Former co-owner Darryl Kelly and ex-chair Rebecca Frizelle have been unveiled as the new owners of the Gold Coast Titans.
The pair were in a two-way battle with Stuart McAuliffe for the keys to the NRL-owned club in a sale that has been a drawn-out process.
The NRL took over the troubled franchise in 2014 after it ran into financial difficulties.
Kelly lost $5 million after the club’s collapse three years ago, but wanted to remain involved and, along with Frizelle, has worked overtime to keep the ship afloat.
Several prospective owners, including the North Sydney Bears and Brisbane Bombers’ NRL bid team, expressed an interest in taking over the club.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg announced the local consortium, which consists of Darryl and Joanne Kelly and Rebecca and Brett Frizelle, as the new owners on Friday.
The NRL put the Titans up for sale in late August, having already liaised with several interested parties with the process dragging well beyond the original late October settlement prediction.
Greenberg said the consortium was the right one to ensure long-term stability for the code on the Gold Coast.
“We said all the way through this process that our primary aim was to ensure the Titans become a well-run, profitable and successful club for their fans and the local community,” Greenberg said.
“And we have no doubt that can best be achieved under the direction of this consortium.
“They have restored the club to the position where it has a strong future and there is no reason the Titans, with their strong grassroots base, shouldn’t go on to become a powerhouse of our competition.”
Kelly said he would relish the return to his former post.
“I’ve been involved in this game throughout my life at a regional and grassroots level, and while my time with the Titans has been challenging, I genuinely believe we can make a difference now that the ownership has been resolved,” he said.
Frizelle said the plan was to eventually establish the club as community-owned.
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