Manchester City confirm their first January acquisition: Melbourne Hearts FC

Manchester City FC

Manchester City make their first acquisition of this transfer window. Wait, before you jump to conclusions on whom they have bought. They have purchased a football club, because buying football players is too mainstream.

Manchester City Football Club have acquired Melbourne Hearts FC, in a partnership with owners of Melbourne Storm. The consortium, which acquired Melbourne Hearts FC, also includes minority shareholders, Melbourne Storm with 20 percent stake in the ownership group, confirmed their official website.

Manchester City, CEO, Ferran Soriano, said: “We are excited about the opportunity to make Melbourne Heart one of the most successful football clubs in Australia and throughout the region.

“We believe the strong sports culture of Melbourne combined with the football and commercial expertise within our consortium will make for a powerful combination both on and off the pitch.”

Chairman of the holding company Heart Consortium Group and the chairman of the Melbourne Storm NRL side said, “Partnering with City to co-invest in Melbourne Heart will further strengthen the sporting landscape in one of the world’s greatest cities and bring a range of new capabilities to AAMI Park.

“We are excited to be a part of this unique project. It is our shared ambition to replicate the model that City created with the New York Yankees around New York City FC and for both organisations to benefit as a result”.

“We are grateful to Peter Sidwell and his Board for creating a Club with such obvious strengths and potential.” he added.

Peter Sidwell, Chairman of the exiting Board of Melbourne Heart FC said:

“The Board feels that with the successful establishment and evolution of the Club over the last four years, Melbourne Heart now stands on sound commercial and financial foundations.

“The Board feels that the next phase of the club’s development can be most fully realised with this new investment and the associated benefits that the enthusiasm of the consortium will bring”.

David Gallop, FFA CEO highlighted the importance of the acquisition of Melbourne Heart license towards the future of the Hyundai A-League.

“Football has moved into the mainstream of Australian sport and is ideally placed to benefit from the boom in football across Asia,” said Gallop.

“Manchester City and their Australian partners have made a strategic investment and I welcome them to our growing competition. It’s another sign that the world is taking notice of Australian football.

“Manchester City and their partners will bring a high level of expertise in football and sports business matters and that can only strengthen the Melbourne Heart and the Hyundai A-League as a whole.”

Ferran Soriano also commented on the plans for the club:

“The first thing we must do is take the time to listen and learn and then to develop our strategy for strengthening the Club over time.”

No major announcements will be made by the new ownership group until mid-2014, out of respect for the coaching staff and players, in the middle of the A-League season.

Manchester City had previously established New York City Football Club in May last year, which is set to enter the Major League Soccer from the 2015 season. They had also established the Manchester City Women’s Football Club, which will play in 2014.

Manchester City have remarkably boosted their scouting, coaching, human performance, football tactics and other football capabilities, through its soon to be opened City Football Academy in Manchester, UK. The CFA will help the club in attracting the world’s most promising footballers from 2014. The CFA is also set to transform the organization’s training and youth development capabilities.