October 17 was meant to be dawning of a new era at Perth Glory. Instead, it turned out to be just another debacle in the club’s near three-decade existence.
When Tony Sage relinquished ownership having spent 15 years at the helm, advisory firm KordaMentha was tasked with identifying his replacement. Following an 11-week process, Primeland Group, an Australian-based development group specialising in asset management, were confirmed as the new licence holders.
“Perth Glory is one of Australia’s oldest professional football clubs and we are pleased to welcome Robert Brij and the Primeland Group to the A-Leagues as the club enters a new era,” said then-Australian Professional League (APL) CEO Danny Townsend.
There was genuine excitement at the announcement as Brij and his sidekick, John Nekic, met supporters and posed for photographs at the new Sam Kerr Football Centre.
They spoke about improving facilities, re-engaging the community, and restoring belief in what should be a competition powerhouse.
“We believe in the potential of football, the potential of the A-League and particularly in the potential of Perth Glory,” said Brij.
“At its best, Glory was a representation of Perth and WA, and we are eager to reconnect, especially with the fans, and bring everyone along for the journey in what we believe will be an exciting future for the club.”
Just three weeks later, the deal was off as the consortium was “unable to satisfy certain conditions precedent to the sale transaction”, an embarrassing U-turn for everyone involved.
It has effectively been radio silence from all remaining parties since mid-November as KordaMentha went back to drawing board.
Meanwhile, the form of the men’s team has done little to lift the mood. Back-to-back defeats on the east coast against Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC means it is now 14 road trips without a win. They have picked up just four points from the opening six games and already sit six points outside the finals places.
Things don’t get any easier this weekend as Melbourne City are the visitors to HBF Park and coach Alen Stajcic, an impressive appointment before the season began, is the first to admit that he is still in the early processes of rebuilding the team.
“It’s always a process,” he said. “There’s no magic wand to make sure it happens this week, or next week, or the week after.
“You just really have to knuckle down and do the hard work and little bit by little bit put those building blocks in place, which is what we’re trying to do.”
The problem for Stajcic and Glory is that without direction from ownership, the club is treading water. This season is already heading for a write off, and the longer the debacle goes on, the more impact there is likely to be on the next campaign too.
With a new team entering the competition next season in the form of Auckland, and plans for a genuine National Second Division ramping up, Glory are in serious danger of sinking into irrelevance.
It should be noted that the A-League Women’s team are enjoying a fantastic start to the season under Alex Epakis and sit in second place with 13 points from a possible 18. The buzz around women’s football is something that needs to be harnessed by a stable ownership group.
Football participation rates at grassroots level are increasing year-on-year in Western Australia but that interest in the sport hasn’t translated into more support for the state’s only professional club. Nor will it any time soon.
“Stability is the key; fear of the unknown is probably one of the biggest fears we can have as humans,” said Stajcic in the lead up to the first game of the season.
Almost six months after Tony Sage’s departure, that fear doesn’t look like subsiding any time soon.
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