The 2020–21 season was the 52nd season of national competitive
association football in Australia and 138th overall.
Several events from March 2020 onwards were disrupted or postponed due to impacts from the
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
National teams
Australia men's national soccer team
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification / 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification
=Second round
=
Men's under 23
Friendlies
The following is a list of friendlies played by the men's under 23 national team in 2020–21.
Men's under-20
Friendly
AFC U-19 Championship
The
2020 AFC U-19 Championship
The 2020 AFC U-19 Championship would have been the 41st edition of the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-19 national teams of Asia. It was scheduled to take p ...
was cancelled after the draw for the group stage was conducted.
Men's under-17
AFC U-16 Championship
The
2020 AFC U-16 Championship was cancelled after the draw for the group stage was conducted.
Australia women's national soccer team
Friendlies
The following is a list of friendlies played by the women's senior national team in 2020–21.
AFC competitions
AFC Champions League
All three teams that qualified for the 2021 AFC Champions League –
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
,
Melbourne City and
Brisbane Roar – withdrew from the competition after the draw.
Men's football
A-League
;Finals
National Premier Leagues
The competition in all member federations was suspended, effective from 18 March, due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Apart from Victoria, competitions resumed in the various member federations between late June and late July. It was announced on 3 July that the finals series for the 2020 competition had been cancelled.
Cup competitions
FFA Cup
The competition was suspended for one month due to the impacts from the
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, effective 18 March,
and cancelled on 3 July,
although the associated Lakoseljac Cup competition in Tasmania recommenced in July.
Women's football
W-League
New clubs
* A-League:
Macarthur FC
Deaths
* 12 January 2021:
Frank Arok, 88,
Australian head coach from 1983 to 1989.
* 26 January 2021:
Jozef Vengloš, 84,
Australian head coach in 1967.
* January 2021:
Frank Parsons,
Australian striker.
* 9 March 2021:
Alan Marnoch, 77,
Australian and
Sydney Hakoah defender.
* 29 March 2021:
Bill Murphy,
Australian footballer.
* 23 May 2021:
Alan Garside,
Australian and
Granville Kewpies striker.
Retirements
* 12 July 2020:
Mile Jedinak, 35, former
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Sydney United, and
Central Coast Mariners midfielder.
* 10 August 2020:
Oriol Riera, 34, former
Western Sydney Wanderers forward.
* 12 August 2020:
Pirmin Schwegler
Pirmin Schwegler (born 9 March 1987) is a retired Swiss association football, footballer.
Career
Schwegler began his career with FC Luzern.
In summer 2005, he joined BSC Young Boys, Young Boys.
After just one year with BSC Young Boys, Young B ...
, 33, former
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and
Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder.
* 26 August 2020:
Daniel Bowles
Daniel Bowles (born 19 October 1991) is a retired A-League Australian professional football (soccer) player.
Club career
Early career
Bowles played all of his junior football in Toowoomba, initially with St Albans Football Club followed by th ...
, 28, former
Gold Coast United,
Adelaide United, and
Brisbane Roar defender.
* 9 October 2020:
Chris Harold, 28, former
Gold Coast United,
Perth Glory
Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues.
Founded in 19 ...
, and
Central Coast Mariners forward.
* 16 December 2020:
Archie Thompson, 42, former
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Gippsland Falcons,
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
,
Marconi Stallions, and
Melbourne Victory forward.
* December 2020:
Rashid Mahazi, 28, former
Melbourne Victory and
Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder.
* 25 March 2021:
Rhali Dobson
Rhali Dobson (born 21 April 1992) is an Australian soccer player who played for the Australia women's national under-17 soccer team in 2007, Australia women's national soccer team (Matildas) in 2014 and in the W-League for Melbourne City (201 ...
, 28, former
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Newcastle Jets, and
Melbourne City forward.
* 5 June 2021:
Andrew Durante, 39, former
New Zealand,
Sydney Olympic
Sydney Olympic Football Club is an Australian semi-professional association football, soccer club, based in Belmore, New South Wales, Belmore, Sydney, New South Wales, that plays in the National Premier Leagues NSW. The Club was founded as Pan- ...
,
Parramatta Power,
Newcastle Jets,
Wellington Phoenix,
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
, and
Western United defender.
* 11 June 2021:
Nigel Boogaard
Nigel Boogaard ( ; born 14 August 1986) is a former Australian professional footballer who played as a central defender in the A-League. Boogaard currently plays for Charlestown Azzurri in the Northern NSW Football National Premier Leagues c ...
, 34, former
Newcastle Jets,
Central Coast Mariners, and
Adelaide United defender.
* 20 June 2021:
Mark Milligan, 35, former
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Northern Spirit,
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
,
Newcastle Jets,
Melbourne Victory, and
Macarthur FC defender and midfielder.
* 29 June 2021:
Beñat Etxebarria, 34, former
Spain and
Macarthur FC midfielder.
* 29 June 2021:
Markel Susaeta, 33, former
Spain,
Melbourne City, and
Macarthur FC midfielder.
Notes
References
External links
Football Australia official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2020-21 in Australian soccer
2020 in Australian soccer
2021 in Australian soccer
Seasons in Australian soccer
2020–21 in Australian women's soccer