Aurelio Vidmar calls for A-League Men expansion

Melbourne City coach Aurelio Vidmar has urged the A-League Men hierarchy to expand the competition by adding four new teams immediately. Vidmar suggested that instead of a gradual introduction of new clubs, the league should “rip the Band-Aid off” to improve the quality and volume of matches.

Vidmar proposed a 16-team format consisting of 30 home-and-away games plus finals. He noted that a larger league would reduce excessively long pre-seasons and provide more competitive opportunities for players. He cited the recent Australia Cup match between NPL club South Melbourne and Melbourne Victory, which drew a crowd of 29,911 at AAMI Park, as evidence of the potential interest in expanded competition.

While not specifying exact candidates, Vidmar mentioned clubs such as South Melbourne, Adelaide City, Marconi, and Sutherland as potentially competitive additions to the league.