Melbourne City have claimed the 2024-25 Premiership title after a 5-1 domination of Perth Glory on Friday night, April 18, 2025, sealing top spot and capping off City’s “invincible” unbeaten regular season. City’s 16th win of the campaign, to go with seven draws and zero defeats, ensured the club’s second consecutive Premiership, and fourth in club history.
Incredibly, City’s invincible A-League regular season has coincided with an unbeaten run to the final four of the AFC Women’s Champions League, where they’re set to face Incheon Red Angels in May for a place in the final of the continental tournament. The league leaders needed a win to shut the door on second-placed Victory, who began the final round of the season just two points shy of City in second place on the Ninja A-League table.
It took just three minutes to settle the nerves when Taylor Otto nodded the visitors into the lead at Sam Kerr Football Centre. Bryleeh Henry doubled the advantage three minutes later before a Susan Phonsongkham penalty made it 2-1 before the quarter-hour mark of a gripping encounter in Perth. But Otto struck again soon after to restore City’s two-goal buffer. Then, CommBank Matildas star Holly McNamara put City out of sight five minutes before half-time with her 15th goal of the campaign.
Up 4-1 and cruising to the Premiership title, City added a fifth goal to the scoresheet in the second half, and it was former Glory midfielder Leticia McKenna who blew the margin out to four goals with a stellar strike direct from a free-kick. McKenna’s long-range rocket was City’s 56th and final goal of their invincible campaign; the final whistle blew in Perth to confirm City’s status as Ninja A-League Champions for the second consecutive season, sparking special scenes of celebration from Michael Matricciani’s formidable playing group.
What it means is significant: Melbourne City are Ninja A-League Premiers for the second consecutive season, and in the longest regular season in the competition’s history, Michael Matricciani’s side have achieved that impressive feat without losing a single game. Invincibles in 2024-25, City have become just the fourth team to go the entire regular season unbeaten, winning 16 games and drawing seven times en route to clinching the Premiers Plate.
City's previous unbeaten regular seasons include: 2011-12 (P10, W7, D3), 2015-16 (P12, W12), and 2019-20 (P12, W11, D1). It’s City’s fourth Ninja A-League Premiership since entering the competition in 2015; only Sydney FC have won more Premierships in the league’s history (five).
After her 15th goal of the season, Holly McNamara is now three goals clear atop the Golden Boot leaderboard. Melbourne Victory’s Emily Gielnik and Brisbane Roar’s Tameka Yallop both have 12 goals to their name heading into their head-to-head encounter at AAMI Park tomorrow afternoon. McNamara could still share the Golden Boot award with either of her Matildas teammates – but a hat-trick from either Gielnik or Yallop is required to make that unlikely scenario a reality. Yallop, however, is coming into the final round of the season off the back of a hat-trick scored against Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend. Never say never.
What’s next for City? With top spot wrapped up, City will take a week off as the Elimination Finals take place next weekend. Adelaide United will finish third and host one of two Elimination Finals against the sixth-placed finishers, while fourth will take on fifth in the other Elimination Final in the first week of the post-season. Victory are confirmed second-place finishers, while Western United, Canberra United, and Central Coast Mariners remain in the fight for fourth spot on the Ninja A-League table.
Then, City will return to action in the two-legged Semi-Finals. City will take on the lowest-ranked side that progresses to the Semi-Finals across two games for a spot in the Grand Final. The schedule for the Ninja A-League Finals Series is as follows:
Week 1: Elimination Finals (April 25-27, 2025)
Adelaide United (Home) vs 6th Place (Away)
4th Place (Home) vs 5th Place (Away)
Week 2: Semi-Finals leg 1 (May 2-4, 2025)
Melbourne City vs Lowest Place EF Winner (4th, 5th or 6th on ladder)
Melbourne Victory vs Highest Place EF Winner Match (3rd, 4th or 5th on ladder)
Week 3: Semi-Finals leg 2 (May 9-11, 2025)
Melbourne City vs Lowest Place EF Winner (4th, 5th or 6th on ladder)
Melbourne Victory vs Highest Place EF Winner Match (3rd, 4th or 5th on ladder)
Week 4: Grand Final (May 16-18, 2025)
SF winner vs SF winner (Highest Placed Team is the Grand Final Host)
