Recent media reports have mooted the possibility of either full or partial community ownership of the Wanderers and its executive chairman Lyall Gorman told Western Sydney Business Access (WSBA) that the groundwork to enable such an ownership structure is already underway.
“The Club’s Constitution is still being reviewed to see how this might be facilitated. This is a very important consideration around the club’s future and a decision that cannot be taken lightly or rushed,” Gorman told WSBA, adding that the club has been totally football-focused over the last month with its involvement in the A-League finals series.
“It continues to consider a raft of options for the future capitalisation of the business including exploring community ownership models, private equity and a combination of both.
“It is expected that over the next couple of months a firm view will be formed in this regard and the initial steps of transitioning ownership of the club will commence.”
Gorman said there had been “a heightened level of activity” from a range of multi nationals in relation to partnering with the club from year two onwards. There is a lot of competitive tension in this regard,” he said.
“And now that the season has ended the club looks forward to advancing these discussions and forming the best possible amalgam of like-minded partners, not only focussed on outcomes for themselves but also focused on creating outcomes that are mutually beneficial across the board to all partners, including, of course, the club.”
Of course, whether a sporting club has been able to fulfil the expectations of its commercial partners is often best gauged from the (genuine) views of its principal sponsor.
NRMA Insurance would have to consider this the ultimate in sponsorship investments – committing to a three year arrangement with a club, which at the time was a complete unknown, has ultimately left its executives looking like visionaries.
The impressive amount of publicity the club has garnered in its first year across all forms of media has left a shine on NRMA Insurance, which holds the naming rights for the Wanderers.
“The NRMA Insurance is contracted as our major partner for a further two years,” Gorman said. “They are absolutely delighted with the outcomes of the partnership with the club which have far exceeded their initial expectations and hopes.”
Of course, getting a real view from a corporate on something in which they are commercially involved can often be a difficult task but actions do in this case speak louder than words.
Last month, NRMA Insurance posted an online video to its Facebook page with “five tips on how to keep your home safe” featuring three Wanderers players, a ringing endorsement of the NRMA Insurance believes its brand is represented to the market by the club.
You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s15cgdu1DJ8%20
There won’t be any slackness off the park in the coming months as the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers looks to consolidate its growing fan and member base and it reputation, even among football critics, for being the most exciting thing in Australian sport.
“We will be launching membership in the next few weeks for next season and are expecting significant take up by the community and are targeting record membership numbers for the club,” Gorman said.
“We are also about to launch our corporate hospitality and business event calendar for the year. We seek the full support of the western Sydney region to continue to allow us to grow our business and produce remarkable outcomes on and off the field across all parts of Western Sydney.”
FFA chief executive David Gallop recently told The Australian Financial Review that – as owners of the club - the organisation would probably look to sell the Wanderers next year.
The newspaper cited a value of up to $20 million for the club. “Our intention is to sell it, but there is no rush,” Gallop told the AFR.
“Yes, we have had approaches from here and abroad for the club but they have been preliminary approaches. We are still deciding on what [sale] model is best. It could be that we look at a hybrid model where there is some sort of fan ownership involvement.”
Top spot on the ladder means the Wanderers will take part in the Asian Champions League next year and Gallop said along with performing well above expectations this year, the club’s financial performance would similarly be better than first thought.
The club is set to record a loss of about $1 million in its first year, compared with the $1.5 million to $2 million forecast by the FFA at the beginning of the season.
“There’s no doubt the Wanderers have been the most successful club in any Australian sport this year,” Mr Gallop said.
