"I think it's (AAMI Park) ultimately where we will land this year. We are making positive progress towards a resolution of that in future years, which would see us get access to Etihad Stadium. There is a little more work that needs to happen but all the signs are good. "It's highly unlikely that we would move the game away from Melbourne ... at this stage we are planning that if it eventuates we will play the game at AAMI " Gallop acknowledged that the length of the season – the grand final on May 17 is the latest finish ever – has meant that some momentum has been lost, especially as the rival football codes of the AFL and NRL have hit their straps. But he believes that the three weeks of the play-offs will galvanise media and fan interest so this season will finish with a bang. "We should acknowledge that as the season has gone deeper into May than ever before. It's been difficult to maintain our TV ratings and crowds at levels we would have liked. But there are number of things that point to a healthy future and rusted-on fans."

Social and digital traffic has increased by 17 per cent, he said, while the Socceroos' success in the Asian Cup – one of the reasons why the season has dragged on as there was a three-week break for the tournament – and Western Sydney Wanderers victory in the Asian Champions League had made this a season to remember. "The last couple of weeks have been dominated by the Perth Glory issue, but that's now been put behind us. And there's some lessons for all clubs in relation to salary cap compliance and corporate governance. "We are not investigating any other club but we are certainly conscious that we need to stay vigilant around the salary cap. We will continue to monitor clubs and take seriously any information that is brought to us." Gallop said he was confident that despite its commitments to certain players, he did not anticipate any difficulty for Perth in complying with the cap next season, and he pledged that protecting its integrity would continue to be a key issue for the A-League regulators next year. "You can never guarantee that every club is salary cap compliant, but what we can guarantee is that if there is evidence of any club being over the cap or not disclosing payments we will drill down into it quickly. There is no evidence of other clubs breaching the salary cap this year. I don't anticipate any further issues arising but I can't guarantee that."

The fact that a team such as Brisbane could conceivably win the championship from sixth place having lost more games than it has won was not an embarrassment, he said. "We are comfortable with the top six and the fact that it generally means there is interest right up to the end of the home and away round. The sudden death nature of our finals series is exciting and we don't see any need to change it. "There's no doubt that its been an unusual year with the impact of the Asian Cup and other sporting events. It's made it difficult to keep attention on our competition at the levels we would have liked. But the final six augurs well for a spike in interest over the next month."