18/10/2023 – Wednesday News – A-league announces Unite Round, and more.

The Big news today coming from the A-league with their announcement of the cancellation of the A-league Grand Final deal and the new announcement of the A-League United round.

More details in the dedicated news post. Meanwhile the rest of todays news

• Between Friday, January 12 and Sunday, January 14, Sydney will play host to all 12 Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Liberty A-League Women matches, as the A-Leagues become the first leagues to celebrate a full men’s and women’s round in a single city. The weekend will also host a series of grassroots competitions and activities for children and teens.
• The Tasmanian government has sunk an alternative proposal for a stadium on Hobart’s waterfront, claiming it would not meet its contractual requirements with the AFL. Paul Lennon, who was Labor premier between March 2004 and May 2008, has released alternative plans that would see a stadium built on further reclaimed land in the River Derwent, using private sector financing.
• In an extraordinary act of cross-code solidarity, the Australian Cricketers Association have pledged to create a six-figure ‘fighting fund’ for desperate netballers to access and help pay the bills during their ugly feud with Netball Australia.
• AFL, NRL and Australian Diamonds netball stars will be targeted to perform at the Los Angeles Olympics after confirmation this week flag football will be added to the 2028 program.
• The annual Charity Shield between South Sydney and St George Illawarra is headed to Sydney for the first time in seven years. WIN Jubilee Stadium at Kogarah or Wollongong’s WIN Stadium are the preferred venues for the pre-season fixture, most likely to be held on Saturday, February 17.
• Having gone into receivership in July after long-time owner Tony Sage gave up the club’s licence, the Glory’s future has been secured by Melbourne property developer Robert Brij.
• A groundbreaking alternative stadium design for Macquarie Point has been revealed with the amazing new concept reaching 250m into the Derwent on reclaimed land and 450 apartments built into its waterfront facade.
• Cricket officials hope the sport’s return to the Olympics can be the silver bullet the international game needs to fend off the threat of losing players to full-time franchise deals.
• England captain Heather Knight has sounded a simple yet ominous warning for Cricket Australia ahead of the start of the WBBL. Shrink its length, or the number of big-name overseas players may shrink instead.
• Graham Arnold has called upon Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to help ensure the Socceroos play their 2026 World Cup qualifiers in venues that are “safe“.
• Eden Park will continue to be the home of the Blues after the Super Rugby team confirmed their Auckland-based fixtures at the ground for the 2024 and 2025 Super Rugby Pacific seasons.
• Three weeks into the new season, the Hungry Jack’s National Basketball League (NBL) is as hot as ever, with broadcast numbers, attendances, and digital engagement continuing to rise at unprecedented rates.
• The lure of the US market and the massive diaspora from the Indian subcontinent are the twin factors that convinced organisers that T20 cricket was destined to be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (LA28). That is the collective viewpoint shared by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the LA28 local organising committee and the ICC.