Western United, the A-League club, has been placed in 'conditional hibernation' by the Australian Professional Leagues, forcing them to sit out the 2025-26 season. The decision was made due to the club's financial and operational issues, which have cast a shadow over the new season. The club's owner and operator, WMG Football Club Limited, was placed into liquidation by the federal court last week, and the club is facing a winding up order. The APL said that placing the club's men's and women's teams into a period of hibernation would enable all parties to move forward with more certainty for the new season. The fixture lists for both men's and women's competitions will now be drawn up without Western United, and announced next week. The club intends to still run its academy during the hibernation period. The decision allows members of the current Western United playing group to seek alternative employment for next season while the transfer window is still open. The APL's executive chair, Stephen Conroy, said that the decision was made to allow the club to work through its legal and regulatory proceedings and re-establish its financial and operating position. The club has agreed to release the players, and the APL sees great value in the potential of Western United, which has had great success on the pitch and has an important pathway for emerging young talent in the Victorian football community. The club's statement read that this is not a farewell, but an investment in their future, a proactive move that will empower them to reset and come back revitalised.