An update from Adelaide United CEO, Nathan Kosmina

[MartinAUFC]

For anyone who didn't get the e-mail the other day...


Dear Members,

As we approach the business end of the season with both our Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s and Ninja A-League Women’s sides well positioned for a run at the Finals, I thought it opportune to update Members on both our on and off-field achievements to date in season 2024/25.

First and foremost, we are delighted with the turnaround of both Men’s and Women’s programs, with our team’s currently sitting 2nd and 3rd on their respective ladders – a far cry from our 8th and 12th position finishes last season. There is still much to achieve, however, credit must go to our players, coaches, and support staff who refocused our energies through the offseason, and we are now seeing the fruits of that labour. We won’t say either program underwent a rebuild, but it was very much a ‘back to basics’ refresh alongside some very strategic recruitment, which has seen us well positioned for top four finishes, which, as I said at the start of the season, is the benchmark for both teams.

Our A-League Men's team enjoyed its best start in campaign history, complemented by an outstanding run of away matches through January. While the last few weeks have been challenging and our form at home has been more inconsistent than we would have liked, we still find ourselves 2nd on the ladder ahead of facing table-toppers Auckland FC this Saturday afternoon. This is far beyond what was predicted by many outside the club at the start of the season, and our destiny when it comes to silverware and AFC qualification is firmly in our own hands, which is all we can ask for.

This A-League Men’s season has been once again built on providing opportunities for the next group of exceptional young South Australian talents, coupled with the strategic mix of experience and leadership. The dual mandate of results plus player development is our DNA and we are building plans and investing to ensure the model is a success for years to come – more on this in future updates.

On the A-League Women's front, it must be recognised that our team has now achieved nine consecutive matches unbeaten—a Club record that includes our very first win in Sydney last month—and we are pushing hard for a Finals appearance for the first time since 2021/22. A tremendous achievement and just reward for a significant amount of work over the past 12 months.

In celebration of International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8, we will be reversing our usual double-header schedule at Coopers Stadium. For the first time, our Men's team will open the day, taking on Brisbane Roar at 4:30 pm, while our Women's team will follow at 7:15 pm against Central Coast Mariners. We invite our Members to stay for both fixtures and to continue to support our Women's players as we look to continue a fantastic run of form.

Looking ahead to Round 20, please note an important schedule change for the A-League Women's match day. Our match against Brisbane Roar, originally set for Marden Sports Complex, will now be played as a standalone match at Coopers Stadium on Sunday, March 23, at 4:00 pm. As part of the celebrations surrounding this change, we are offering 50 complimentary tickets to every Football South Australia club and we’d love to see Coopers Stadium packed for the match. All A-League Women's Full Season and 5-game memberships will also have access into Coopers Stadium.

Last weekend marked the return of local football, with our RAA NPLSA side securing a win over Adelaide Croatia Raiders. Tonight, we’re honoured to be part of the Grand Opening of Adelaide Comets' new home at Ellis Park—a milestone we’re proud to celebrate. A reminder that all full-season Members receive access to our home matches at ServiceFM Stadium, so we encourage everyone to get behind our future A-League stars and show their support.

Off the field, I’d like to thank you all for your support in attending matches at Coopers Stadium, where we are averaging 11,420 per match, the highest average attendance since 2014/15. No doubt our ladder position has supported this number, but it can also be argued that, thanks to ongoing support from Adelaide Venue Management, our increased investment in match-day activations has seen our home games become a must-attend event for the football community, regardless of the result. We ask that your support continue as we look to increase this average across our last four home games, commencing next Saturday, March 8, with the aforementioned reverse double-header.

Another success story this season has been The People’s Loyalty Program. The program has been built to recognise and reward the support of our Members, and whilst still in its early beginnings, we have already seen our Member attendance rates increase by over 11%.

As we review the loyalty program for 2025/26 and look to improve our overall Member experience, I encourage everyone to complete our mid-season survey HERE.

Your opinion matters and will make a difference, plus there are some great prizes on offer for simply sharing your feedback on what has been a great new initiative for the club.

Our partnership with PSV Eindhoven has been well publicised in recent months and continues to flourish, with key representatives spending two weeks in Adelaide in early February. Joost de Wit, Bob Willems, and Mitch van Gellekom led an intensive program of coaching workshops, strategy sessions, and community engagements, reinforcing the commitment of both clubs to long-term collaboration. The visit was invaluable in strengthening the foundations of our football and commercial development and we thank PSV for their time and look forward to the next phase of this partnership.

Finally, it’s been fantastic to see Adelaide United players flourish on the international stage. Earlier this season, we were proud to have Matilda McNamara selected for a Matildas squad and we have six current or former Reds in the AFC U20 Asian Cup squad (Luka Jovanović, Panagiotis Kikianis, Fabian Talladira, Jonny Yull, Musa Toure and Steven Hall).

All six players were starting on Wednesday night when the team overcame Japan 2-0 in the Semi Final. We now take on Saudi Arabia at 10pm on Saturday night. Tune in on 10 Bold and watch the historic final before the four current Reds return and are available for selection next Saturday afternoon.

Thank you to our players, coaches, staff, and importantly our Members for your ongoing dedication to the club. With strong foundations laid early on, we are confident that the back end of the season will bring even greater achievements on and off the pitch.

Let’s finish this season strongly and make it one to remember.

Nathan Kosmina

Chief Executive Officer

Adelaide United Football Club