Perth brisbane

MELBOURNE: The 2021 Australian Open could be moved to later in the year due to COVID-19 but tournament director Craig Tiley told Reuters that organisers are confident of hosting the Grand Slam in its usual January slot with full prize money and fans in the stands. Melbourne is in the midst of a full lockdown after a second spike in COVID-19 cases but Tiley and his team have been working since shortly after the 2020 edition finished to draw up strategies to ensure next year's tournament goes ahead. Ticket sales will start in October and five "bio-secure bubbles" will be opened across the country six weeks before the tournament begins to allow players arriving in Australia to avoid the most restrictive quarantine measures, Tiley said. "We're going to open our bio bubble from the first of December and players can come at any time," Tennis Australia's (TA) chief executive added in a video call. "When the players arrive, our expectation is they're not going to be in a hotel for 14 … [Read more...] about Tennis: Five ‘bubbles’, 400,000 fans and full prize money at 2021 Australian Open

SYDNEY: Western United striker Besart Berisha has had quite the run in the A-League with four championship titles in seven years but even he is not quite sure if he is wide awake or living in a dream at the moment. Berisha's side, playing in their first season in Australia's professional soccer competition, have advanced to the semi-finals where they face Melbourne City FC on Wednesday. Reigning champions Sydney FC face Perth Glory in the other semi-final, also on Wednesday. "What a story," the 35-year-old said after an Alessandro Diamanti freekick gave them a 1-0 victory over Brisbane Roar that propelled them into the semis. "We are in the semi-final in our first year in the league. We keep dreaming. Let's see where the story ends. I hope very far." Western United were little more than a concept 18 months ago and Berisha was one of three veteran players, including Diamanti and defender Andrew Durante, signed by coach Mark Rudan to provide them with experience. "It's … [Read more...] about Western United’s Berisha daring to dream – again

MELBOURNE: The A-League will reintroduce the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for its post-season starting Saturday and stage all playoffs at Parramatta Stadium in western Sydney, Football Federation Australia (FFA) said on Tuesday. The A-League has been played without the VAR since resuming in July after a nearly four-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The VAR's absence has seen a number of contentious decisions go unchecked, drawing criticism from Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay. It will be re-deployed for the weekend's playoffs featuring Phoenix on Saturday and Western United on Sunday, which will be played at closed stadiums due to COVID-19 precautions, the FFA said in a statement. Phoenix and Western United's opponents will be one of Brisbane Roar or Perth Glory, depending on the result of Western's last regular season game against Melbourne City on Wednesday. The FFA said a limited number of spectators would be permitted for the semi-finals, which will be … [Read more...] about A-League to reintroduce VAR for playoffs

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir passengers flying from selected cities in Australia and New Zealand are now allowed to transit through Changi Airport. SIA announced on its website that such transit flights are only for outbound journeys and will take effect from Thursday (Jun 11). READ: Singapore Airlines, SilkAir reinstate flights for some destinations in June and July READ: SIA rolls out enhanced COVID-19 safety measures as travel set to take off again "Passengers will not be able to transit from other points in the SIA Group network through Singapore into these cities," said the national carrier. The cities in Australia include Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth (via Scoot) and Sydney, while the New Zealand cities are Auckland and Christchurch. Transfers are also only allowed on flights between airlines within the SIA Group - SIA, SilkAir and Scoot. Currently, transfers to and from flights operated by other airlines are not allowed. "We are … [Read more...] about SIA, SilkAir passengers from some Australian, New Zealand cities allowed to transit through Changi Airport

SYDNEY: Premier Plate winners Sydney FC remain confident they can win their fifth A-League title as the regular season looks ahead to its final match before the playoffs begin next weekend. Sydney were beaten 2-1 by Western United FC on Saturday to end their regular season, having only picked up five points out of a possible 18 in the six games they played since the A-League resumed last month after a COVID-19 shutdown in March. They have not won any of their last five games, but had built up enough of a buffer before the shutdown to ensure they sealed their fourth Premiers Plate three weeks ago as the top-placed side in the regular season. "I still believe this side will win the Grand Final," Sydney coach Steve Corica told reporters. "They are Premiers for a reason ... but we've set our sights on two trophies." Sydney have qualified automatically for the semi-finals, which will be played on Aug. 26, and captain Alex Wilkinson acknowledged they would need to tighten up in the … [Read more...] about Inconsistent Sydney still confident of clinching A-League title