Central Coast Mariners receive offers for A-League licence
The Central Coast Mariners could be facing choppy waters after owner Mike Charlesworth received two offers for the club’s A-League licence. PLUS, Macarthur FC eye a Sydney stopper.
A-League
Don't miss out on the headlines from A-League. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Is the Mariners’ time in Gosford under threat?
Central Coast owner Mike Charlesworth is believed to have received two unsolicited bids in the past two months from separate consortiums in both Canberra and Brisbane.
In both cases, the approaches were based on buying the licence that Charlesworth has and moving it away from the Central Coast – a radical move that would require the assent of both the other clubs and FFA.
Stream every game of The 2019/20 Hyundai A-League season LIVE & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Unofficially, a number of other clubs are believed to have indicated they wouldn’t oppose such a move, presumably on the basis they wouldn’t want to be boxed in themselves in the future.
Neither approach to Charlesworth has as yet led anywhere. Though he could not be reached for comment, it’s thought his preference is to stay put, both at the club and on the Central Coast – but attempts to seek more investment into the Mariners from outside sources have so far come to nothing.
There have been wider talks among all the owners about how to get an injection of capital into the league quickly, to bolster attempts to rebrand and market the competition.
Some owners have canvassed the idea of seeking out private equity, though former EPL boss Richard Scudamore has cautioned against this as a first option in briefings to the clubs last week.
An alternative would be to sell a chunk of the league to an entertainment marketing company like IMG, which held discreet talks with FFA previously about doing exactly that.
Sharpening the owners’ minds is a slight but noticeable reduction in their central grant this season thanks to the costs of dividing the A-League from FFA’s control.
The divorce agreement stipulates that FFA must not be worse off proportionally, and the clubs’ grant is likely to be down by more than 10 per cent.
***
One way to get money immediately is from transfer fees, and we hear some clubs are pushing hard to have paid-for moves permitted between A-League clubs as quickly as possible.
It will probably not happen in time for the January transfer window, but expect arrangements to be in place by the end of the season.
IF Vedran Janjetovic thought his first Sydney derby defection was controversial, imagine a second. Whispers are doing the rounds that expansion franchise Macarthur FC are considering trying to recruit the Western Sydney goalkeeper in time for their inaugural season.
The timeline makes sense, given Janjetovic is still sidelined with a recurring shoulder injury and will need months to rebuild fitness.
***
WATCH out Daniel Wilmering’s mum, you have a not-so-secret admirer. This week, Wanderers defenders Dylan McGowan and Daniel Wilmering took “the best friends’ challenge” for the club’s social media channel, but it was the moment Wilmering tried to guess McGowan’s celebrity crush that initially had him stumped.
“She’s not, like, a big celebrity,” McGowan said. “She’s A-list, but down the bottom.” Wilmering, the 18-year-old ball boy-turned-full-back, burst into laughter and walked off screen when his teammate revealed the name … Tracy Wilmering.
MORE NEWS
Fed up Tigers sensationally pull out of race for Latrell
Bogut’s spat with NBL commentator gets nasty
SHOULD Trent Buhagiar play some minutes against Western United on Sunday he’ll be reminded of what might have been.
Before joining Sydney FC from Central Coast and tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, the 21-year-old Gosford-born winger was scouted for the Maltese national team – by Mark Rudan’s assistant coach John Hutchinson.
Hutchinson, who played for Malta, alerted his national team to Buhagiar’s speedy talents and Maltese heritage while at the Mariners. And while Buhagiar has since played several times for the Olyroos, he’s yet to be locked in for Australia at senior competitive level.
Originally published as Central Coast Mariners receive offers for A-League licence