 26 April 2016. *

Johnny Warren Medal The Johnny Warren Medal is awarded to the best player of the Australian national soccer club competition. It was first awarded in the National Soccer League in 1990, and upon the NSL's demise in November 2004, was carried forward into the new na ...

–

Diego Castro Diego Castro Giménez (; born 2 July 1982) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a left winger. He amassed La Liga totals of 226 games and 43 goals over eight seasons, mainly representing Getafe (four years) and Sporting de ...

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...

* NAB Young Footballer of the Year –

Jamie Maclaren Jamie Maclaren (born 29 July 1993) is an Australian professional association football, soccer player who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan Super Giants, Mohun Bagan and the Austr ...

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's football pyramid. When Queensland Lions F.C. were ...

* Nike Golden Boot Award –

Bruno Fornaroli Bruno Fornaroli Mezza (; born 7 September 1987) is a professional soccer player who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Melbourne Victory. Born in Uruguay, he plays for the Australia national team. Club career Nacional Fornaroli ...

, Melbourne City (23 goals) * Goalkeeper of the Year –

Thomas Sørensen Thomas Løvendahl Sørensen (; born 12 June 1976) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Sørensen started his career with his local side Odense BK. After impressing on loan at Vejle Boldklub and Svendborg he wa ...

, Melbourne City *

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

–

Guillermo Amor Guillermo Amor Martínez (; born 4 December 1967) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a versatile midfielder. After spending most of his career with Barcelona, winning several accolades in a ten-year tenure, he ended it in ...

* Fair Play Award –

* Referee of the Year –

Jarred Gillett Jarred Gavan Gillett (born 1 November 1986) is an Australian soccer referee. He has been a referee in the Premier League, the top flight of the English football pyramid, since his promotion to the Select Group referees list in August 2021. F ...

* Goal of the Year –

Roy O'Donovan Roy Simon O'Donovan (born 10 August 1985) is an Irish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a striker for National Premier Leagues Northern NSW side Newcastle Olympic FC. He has been capped by Ireland at Under-19, Under-21 a ...

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Mar ...

(

, 27 March 2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2015-16 A-League A-League Men seasons

A League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...