Australian Professional Leagues chairman Stephen Conroy has put the heat on potential owners of the Newcastle Jets and a new Canberra team to get deals done, saying the A-Leagues will not prop up floundering clubs.
The Jets have been supported by a consortium of rival clubs since former owner Martin Lee was stripped of his licence in January 2021, but are in negotiations with a new buyer.
The future of Canberra United’s A-League Women team, currently run by state body Capital Football, is uncertain amid the hold-up with a bid for an A-League Men licence – and whether the new club would absorb the women’s team.
Conroy indicated Newcastle and Canberra’s futures needed to be sorted within the next month to allow the league to plan for the 2024-25 season – and wouldn’t rule out the possibility of either club folding if that didn’t happen.
Football club consortium FC32 are Newcastle’s would-be buyers.
A Newcastle Herald report on Monday said FC32 had agreed to a sale price, but that a lack of clarity from the APL on matters including the salary cap, competition structure, financial distributions, and the future of the broadcasting deal was stalling the process.
Conroy dismissed the report as the respective parties trying to gain “leverage through the newspapers”.
“They’ve been in negotiations. The APL has no direct say … (they) have been in discussions for a long period of time,” Conroy said on Tuesday.
“(Newcastle’s current owners) didn’t buy it to keep it permanently. They bought it to keep it alive and then sell it. It’s been three years, it’s disappointing it hasn’t been sold yet. The negotiations are reaching the very pointy end.
“The alternative … we supported Perth (as they awaited their recent sale), and it’s great to see Perth back and alive, but we’re not in a position that we can underwrite another club.
“The Perth support showed that we shouldn’t be part of an ownership group. We shouldn’t be propping up one club. We don’t have the financial capacity to do this for clubs as they go through their challenges.
“We’ve got to get our organisation in order and the clubs have got to do the same.”
Conroy said it would be a “terrible tragedy” if the Jets weren’t in the A-Leagues next season. “We need to know by relatively soon whether this is going to be a club that is going to play next season or not,” he said.
Conroy insisted the Canberra licence bid was “well, well advanced”.
Matildas striker and Canberra star Michelle Heyman last week said players would walk if not soon given certainty over their futures.
The APL chairman said he understood the frustrations but insisted Canberra’s future lay in the hands of Capital Football, especially if the bid didn’t get up.
“The problem is if we don’t have a bid, we don’t have a bid. So Capital Football have got to decide what they’re going to do,” he said. “I remain an optimist that the Canberra team, which has got legendary performances over many years, stay in the competition.
“The absolute best way is for there to be a purchase, a new franchise which they can fold into. But if that doesn’t come up … the A-League is unfortunately not in a position where we can underwrite clubs.”
Sheffield WesDay
Roar Rookie
If Canberra didn't have an owner lined up, why were they given the nod as the expansion team? Surely when bringing in new teams to a competition that is based on private ownership, you would ensure that first and foremost........ YOU HAVE AN OWNER. If they did not have an owner lined up than what criteria did they have in place to convince APL they they were viable over other bids?
ASFC
Roar Rookie
Correct Chris, it’s becoming obvious some want the AL to fail. But it won’t. Provided the league expands to a minimum of 16 teams and introduces P/R at some point and it will because the 2nd division is finally being created. Have the APL and FA made mistakes..yes. But I don’t believe they want to remove the Jets and the Canberra bid. I think both organisations have learnt from the Fury and Gold Coast United days. That was handled poorly and hopefully never again. Yep, sadly teams come and go. But for some reason it means the death of the entire AL. Yet, in the AFL that talk is never mentioned. The Bears and the lions died long ago and the AFL show goes on..
chris1
Roar Rookie
Spot on. The A League will be here for a while much to the annoyance of a few people. Clubs come and go in even the most football crazy countries. You don't hear about the end of the league in these countries. Even rugba league teams come and go!
NoMates
Roar Rookie
2 years tops!
Waz
Roar Rookie
Alarmingly the question is not will we have a men’s team in ALM next season, but it’s will we have a women’s team in ALW next season? It’s incredulous to me that on the back of the biggest wave of interest in women’s football ever, the APL is incapable of catching the wave.
Waz
Roar Rookie
There are common reasons why the NSL and ALM failed - I’m not sure anyone in Sydney gets that so yes, we likely will end up with NSL2.0. Which will also fail. Nothing changes, if nothing changes.
Jordan Sports Fan
Roar Rookie
Yep, imagine expanding in this way… New MLS teams are given years to prepare, none of this “sign on the dotted line now or your out for next seasom” business. Admittedly Sacramento did fall over after being announced. A bye would be undesireable next season, but not the end of the world to ensure Canberra eventually gets a team.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
NSL 2.0
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Meanwhile, Townsend was burning through money like there was no tomorrow – with the APL board, Townsend’s boss, sitting on its hands. Does anything seem odd here :shocked:
ASFC
Roar Rookie
Waz, what a load of rubbish. The end of the AL is not near. I have read so many articles about this false prophecy. The end is near..yet Perth Glory have new owners..Auckland FC has put money into the league..the 2nd division is being created so eventually P/R can finally occur..Newcastle Jets and Canberra to have owners shortly..add another 2 teams to the AL to make it 16..yet you think the FA and the APL are going to shut the shop so they can throw away the keys? I'm sorry, that is total fantasy. Newcastle and Canberra will have owners, it's just a typical media beat up. To buy a club takes time and most importantly to find the right owners too. No one said they have 4 weeks to find owners..The chair of the APL didn't give a date, he gave an example, a hypothetical. All he did was express his frustration over a process the APL are not fully in control of..Both teams are currently in negotiations with buyers and there has been interest previously. The APL wants money, so selling these licences are in the best interests of the APL and the league. This is the media reporting its annual dooms day report about the AL. I tell you it's getting old.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
I think that Vanderberg guy has a lot of explaining to do. Can he explain why he was working for the ad agency that Danny Townsend paid to produce that ridiculous song at top dollar and then transfered over to work for the A-leagues. Where I assume the cut backs then meant he was gone. There is nothing wrong with the Newcastle situation as far as I see it. The owners appointed Stanton as coach and whatever he is up to is there doing. Remember the last act before they went to the APL was to use Lowy's structure to strip the previous owner and they effectively got the club for free.
Waz
Roar Rookie
The end of the A League is near, it will need a huge stroke of fortune or some very deep pockets to save it.
Brendan
Roar Pro
For the men’s game, Auckland FC seem like the bargaining chip. Suddenly the Jets are expendable. Paramount still have their weekly games, regardless of a bye. Central Coast need Newcastle, & vice versa. The F3 derby is a highlight of the A-League calendar.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
There are a few ways Newcastle and Canberra plays out. Newcastle and Canberra find owners hopefully this happens. Newcastle finds an owner but Canberra dose not, Canberra fold and APL look elsewhere for an expansion team. Canberra finds an owner, but Newcastle does not, Newcastle folds and APL look for an expansion team to replace Newcastle. Both Newcastle and Canberra fold league stays at 12 teams with Auckland essentially taking Newcastle's place.