Wellington Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison has denied reports the football club's A-League licence is up for sale.
Wellington Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison. Photo: Photosport
The Phoenix were granted a four-year licence extension in 2016, but on and off-field struggles have led to increased speculation about the club's future.
The A-League is expanding by two teams for the 2019-20 season and Australian media reports last weekend claimed ownership group Welnix is trying to sell their licence to those in the running to be part of that expansion.
While not denying a full or partial sale could take place, in a statement on Tuesday, Morrison said no decision on the club's future will be made until the future of the A-League is clearer.
"As has been well reported in recent times, the A-League is in transition including a significant investigation by FIFA into the best governance model for the FFA and the impacts this will have on A-League and its independence.
''The FFA has a stated desire, noted without consultation with the clubs ..... to expand the A-League. This has instigated a storm of speculation around licences.
''There are a number of parties interested and these parties have been talking to a number of clubs around A-League expansion and licences. Wellington has not been immune to this and it's only appropriate that as a club we keep abreast of all possible options going around the clubs."
When they were granted their licence extension two years ago, the Phoenix were given targets around parameters such as attendance and TV audience in order to gain a further three years.
However, results have continued to be mixed for the team since and the interest around their future has risen again in the wake of what was a poor 2017-18 season where they record just five wins from 27 games and were only one point clear of finishing last.
That meant they were failing to meet the mutually agreed crowd and TV metrics and led to more discussion about the Phoenix's future.
Morrison, though, endeavoured to make it clear that no sale was imminent and put the spotlight back on the way Football Federation Australia were running the competition.
''The Welnix ownership group has invested a significant amount of money and continue to do so including an unprecedented investment into the club's Academy which is A-League leading and is producing some significant player talent, an investment largely unsupported by the national body.
"It is not appropriate for any further speculation and we will not be making any decision on the future of this club until the future of the A-League is clearer which may not be for some time.
"Ultimately we remain focussed on our two key metrics - attendance at home games and viewership on Sky."
