Research shows Sydney FC is the most widely supported A-League club in 2021

The research shows Sydney FC topping the 2021 Roy Morgan A-League supporter ladder, with an increase of 32.2 per cent on a year ago.

The Sky Blues have been the most successful club in the A-League Men with five Championships, including winning three out of the last five in 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Close behind in second place are traditional rivals Melbourne Victory with 632,000 supporters, an increase of 46 per cent on a year ago.

While third place on the supporter ladder is the Brisbane Roar with 559,000 supporters, an increase of 17.9 per cent on a year ago.

Roy Morgan Industry Communications Director Julian McCrann said A-League clubs had enjoyed a substantial increase in support over the last year, in line with the increases seen for other football codes (AFL and NRL)

"Over 3.6 million Australians now profess support for an A-League club, an increase of over 1 million (+38.3%) on a year ago," he said.

"As we have seen across other football codes the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many sports to be played in front of empty stadiums, but live on TV to supporters stuck at home in the many lockdowns we have seen over the last 18 months around Australia.

"The biggest winners have been the most successful A-League clubs Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory - both of whom have increased their supporter bases by over 150,000 compared to a year ago."

Mr McCrann said the newest A-League Men club, Macarthur FC, had a successful first season in the league.

"With a finals appearance, a victory in an Elimination Final, and a loss to eventual Champions Melbourne City in the semi-final," he said.

"Not only has Macarthur FC performed strongly on the pitch but they have already attracted 84,000 supporters to rank in tenth place overall."

A look at who engages with the A-League Men shows TV viewership is highest for Gen X (8.1 per cent) ahead of Pre-Boomers (7.8 per cent), Baby Boomers (7.4 per cent) and of Millennials (7.1 per cent).

When it comes to attending a soccer match however, Millennials lead the way at 4.5 per cent, followed by Gen Z at 3.7 per cent.

The research also showed that in total, over 1.5 million Australians (7.2 per cent) watch the A-League Men on TV.

However, a much larger 3.5 million (16.7 per cent) have watched any soccer match on TV.

Leaving a significant untapped market of around two million Australians available for the A-League, in the shape of those who exclusively watch international leagues or international tournaments.

Mr McCrann said that looking ahead the challenge for the A-League will be the continue growth of the league in an increasingly competitive sporting marker.

"And find a way to connect with the millions of Australians who love their football, but don't presently engage with the A-League," he said.

"There are over two million Australians out there who watch high quality football competitions, such as the English Premier League, who are yet to become fans of the A-League.

"This at-hand market of two million Australians is a significant market for the A-League to target during the recovery from COVID-19."

Sydney FC kicks off its 2021-22 campaign with a local derby against the Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday, November 20 at Commbank Stadium.

The Sky Blues currently have six matches scheduled for 2021 (all against NSW based teams and Wellington), three of which will be played at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah: