A topic of hot discussion has been the sale of the Western Sydney Wanderers, off field the team has been a runaway success and great ties with the wider community being forged. The FFA must choose wisely who they sell this club to. @jeremy1337 looks at some of the candidates.
Another week of drama has seen the sale of Western Sydney Wanderers take unexpected turns. It was confirmed on Thursday that the FFA had almost immediately rejected a bid that had come from the Penrith Panthers. This was later followed by interest from Marconi (former NSL team). It was also reported that the Mounties were initially offered the club but it subsequently proved too much of an investment for them (they are probably kicking themselves now). Finally, there was a rumoured bid from Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and the passionate existing members of the Western Sydney Wanderers also tabled a bid which could potentially see them acquire 51% stake of the club.
Firstly however, let us analyse at the impact rugby league clubs could potentially have on the Red and Blacks and furthermore how much of a role they can have on the Beautiful Game in general. We have the Panthers group whose major reason for wanting the game is to just get upgrade of their less-than-perfect stadium. To be far though, the impact league clubs they are not just about rugby; their participation and contribution to the local community is promising and should be done more often by A League teams.
West Ashfield Leagues club are currently bankrolling APAI Leichardt (A football team playing in the NSW league) and without their backing, APAI Leichardt may have folded by now. Parramatta Leagues were also the backers of former NSL team Parramatta Power. Mounties, who were initially handed the Wanderers on a platter but refused, also field a rugby league in the NSW cup. Notice a theme on how a league/community clubs can have both a rugby league and football teams, but having a team in the NRL and A-League wouldn’t be ideal for football, as the NRL operations will usually get the majority of funding, and major conflict of interest would occur. We can’t risk Wanderers playing second fiddle to the likes of Panthers, Parramatta, or Canterbury or the possibility of funding being redirected to keep a NRL team sustainable .
We then turn our attention to the Marconi interested. The club has deep football roots and would have a better understanding of how a football club is run more so than a leagues club. The issues raised with their bid is many Wanderers fans could consider leaving the club, as NSL wounds are far from healed. I honestly think we can’t have a club with strong NSL associations for at least another 20 years in the A-League unless significant efforts by the club are made to remove those ethnic roots which are still prevalent. However, this simply is not the case. The wounds from the past haven’t yet healed and from what I hear Marconi lack the funds. I would totally be against any debt on the club, anyone interested in buying the Western Sydney Wanderers must be in a position to have significant funds in their kitty, not just looking to purchase the club and increase their overall debt.
Sources also tell me that foreign clubs such as Borussia Dortmund are looking at buying the Western Sydney Wanderers. This is an interesting concept, but very unfamiliar territory. The benefits could be providing a direct path to a European giant such as BVB but it could backfire significantly. This would be new territory for the both the FFA and BVB. I would need significantly more detail about this bid before making a comment but the last thing I want is someone sitting in an office from Dortmund making key decisions, who can’t even locate Sydney on the map.
Finally we have a bid by Western Sydney Members looking to purchase a 51% stake of the club. This would be an ambitious bid and let’s be honest, really unlikely we could get the funds for this bid. It also raises questions about the other 49% stake on hand. Would the FFA be prepared to continue to own part of the club as a silent partner or would it come from another source? What happens in periods of loss?
My personal opinion is that we sell 60% of the club to a large group of investors/rich individuals who are from Western Sydney and are people who understand the culture. I believe at least 20% of it should go to fans buying shares (and more if demand), so fans can be heard. I believe 2 lots of 10% (or 5%) should be given to 2 strong community clubs in Greater Western Sydney region who would have the financial power to cover losses and step in if the major owner goes broke or decides to quit (someone like Nathan Tinkler).
This would also work as insurance policy if the main backers were to leave, we could have community clubs with financial power to step in until new owner is found if required. Finding the right community club is very difficult but with FFA employing UBS I am confident they are more than up to the task of doing this.
My proposal would result in fans having ownership, a strong main backer and community clubs working as insurance policy who are ready to step in in case of a potential fiscal mess.
