The plans for the new Auckland A-League franchise have taken a dramatic twist, with a stunning late bid associated with an English Premier League club.
After six months of negotiations, discussions and meetings, which had seen a high-powered local consortium emerge as the frontrunners to take the licence for the team from the 2024-2025 season, there was a significant development in recent weeks.
The Herald understands that the owner of an EPL club has entered the race, which could significantly up the financial stakes involved, as Australian Professional Leagues, the governing body behind the A-League Men and A League Women, consider the respective offers.
Given the timeframe of the bid, it’s unlikely to have significant detail behind it, with the scale of what will be required to set up two new teams (male and female) and the infrastructure behind it, including sponsors, commercial and football staff and players in less than a year.
But the potential Premier League investors are likely to have no shortage of financial resources, which could catch APL’s eye and delay their decision.
The EPL is the richest football league in the world and one of the most lucrative sporting competitions on the planet. Fourteen of the 20 clubs have offshore owners and the majority are billionaire individuals, investment groups or state-backed sovereign wealth funds.
The move could be interpreted as a setback for the local consortium, though not necessarily insurmountable, given the individuals involved.
It’s understood they were close to getting the green light a few weeks ago, as negotiations had almost concluded with APL, before the emergence of the late offer.
American tech entrepreneur and Breakers minority owner Marc Mitchell is believed to be leading the local consortium, along with long-time former ASB Classic boss Karl Budge. Highly respected Auckland City FC chairman Ivan Vuksich is also understood to be involved.
The licence fee to join the league was initially priced between $20 and $27 million.
While there have been various initiatives and hopes for a team for years – with Vuksich a driving force behind the scenes – those dreams came closer to reality back in March, when APL chief executive Danny Townsend announced the intention for two new teams, in Auckland and Canberra.
Auckland was seen as a large, untapped area and the biggest new market available. It came out on top in numerous metrics, including population base, commercial opportunities and participation numbers.
The A-League ownership model includes the existing 12 clubs, the Silver Lake group and Viacom CBS. Auckland hasn’t had an A-League franchise since 2007, when the New Zealand Knights folded and the license was moved to Wellington. The Knights had completed two seasons, preceded by the Football Kingz between 1999-2004.
In March Townsend told the Herald the APL envisaged the new club would have a mix of local investors and international backers. He acknowledged that football clubs tended to attract interest from around the globe but said a local flavour was critical. Townsend initially set a soft deadline of July.
That confirmation of APL’s vision kickstarted a flurry of activity in football, sporting and business circles here, which eventually resulted in the consolidation of an impressive network. The group is believed to include;
- Mitchell, an American technology entrepreneur and lawyer, who has settled in Auckland. Has a shareholding in the Breakers, along with other local and international investments in the tech, media and sporting space. He is listed as the sole director of Auckland Football Limited, a company that was set up in July.
- Budge, who worked for the Australian Open and WTA tours, before becoming ASB Classic tournament director in 2012. He took the event to new heights over eight iterations before stepping away in 2021. He is currently the Asia-Pacific director for Sail GP.
- Vuksich, one of the most respected figures in Auckland club football, Vuksich has been the driving force behind Central United and Auckland City for decades. A big factor behind Auckland City’s 10 appearances in the Fifa Club World Cup, which was highlighted by a third-place finish in 2014, he has unparalleled knowledge of the local landscape.
Others believed to be involved include property developer Alex Sipka, who has been Vuksich’s business partner in a proposed A-League venture in Auckland for several years, since the duo registered a company, Auckland FC in 2021.
All Birds founder and former Wellington Phoenix and New Zealand representative Tim Brown has also been linked with the project, though the nature of his involvement is unclear.
The group has already presented their proposal to New Zealand Football. They have also met with Northern Region football and club representatives.
Their plan is for the team to be based at Go Media Stadium Mt Smart. They would need to share the facility with the Warriors, though the respective seasons only overlap for a short period and there are perceived to be a lot of advantages.
When contacted, Budge said he was unable to comment on his possible involvement.
In an interview with the Herald several weeks ago, Vuksich confirmed his ongoing interest in an A-League venture but wasn’t able to go into specifics. “It’s not something I can talk about right now,” said Vuksich.
Earlier this month NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell told the Herald that everything was heading in a positive direction but there was still “further steps to be taken.”
At the time of writing, Townsend was unable for comment when requested by the Herald.
Absolutely nothing in that article sorry Mike. 😅
