Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin confirms Chinese investors have approached SA’s business icon Robert Gerard to buy his share

IT’S been owned by proud South Australians since it was born in September 2003 but now the state’s best soccer club Adelaide United is on the brink of being sold to foreign investors.

Adelaide United Soccer Club’s owners Richard Noble, Rob Gerard, patron Fay Gerard, Bruno Marveggio and Greg Griffin.

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IT’S been owned by proud South Australians since it was born in September 2003 but now the state’s best soccer club Adelaide United is on the brink of being sold to foreign investors.

Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin on Friday confirmed a group of Chinese investors had approached SA business icon Robert Gerard — an equal principal 30 per cent shareholder of the Reds with Griffin — to buy his share of the Reds.

Griffin alluded to also selling his share if there was ever an agreement reached between the Chinese-based investors and Gerard.

“There is a lot of people who talk but when it looks like there is something behind it that’s when everyone gets serious,’’ Griffin said on Friday.

“Rob has been approached 10 times (from investors).

“Rob and I had an agreement we made nine years ago, if he sells I do, and I would like to see how it all pans out.

“There is always interest but I’ll take it seriously once I have to.

“But I haven’t signed a share of sale and there is no agreement without me signing a share of sale.”

Gerard, who was on a fishing boat just out of Ceduna on Friday, backed Griffin’s confirmation.

“There has been an approach and we have had discussions. There is nothing more at this stage,’’ Gerard said.

It’s not the first time Adelaide had been approached by foreign investors.

Trillion Trophy Asia a Hong Kong-based holding company and owners of English championship club Birmingham City was keen on buying the club with an eye on also purchasing Hindmarsh Stadium.

Adelaide United part owner Robert Gerard toasts the Reds.

China’s Ledman Group — a company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation exceeding $1.6 billion — was also interested in buying Adelaide before investing in Newcastle Jets.

Griffin also said the club would not sell to just any investor.

“What I have to think about as well is what is in the long term interests of football in this state,’’ Griffin said.

Five A-League clubs are currently owned by foreigners including Central Coast, Brisbane Roar, Sydney FC, Jets and Melbourne City.

Adelaide has been under the ownership of principal shareholders Griffin and Gerard and 20 per cent shareholders Bruno Marveggio and Dr Richard Noble since 2010.

Fay Gerard is the patron.

Marveggio also owns a stake in Chinese soccer club Qingdao Red Lions since 2016.

The current consortium has overseen the club’s greatest era winning the A-League championship and the Premier’s Plate in 2016, the FFA Cup in 2014 and attracting more than 50,000 fans to two matches at Adelaide Oval — the 2016 grand final and the 2015 clash against England’s Liverpool.

Former Reds chief executive officer Glenn Elliott welcomes new owners Greg Griffin, Bruno Marveggio, patron Fay Gerard, Rob Gerard and Richard Noble in 2010.

The club has also been the A-League’s key development club with a match this season parading eight local players in a starting 11, taking the flavour of the Reds back to SA roots.

Adelaide has also invested heavily in a women’s W-League side which has struggled.

Gerard got the consortium together to buy Adelaide after a call from former Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy asking the philanthropist to take control of the A-League club after a former owner Nick Bianco was forced to hand the club back to the federation after his business was suffering financially.

Bianco bought the club from another SA-based philanthropist Gordon Pickard in 2007 two years after he owned and ran the club once it was granted A-League status for the first season in 2005.

Pickard was the original patron and major financial benefactor of Adelaide United in 2003 when the club was owned by the now defunct SA soccer federation.

The SASF decided to form a brand new club for the now defunct national soccer league after Adelaide City — a three-time championship winner — pulled out of the competition about two months before kick off in 2003.

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