Sydney FC Ownership History

In 2004 Soccer NSW announced a bid for the A-League

In November 2004 Sydney FC were accepted into the A-League, with Soccer NSW holding 25% and Private Investors holding 75%

In December 2004 Soccer NSW pulled out of the consortium over concerns regarding autocratic management style, home ground location and dilution of interest to 25%.

As at 2004 Traktovenko was a founding shareholder of the club with a 15% holding.

In 2007 Traktovenko bought out the shares of property developer Peter Turnbull, increasing his stake to 22%.

In 2008 Frank Lowy bought out the shares of actor Anthony LaPaglia, increasing his stake to 52%.

In 2009 Traktovenko and healthcare magnate Paul Ramsay purchased share in the club from Frank Lowy.

In 2012 Traktovenko became the club’s majority owner.

In 2015 Traktovenko increased their stake in the club to 88% after purchasing 28% of the club by acquiring all of Ramsay’s shares.

In 2019 Traktovenko again increased his stake in the club via Strada Investments after purchasing the 10% interest held by the Lowy Family Group.

In 2022 Russian it was made apparent that David Traktovenko had transferred ownership of the club to his daughter Alina Traktovenko and son-in-law Scott Barlow. 2% of the club however remained in the hands of the Crismale family and two other Australian shareholders.

Insights

Sydney FC has a fascinating ownership story. It is one of the few A-League clubs to never be bailed out by the FFA, and interestingly it’s original founders, Soccer NSW, dropped out of the club before it was set up.

The involvement of Frank Lowy was also always contentious, as his concurrent role as FA chair stirred claims of conflict of interest. The club however has always been the glamour club of the league, and the increasing involvement and prolonged interest from the Traktovenko family is a testament to this.

Limitations and considerations

Information has been accumulated based on publicly available reports and may not be entirely correct. The timing of reduction in Lowy’s ownership is unclear, neither is his initial or peak ownership. The original foundation group of investors is also unclear.