Newcastle Jets will travel to Melbourne to face giant-slaying Heidelberg United in next month’s historic 2025 Hahn Australia Cup final.
Football Australia (FA) has confirmed the venue for the October 4 showdown, with Lakeside Stadium the location for the Jets’ showdown against NPLM VIC Grand Finalists Heidelberg.
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The Jets are featuring in their maiden Australia Cup final after overcoming NPLM VIC premiers Avondale FC in the club’s first semi-final in 12 years.
Next up for Newcastle is a clash with Heidelberg, who have stunned Isuzu UTE A-League trio Western Sydney Wanderers, Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC en route to the decider under former A-Leagues assistant John Anastasiadis.
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Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne.
Mark Milligan’s tenure as Newcastle head coach is in its infancy after replacing Rob Stanton heading into 2025-26 but the Jets’ new era under the A-Leagues great is continuing to take shape.
Never before had the Jets reached the cup decider but in their first semi-final after 12 years, Milligan’s Newcastle set up a showdown against giant-slaying NPL outfit Heidelberg United on October 4 – not only a chance to claim silverware but qualify for the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two.
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“When we sit down at the start of pre-season, you want to go deep into the cup,” Milligan told aleagues.com.au. “Obviously, there are now big rewards for doing well in the cup, but it also means competitive games, albeit different types of games to what you face in the league. Cup football is quite different to league football, but it’s good for us because it’s a little indicator of where we’re at.
“We set pre-season up in three phases. It’s very much about us, first and foremost, creating habits in players to allow us to play the football we want. Giving them the tools to be able to play, so it doesn’t just sort of happen. We’ve had to break it down.
“It’s not easy and you always go through periods where players want to sort of test our resolve a little bit as well, and see how much we really believe in what we’re doing. It’s good to have these competitive games to be able to show them that we’re on the right track, otherwise it’s just us telling them all pre-season that they’re heading in the right direction.
“It’s still going to take time, and by no means is that a cop out, because I still feel like we can get good results whilst we’re becoming the team that we want to be.”
Hahn Australia Cup Final
Heidelberg United vs Newcastle Jets
Date: Saturday, 4 October 2025
Venue: Lakeside Stadium, Melbourne
Kick-off: 7.40pm AEST
Broadcast: Channel 10, Paramount+