I personally like the current stadium. Good position, plenty of parking and access to transport.
I can't see NSW or any other government body investing in a new stadium in Newcastle, and it wouldn't make much sense to play in a structure out of town just to have a smaller stadium.
I would actually love to see it finished, like this
Looks like there are 40000 inside, and just as many waiting outside
I just read an article that shows that even the MLS, who's model we seem to be intending on following to a certain extent, only had 7 out of 24 teams turn a profit in 2018/19. That was the hugely supported Atlanta United with $7m, they get 72k crowds at some home games(average 52.5k per game). LA Galaxy managed a $1m profit and they are the most succesful team in the league and probably has the most overseas supporters of any club. The clubs are valued at almost $500 million in some cases but still can't turn a profit.
We really need to not worry about trying to fill these hugely expensive stadiums. Clubs need to get their costs down as low as possible and try to get broadcast deals in whatever countries will watch.
Originally Posted by Jeterpool
But that won't look as great with 9,000 people spread out all over the place like we will have for the next few years. The cost of renting the place won't be any cheaper as well. That stadium would be great if we could afford it, but i'm confident that it will be the death of the club if we are forced to stay there.I would actually love to see it finished, like this
Looks like there are 40000 inside, and just as many waiting outside
We don't even need to go that crazy with it, just seat the ends with a decent rake and call it a day.I would actually love to see it finished, like this
Looks like there are 40000 inside, and just as many waiting outside
Boutique stadium at the Speers Point complex for me, Craig Johnston arena.
That's true - I was speaking from a merely aesthetical point of view. The areas behind the 2 ends are just horrific atm.
And IMO the attendance would be much higher if prices were a tad lower, and incentives were in place permanently (e.g. U16 free with a paying adult).
Create a habit, they will pay in the future...
Hollywood Accounting. I wouldn't be taking the figures any of these organisations release very seriously.
They inflate them to snare new investors and they downplay them to lower tax obligations or to warrant increasing fees / memberships and so on.
The broadcast deals I agree though is where it's at.
Apparently we might be getting sold again soon. Article on theworldgame
Does SBS even do soccer anymore, I thought Tommo had spent all the money on bike races
Quotes from lawrie about it
Bit concerned about a "sydney consortium". Hope this isn't a way for one of the unsuccessful expansion clubs to get a licence.
If Craig Foster is still involved, I will fully support Southern Expansion's takeover of the Jets.
More on Jets EOFY sale:
JUNE 21 2020 - 12:45PM
A-League: Jets set for sale to Sydney businessman bringing end to Martin Lee's four years at the helm
James Gardiner
Football
THE Newcastle Jets are set to be sold to a Sydney businessman with a passion for football, but the multi-million dollar purchase comes with an ironclad condition - the A-League club must remain in the city.
Jets chief executive Lawrie McKinna confirmed on Sunday that a "term sheet" had been exchanged between current owner Martin Lee and the prospective buyer.
"It has been finalised from Martin's side. Now it has been given to their lawyers to go through," said McKinna, who confirmed talks between the two parties had been ongoing since February.
Asked when he expected the sale to be finalised, McKinna said: "It's more likely to be weeks than months. It will be as long as it takes for the documents to go through.
"Then it goes to Football Federation Australia (FFA) for approval. All being well, I'm confident it would be done before the start of next season."
McKinna declined to divulge the sale price - or the identity of the businessman - but it's believed to be well in excess of the $5.5 million Lee paid for the club in 2015.
"He is a businessman and a football guy," McKinna said about the prospective owner.
"He believes in the region and he believes in what the city and the club can do.
"I can assure everybody the club will not be moving anywhere. It is the Newcastle Jets for a reason.
"I first spoke to him before the pandemic and he has hung in there all the way through it.
"He believes in the vision of the club, what we want to do in the area and what we want to do in the A-League."
McKinna, who has previously held talks with groups from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, the UK and the US, said the sale would involve an up-front payment followed by several installments over a set time frame.
Lee has poured $15 million into the Jets since taking ownership from the FFA.
The Jets made the grand final in the second year of his ownership and were on track to achieve a goal of qualifying for the Asian Champions League within three years.
However, Lee's wealth has taken a major hit in the past 18 months. Trade tariffs between the United States and China have impacted heavily on his LED lighting company.
The Chinese government has also put in place restrictions on money being transferred out of the country.
After shutting down his Chinese club Ledman Shenzen, Lee knocked back an offer of $12 million for the Jets in 2019 and has since significantly reduced his funding of the club.
"That was over a year ago," McKinna said. "He was looking for $15m and we had people interested and then the virus came along and changed things a bit."
McKinna said the announcement on Friday of a new broadcast deal with Foxtel to televise the A-League had been a positive.
"Talks were progressing well anyway, but there is definitely a lot more security with a new broadcast deal in place," McKinna said. "It was a real positive."
The Jets have around $2 million in operational debts to clear and McKinna said any shortfall would be taken into account as part of the sale.
"The club would come debt free," McKinna said. "Whatever the settlements is, that money would pay the debts.
"In the talks I have had with the prospective owner about moving forward with the club, he is wanting to invest. He is impressed with what the new coaching staff has done in the short time they have been in.
"He has spoken to Carl [Robinson] a couple of times on the phone. He wants to see a successful team. He will leave the football to the football people, but he will have a presence. He will be at the games. He has even been looking at houses in Newcastle."
Life isn't the same without Con... but it can only improve without Tinks...
1 - "ironclad" guarantees are all well and good, but i'm yet to see one that actually gives the protections people think it does
2 - 'believes in the vision' is a strange term. surely the new owner will have their own vision.
anyway, this is probably a good thing. if lee wants out, then i'm glad he can get out. if the new guy wants to make a big splash and promises not to shift the licence, then i'll take them at their word at the moment.
can't help feeling like we've been here before though.
Anyone have an idea of who it is? Surely its someone who has been mentioned in football circles when expansion was on the cards. Pretty sure there was a big name businessman who was funding one of the expansion wannabes that fell through.
Bruce Gordon was the individual behind the Wollongong Wolves bid. My understanding is he made it very clear to rich dads son and incompetent gallop he was keen on re-establishing the Wolves in to the National Comp. We now know that entire process was not above board apparently heavily influenced by Fox and the two successful bidders were chosen more so Fox could once again use the word derby to promote a fixture.
Gordon is a Wollongong person through and through and made no secret if his money was not good enough for the FFA it would be good enough for a stake in the St George Illawarra franchise in the NRL. He had for a very long time made it clear he wanted to fund the Wolves,Long before acquiring a stake in the NRL.
Given the new Western United lack of general interest, lack of a home base and now apparently there grand plan of building there own stadium ( the key point of there bid ) falling over Gordon has probably had the last lough.
Given the current broadcast circumstances of the game the FFA would have done well to have a bloke like Gordon in there corner assisting them, After all the bloke does have a bit to do with broadcasting, Just a bit LOL.
Here is a extract from a article when he threw his money in to St George Illawarra AFTER getting brushed by those geniuses Lowie and Gallop.
The St George Illawarra Dragons have undergone one of the club's biggest shakeups in 20 years with television network WIN Corporation taking on a 50 per cent stake.
"Support from head of WIN, media mogul Bruce Gordon sees the Illawarra region's longstanding ties to the Dragons kept alive."
Also i could have sworn at one stage Nick Politis from the chooks was an interested person along with some business acquaintances of his.
We won't move.
Anyone with any nous about football in the last 20 years will know that there is no "magic" untapped market in Australia that will boom bigger than a fully funded and performing Newcastle Jets. Why move it elsewhere and where would you do better? Sometimes we don't give ourselves enough credit and ignore what we have actually achieved.
When we have money and when we have success we are in the top 3-4 franchises in the country. Managing money has been our curse.
Only one bloke on this foz constantly makes me laugh Plague and it ain't you - MFKS
We were moving in the right direction under lee's ownership until the whole trade war shite.
Its Con Constantine.
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