Melbourne Rebels to share Tarneit with Western United as part of consortium rescue plan

A private equity-backed consortium led by business heavyweight Leigh Clifford is working on a deal to save the Melbourne Rebels by pumping $30 million into the ailing club and relocating the group to Melbourne’s western suburbs.

Under the plan, the Melbourne Rebels’ women’s and men’s professional rugby club would negotiate with Western Melbourne Group, which would see them sharing the Wyndham Regional Football Facility in Tarneit with the Western United A-League Teams.

Rebels players celebrate a win at Allianz Stadium in Sydney in March.Credit: Getty

The Rebels club was placed into voluntary administration earlier this year as the group’s debts topped $23 million. This included $2 million owed to Victorian government entities the Melbourne Olympic Park Trust and the State Revenue Office.

The Australian Taxation Office claims it is owed $11 million by the club and has issued penalty notices to the club’s directors, which make them personally liable for the tax debt. The administrator from PwC, Stephen Longley, has been waiting to receive a final plan from the rescue team, which will need the support of key players including Rugby Australia and the tax office. Rugby Australia took back the club’s licence when it entered administration.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the consortium said it was closing in on raising between $20 million and $30 million from private equity to invest in the Rebels over a number of years.

The deal has been led by Clifford, a former chairman of Qantas and former chief executive of Rio Tinto, to ensure the sport continues at a high level in Victoria. The federal government and Wyndham City Council have been briefed on the plan.

Consortium spokesperson and current Melbourne Rebels director Georgia Widdup said the move to Tarneit “would be the game-changer that the Melbourne Rebels and the sport of rugby desperately needs in Victoria”.

“We have an exciting vision and a detailed, common-sense plan to grow the sport of rugby in the fastest-growing municipality in Australia,” Widdup said.

“The Rebels are committed to the women’s game, the Pasifika community and important programs for the western region’s youth and this move will enable us to significantly expand these critical areas.”

Melbourne Rebels director Georgia Widdup.

Widdup, who was a lawyer at top firm Minter Ellison for 14 years before joining her father to work at the Clifford family office, said the plan would look towards a sustainable future for the team, the players and the club’s fans.

“This is an opportunity to grow rugby’s grassroots supporter base and attract significant new private investment to make the game sustainable into the future,” she said.

“We are passionate about keeping rugby in Victoria but we realise for the Rebels and the sport generally to thrive we need to innovate and be smarter.”

Jason Sourasis, the chairman of Western Melbourne Group, the parent company of the Western United FC, said: “The Western Melbourne Group’s vision has always been to host multi sports and create a vibrant city underpinned by sports, education, health and wellness.”

Sourasis, who is also executive chairman of Western United club, added: “There are obvious synergies hosting both Western United and the Melbourne Rebels and naturally, we are keen to explore those opportunities.”

The deal will include playing games in the recently opened 5000-capacity stadium and the 15,000-capacity stadium, which is yet to be developed but is anticipated to be ready for the 2026/27 A-League Season and the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

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