The Football Federation of Australia have confirmed today that Manchester City and their Australian partners have been allowed to acquire Melbourne Heart’s license in the A-League. This means that under the terms of the transaction, the new owner will assume any responsibilities of the previous owners of the Australian club. FFA CEO, David Gallop seems to have high hopes for the budding partnership, and believes this purchase by the Premier League side is just the vote of confidence A-League football needed to grow exponentially from now.
With football now one of the main sports in Australia along with cricket, Gallop believes that the A-League is “ideally placed to benefit from the boom of football in Asia”. This investment from England will allow them to do so, as more money will be put into the Melbourne club, allowing them to develop.
“Manchester City and their Australian partners have made a strategic investment and I welcome them to our growing competition. It’s another sign that the world is taking notice of Australian football”, is another belief of the FFA chief. He believes that because one of the current giants of football have decided to expand across the world into a league which is somewhat of an unknown quantity in the football world, it is a sign that many believe there is a lot of financial benefit to be gained from the A-League.
Gallop also believes that City’s and their partner’s experience in running a football club so successfully – as has been demonstrated with a holistic approach this season, with The Blues still challenging on four fronts – will strengthen both Melbourne as a club being bought, and also the league on the whole too.
The Australian partners also mentioned are known to also be part of the ownership group of Melbourne Storm, a National Rugby League club based in Melbourne. However, these two companies will not be merged, and will most definitely stay as separate entities, competing in different sports. David Gallop is relaxed about the situation, saying “there may be some common directors between the Heart and the Storm, but we are comfortable with the plan that the Heart will be largely a separately operated business, similar to the arrangements in Newcastle with the Jets and the Knights.”
Gallop certainly seems confident that Manchester City share a similar vision to the CEO of the Football Federation. He says negotiations began over a year ago, with both Gallop and the FFA chairman, Frank Lowry, impressed with the professional manner of City and their partners. “The new owners are taking a long-term view of this investment, which fits perfectly with our strategic plans for the A-League and the growth trajectory of Australian football”, showing Gallop’s confidence in the deal.
All quotes were taken from the official Football Federation Australia website - http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/
