Primeland Group-led consortium confirmed as new owners of Perth Glory

Staff Writer
Primeland Group-led consortium takeover of Perth Glory
Image credit: Venues West

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has today confirmed that a Primeland Group-led consortium is the new owner of Perth Glory Football Club.

Within an 11-week process that started from July 2023, the APL has identified Primeland Group as the successful bidder to takeover Perth Glory’s licence and club ownership.

The Primeland Group-led consortium is headed by Robert Brij and John Nekic, who will be directly involved in the running of Perth Glory.

A business magnate, Brij is chairman of Primeland, a developer specialising in building and investing in sustainable and visionary projects.

Nekic will be the Executive Chairman-elect of Perth Glory and was involved in the bid alongside Primeland Group. John is an entrepreneur who’s been associated at various levels of Australian football for over four decades, holding a range of roles as Chair, CEO, Committee Member and Adviser.

Primeland Group is an organisation with worldwide links, having a presence in Australia, Singapore, UK, India, UAE and Europe. Their portfolio of work features real estate, hotels, business parks, luxury residential developments, private equity, movies and media production.

In an official media announcement, all key stakeholders spoke about the new era this ownership represents.

Australian Professional Leagues CEO, Danny Townsend:

“Perth Glory is one of Australia’s oldest professional football clubs and we are pleased to welcome Robert Brij and the Primeland Group to the A-Leagues as the club enters a new era.

“The incredible volume of interest during the bidding process for the licence is testament to the opportunity that exists for football in Western Australia. Together with the recent announcement of the preferred bidder for Auckland’s expansion team, the strength of interest in the A-Leagues is stronger than ever both domestically and internationally.

“We are grateful to the Western Australian Government for its strong support during this transition period and into the future. I also want to acknowledge and thank the fans for their passion for the Glory and club management, staff, players and coaches for their dedication and commitment.

“The club has been focused on their preparation for the 2023-24 season and has already kicked off the women’s season with a win in its opening game. We wish the new owners, the club and Perth Glory fans all the best for the seasons ahead.”

Perth Glory Owner, Robert Brij: 

“We are honoured to have been handed this great responsibility, acknowledging we are just the third ownership group to lead the club in 27 years.

“We believe in the potential of football, the potential of the A-League and particularly in the potential of Perth Glory.

“At its best, Glory was a representation of Perth and WA, and we are eager to reconnect, especially with the fans, and bring everyone along for the journey in what we believe will be an exciting future for the club.”

Perth Glory Chairman Elect and Owner, John Nekic:

“We are energised by the support of the WA State Government and Local Councils and their desire to engage and work with us on helping Glory realise its full potential.

“Perth Glory’s role in the history of Australian football is profound, born from the inspiration of the Perth Kangaroos, and played a key role in the formation of the A-League. We want to continue that trailblazing spirit. In the first instance, we are eager to engage, listen and understand the opportunities that exist for Glory.”

Formal completion is scheduled to take place in early November. Full licence approval is subject to successful completion of the necessary regulatory processes by Football Australia (FA).

Perth Glory’s opening match in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men is against Newcastle Jets on Sunday October 22 at 4:45pm (AWST) 7:45pm (AEDT). In the Liberty A-League Women, Perth Glory won their opening match, and will play the Newcastle Jets on Sunday October 22 at 2:00pm (AWST) 5:00pm (AEDT) in a double header at HBF Park in Perth.

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Serie A to stay on DAZN and Sky screens to 2029

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Image via Getty images

DAZN and Sky will retain the rights to broadcast live Serie A matches in Italy for the next five seasons after Italian clubs accepted bids worth at least 4.5 billion euros ($4.8 billion).

After four months of discussions, the Serie A teams convened to examine final bids from streaming services DAZN and Sky, which totalled around 900 million euros each year until the conclusion of the 2028/2029 season, barely below the existing agreement’s yearly worth.

Seventeen of the 20 clubs backed the offer but the decision drew sharp criticism from Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis.

“It’s a total defeat for Italian football, these deals will be the death of Italian football. The problem is being a borrower or an entrepreneur. The entrepreneur must know how to measure the risk area, it is more convenient but this will never implement the value of Italian football”, he stated via press release.

Serie A earns around 930 million euros every season from the sale of its TV rights in Italy under a three-year contract that expires next June, with DAZN once again taking the lion’s share. DAZN will exclusively carry seven Serie A games each week (266 out of 380 matches per season). The remaining three will be carried by DAZN and Sky (114 matches per season).

In recent months, Serie A explored the creation of a media platform to distribute matches to other TV outlets as well as the launch of a home-run live video subscription service.

Torino chairman Urbano Cairo was all for the deal claiming the league was correct to continue the partnership.

“Figures were below our initial expectations and below our current contracts, but I think we were right to continue our relationship with Sky and DAZN. Creating a Serie A TV channel now, would had meant adding further risk to a risky business he stated via press release,” he told reporters.

When some variable components tied to revenue sharing are included, the new contracts may match or even exceed the value of the present contracts and reach 1 billion euros.

Strategic Plan 2023-2026 launched by Football West

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Football West Strategic Plan
Image via Football West

Football West recently announced the launch of their 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, a documentation affiliated with Football Australia’s One Football Strategy that will set the direction for football in Western Australia for the coming years.

The plan will see Football West improve the game under five essential departments:

  • Participants and Clubs
  • Elite Teams and Pathways
  • Fans
  • Unifying Football
  • Asia and the Sam Kerr Football Centre

Participants and Clubs

The first pillar has the aim to make Football the most accessible sport in Western Australia where everyone can play anytime, anywhere.

There are key targets set such as: Increase registrations by 5% per annum, increase participation by 3% per annum and have 95% of clubs and associations with a completed affiliation agreement (presently 82%).

Another key focus is the development of women and girls football which isn’t surprising after the recent Women’s World Cup success. Football West set a goal of 42,500 additional women & girls playing football across the three year plan.

Elite Teams and Pathways

This pillar focuses simply on the development of talent at all ages in a bid to improve the quality of the game in Western Australia.

The focus areas are Delivery of a state-wide Football West Academy program, Frequent and consistent talent identification opportunities and High quality coach development pathway

Fans

Football West is focusing on optimising the fan experience and grassroots to improve attendance numbers and social media engagement.

Unifying Football

They will develop a resourcing model that allows for the servicing of responsibilities between Football Australia and Football West, formalised in a Service Agreement

Asia and the Sam Kerr Football Centre

Football West will look to improve international exchanges with Asian countries and use the Sam Kerr Football Centre to secure sponsorships and play big matches there by 2026.

Football West Chairman Sherif Andrawes mentioned the vision that the federation has for the future of football across all levels.

“We are excited to present the Strategic Plan to the WA football community. This is a vision that will see football move forward in tandem with Football Australia but with a strong WA focus,” Andrawes said in a statement.

“Football is in a great position across the state. We saw during the FIFA Women’s World Cup and, more recently, when the CommBank Matildas played in Perth, that our sport is unique in its widespread appeal. This passion can be felt across all areas of the game.

“We want to be bold and ambitious, and the Strategic Plan gives us a strong base from which to deliver on that.”

Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell was excited to announce how the Strategic Plan would be implemented successfully.

“This Strategic Plan is a real statement of intent and one we are proud to deliver. Harnwell mentioned in a Football West statement.

“Football is more popular than it has ever been in Western Australia, in terms of participation, inclusivity and popularity, and we should all be proud of this. However, we cannot rest on our laurels.

“As a governing body, we want to make our game even more accessible, so we can inspire a new generation to love football. That comes through hard work, consultation and direction, all of which are key to the Strategic Plan.”

The Strategic Plan is well set out and focuses on the current struggles the federation is having at grassroots level. Partnering closely with Football Australia will help them achieve the ambitious goals set out to improve both the state and national foundation.

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