Melbourne Heart....I mean, Melbourne City bought by Man City

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Interesting news today - Heart bought by Man City and - of all clubs - Melbourne Storm!

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/melbourneheart/news-display/Media-Statement/83936

MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB TO ACQUIRE MELBOURNE HEART FC IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OWNERS OF MELBOURNE STORM
• Investment underscores growing profile of the Hyundai A-League and potential of football in Australia and throughout the region

1000hrs - 23 January 2014, Melbourne: A consortium led by Manchester City Football Club has acquired Melbourne Heart FC effective immediately. The consortium also includes the ownership group of the Melbourne Storm as minority shareholders with a 20 percent stake.

Ferran Soriano, CEO of Manchester City, said: “We are excited about the opportunity to make Melbourne Heart one of the most successful football clubs in Australia and throughout the region. We believe the strong sports culture of Melbourne combined with the football and commercial expertise within our consortium will make for a powerful combination both on and off the pitch”.

Bart Campbell, Chairman of the holding company Heart Consortium Group and Chairman of the Melbourne Storm NRL side, said: “Partnering with City to co-invest in Melbourne Heart will further strengthen the sporting landscape in one of the world’s greatest cities and bring a range of new capabilities to AAMI Park. We are excited to be a part of this unique project. It is our shared ambition to replicate the model that City created with the New York Yankees around New York City FC and for both organisations to benefit as a result”.

He added: “We are grateful to Peter Sidwell and his Board for creating a Club with such obvious strengths and potential.”

Speaking on behalf of the exiting Board of Melbourne Heart FC, Chairman Peter Sidwell said, “The Board feels that with the successful establishment and evolution of the Club over the last four years, Melbourne Heart now stands on sound commercial and financial foundations. The Board feels that the next phase of the club’s development can be most fully realised with this new investment and the associated benefits that the enthusiasm of the consortium will bring”.

FFA CEO David Gallop said the acquisition of the Melbourne Heart licence was a huge vote of confidence in the future of the Hyundai A-League.

“Football has moved into the mainstream of Australian sport and is ideally placed to benefit from the boom in football across Asia,” said Gallop.

“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.

“Manchester City and their partners will bring a high level of expertise in football and sports business matters and that can only strengthen the Melbourne Heart and the Hyundai A-League as a whole.”

Regarding its plans for the Club, Ferran Soriano stated: “The first thing we must do is take the time to listen and learn and then to develop our strategy for strengthening the Club over time.”

Out of respect for the coaching staff and the players in the middle of the A-League season, the new ownership group will not be making any major announcements until mid-2014.

Manchester City’s investment in Melbourne Heart FC follows its establishment of New York City Football Club in May 2013, which will enter Major League Soccer in the United States in the 2015 season, and its establishment of Manchester City Women’s Football Club, that will play in 2014.

In support of this expansion, City has significantly boosted its resources in scouting, coaching, human performance, football tactics and other football capabilities, most notably through its landmark City Football Academy (CFA) in Manchester, UK. Due to open in 2014, the CFA will transform the organisation’s training and youth development capabilities and help it to attract the world’s most promising footballers both now and in the future.

What else is interesting? A week ago, MHFC applied for a trademark for Melbourne City FC

 

[dibo]

Huge news.

Good news for an old mate of ours, Mr Tiger, who works for their technical dept.

 

[sydmariner]

Interesting news today - Heart bought by Man City and - of all clubs - Melbourne Storm!

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/melbourneheart/news-display/Media-Statement/83936



What else is interesting? A week ago, MHFC applied for a trademark for Melbourne City FC

So does this mean that they're going to spend 1000000's of $'s & still not win anything ( i.e. robinho)

 

[midfielder]

Should be good news lets wait and see Rangers at the Northern Spirit did not work ... OK NSL V A-League .... on the surface excellent news ... but lets put a wait and see tag ...

 

[eenfish]

I don't really like this at all.

 

[eenfish]

But hey, its not my club and big money doesn't mean results in A-League. Someone on another forum tried to argue that stability in ownership will improve Heart's results, we've had some of the most unstable ownership in the A-League and yet we're consistently strong. So who bloody knows.

 

[sydmariner]

I only hate it cos I'm a Man U fan

 

[dibo]

In a new thread, I've just posted a thought experiment because I'd like to see how people would like the shoe on another foot.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

 

[dibo]

Ha!

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Good article on what this brings to Aussie football
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/f...-for-the-aleague/story-fni2wcjl-1226808309758

 

[eenfish]

Mind you, lets not forget that Man City still runs at a massive loss. Its Revenue is half a mill but its wage bill alone is £1.6 BILLION which. And the entire point that the UAE prince owns them is to push the UAE itself as a brand and attatch itself to a British/global institution, and create a sustainable existence once oil runs out (not as insidious as the Chelsea/Roman relationship but not exactly for the love of football either)

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

The Herald Sun has sunk to a new low, with this Mark Knight comic

 

[eenfish]

That is absolutely disgusting.

 

[dibo]

Cartoonist should be sacked, editor should follow.

 

[dibo]

You know what's most shit about that? There's rich material about human rights abuses that they could have tapped, but instead they looked to the low road, and said to themselves "we can go lower".

f**king arseholes.

 

[Capn Gus Bloodbeard]

Yep. Conveniently, the ACMA website is down for maintenance. I encourage everybody to complain to Herald Sun though, and ACMA once the website is back online.

 

[Roy Law]

I presume that the 20% interest from Melbourne Storm is to provide Melbourne City with the expertise to circumvent the salary cap

 

[adz]

I presume that the 20% interest from Melbourne Storm is to provide Melbourne City with the expertise to circumvent the salary cap

Or how not to. I believe they were caught?

 

[sydmariner]

Or how not to. I believe they were caught?

only just