THE Newcastle Jets are set to enter a third A-League season in the unique position of being bankrolled by the owners of four rivals clubs.
An American consortium, led by Brett Johnson and Jordan Gardner, were in April reportedly close to finalising a takeover.
The Newcastle Herald understands talks with that group, which stretch back to February 2021, are ongoing but there are other potential bidders for the licence.
Jets executive chairman Shane Mattiske confirmed on Tuesday that there were "a number of different parties interested in the club".
"We have always said there will be a transition at a point in time, but it will be a transition to the right owners for this club," Mattiske said. "It is pleasing to see that there is interest. It is also important that the discussions with potential owners are progressed carefully.
"When the APL-based ownership group came in 20 months ago, the indication was that they would take their time to find the right owners."
Mattiske dismissed the perception that the Jets were at a disadvantage under the current ownership model.
"The owners have invested in building a strong club here," he said. "We have a very strong playing squad that has a greater spend than the Jets have ever spent. In hard cash terms, we are spending well above the salary cap.
"We are assembling a women's team that will also be really competitive.
"The owners recognised that there was work to do to get the club back to where it should be. They also recognised the strength of the club and the community."
Asked if there was a deadline on the current owners financial commitment, Mattiske said: "this was never a short-term focus for the owners".
"We have a growth plan over a three-to-five year period," Mattiske said. "The owners are supporting that. There is a plan to be at break even and build for sustainability. We are well into executing that plan. When we have talked to potential partners that has been an important part of the presentations."
Head of Australian Professional Leagues Danny Townsend said the Jets were in a stable position and reiterated that the sale process was lengthy.
"Newcastle Jets has stable ownership, albeit temporary, and the club has continued its evolution despite the unprecedented challenges of the last three COVID impact seasons," he said. "There is a significant process of due diligence to undertake on any new owners, and we will continue to communicate when it is suitable to do so. It is in everybody's interest to have strong and stable ownership of A-Leagues clubs - for the league, the fans, the players and the community.
"Following the separation from Football Australia, the clubs own what they are investing in and we are now able to attract high-quality and committed investors."
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COVID-19 has hit the A-League hard in the past two seasons. Crowd numbers and membership have dropped to all-time lows across the board. The Jets average attendance at McDonald Jones Stadium last season was 4843, more than half the 9070 in the 2018-19 season before the pandemic struck.
However, Mattiske said the club was now gaining momentum.
"We have sponsorship to a level that is a record for this club in terms of value," he said. "We are building a strong membership program, and coming out of COVID-19, we are confident it will grow.
"There is more work to do and we continue to look to the community to support us in terms of attendance and membership. That is part of building a strong, sustainable club.
"If this club is growing through the support we get through our fans, our members and corporates, then the future is really strong.
"It means we will have strong owners because people will want to be involved in the club. But if people stand back and wait before they step in to support the club, that makes it more difficult to bring in the right owners.
"Everyone acknowledges that there should be a transition to a future ownership model, but it is important that everyone in the region gets behind the club."
"We need support in terms of attending games and supporting the team."
