Coopers Stadium has been voted by A-League Women players as the premier venue for football in the competition, recognised for its pitch quality and atmosphere.
Each season, the PFA administers weekly surveys following A-League games, gathering feedback from players representing both home and away teams throughout the campaign.
Upon the conclusion of the regular season, the PFA aggregates the responses, with Adelaide United’s home ground emerging with the highest average over a minimum of five games.
Stadium ratings are based on pitch hardness, smoothness, pace and overall quality, with a separate rating provided by players for stadium atmosphere.
The overall quality of the Coopers Stadium pitch scored a perfect 5/5 rating, while the average atmosphere scored 4.8/5.
Adelaide United captain Izzy Hodgson welcomed the news, reiterating the quality of the venue and the atmosphere the club’s fans create.
“I’ve always thought that Coopers Stadium was the best football stadium in Australia,” Hodgson said.
“I’m glad that the rest of the A-League players feel the same as well. Coopers Stadium is just a beautiful venue, but it wouldn’t be half as good without the amazing Adelaide United fans that attend every match. We love playing there and cannot wait to play more games there in the future.”
Adelaide United CEO Nathan Kosmina said the players’ feedback confirmed ‘Coopers’ as Australian football’s best venue in club football and praised the Adelaide Government’s contribution to upgrades ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We welcome and are delighted that Coopers Stadium has been voted for by the players as the best ALW venue for atmosphere this season. After winning the ALM accolade last year, Adelaide United is proud to be known around the country for its elite match day experiences,” Kosmina said.
“The State Government’s $53 million upgrades ahead of last year’s hugely successful FIFA Women’s World Cup underscores AVM and Adelaide United’s commitment to ensuring Coopers Stadium remains the best football stadium in Australia.”
Kate Russo, General Manager of Coopers Stadium, also welcomed the news.
“We’re thrilled that Coopers Stadium has been named ‘best venue’ by Professional Footballers Australia for the 2023-2024 A-League Women’s season,” Russo said.
“It’s a great honour to receive this acknowledgement from the players themselves, which not only provides fantastic recognition for our dedicated grounds crew, led by Turf Maintenance Manager Simon Sczesny, in delivering a quality pitch, but also our Venue Operations team. We’re proud to provide a platform to celebrate women in sport and look forward to hosting even more ALW games in the future.”
Despite only three games being played at the venue, Sydney’s Allianz Stadium recorded a perfect 5/5 average for both pitch quality and atmosphere. North Hobart Oval also received a 5/5 for atmosphere in the one game held at the venue, while the Regional Football Facility in Tarneit and Carrington Park in Bathurst tallied a 4/5 for overall quality and 5/5 for atmosphere in their respective one game sample sizes.
Other venues to score well included Sydney’s Leichhardt Oval (4/5 for overall quality and 3.9/5 for atmosphere), Newcastle’s No.2 Sportsground (3.6 for overall quality and 4.1 for atmosphere), Melbourne’s AAMI Park (4.5/5 for overall quality and 3.5/5 for atmosphere) and Paramatta’s CommBank Stadium (4.7/5 for overall quality and 4.7/5 for overall atmosphere).
The A-League Men stadia with the best atmosphere and pitch ratings, as voted by the players, will be announced during the A-League Men Finals Series this month
