This week the news broke that….. the Mariners would be relocating?… scratch that, the Mariner’s licence would be handed back to the FFA?… whoops, we think the Mariners licence is for sale?
News agencies were quick to report on the evolving situation with limited facts and they were even quicker to lean into the A-League’s clickbait goldmine – expansion.
Former A-League bids based in Canberra, Wollongong and South Melbourne were sought after for comment and in the end the football public knows… nothing really.
Ultimately nothing is done until its done. The Mariner’s licence has been under-threat before but this time there are two main differences:
- COVID has fundamentally changed the A-League business model with a massive haircut taken on the existing fox deal, and importantly
- The Mariners made an announcement on their official club website.
More recent news about sale talks with Australian businessman Abdul Helou should be taken with a grain of salt – sale talks happen all the time and more often then not they fall through.
In recent times the Mariners reportedly went to Newcastle proposing a merger – this is the level of ridiculousness that can be through around during board brainstorms, but ultimately the only real ‘news’ is action.
Talks of Community Ownership have also appeared in the news but these seem even more unlikely! Let’s not forget Melbourne Victory once sought expressions of interest from fans to buys shares of the club – only to sell those shares privately (likely exploiting the fan’s interest as part of negotiations to get a better price).
Importantly, the Mariners have access to a $40 million dollar Federal Government funded Centre of Excellence and are the main tenants of their Stadium – a unique and financially attractive situation relative to A-League clubs.
However it’s the stadium point that makes things interesting… It’s no secret that the Mariners have been in talks with council to take over management rights of the stadium and this week, tandem with news of owners leaving, was stories about the Mariners proposal.
News can be weaponised, and just like Perth Glory and Adelaide United (who were reported to potentially to leave their stadiums over costs), we still don’t even know if this recent Mariner’s news burst is a negotiating tactic as part of that lucrative and unique stadium management deal.
Are the Mariners leaving? Is this a negotiating tactic? Would the FFA allow the club to relocate?
We don’t know but until we see real action, news items based on minor leaks and speculation should be taken with a grain of salt, or ignored.
The Beautiful Game 