“Plans for private ownership of A-League still on table after FFA talks with US firm

The A-League could fall under the private ownership of a global sports management firm with Football Federation Australia not ruling out selling off a stake in the competition to bring investment into the game. The A-League is braced for a major financial blow should broadcaster Fox Sports walk away from the final three years of its TV deal and is already looking for alternative revenue streams.
The Sydney Morning Herald can reveal a third-party private ownership model will be seriously considered as a means to draw much-needed investment into the league. FFA has already laid significant groundwork to sell a stake in the competition.

An evaluation was conducted last year that deemed the A-League worth between $100 million and $120 million. After that evaluation, FFA held talks with two overseas-based firms about selling between 30 per cent and 51 per cent of the A-League. The identity of one of those firms remains unknown but, according to sources close to the negotiations, the other was American sports marketing firm IMG. The New York-based company has a history of buying into sports competitions, having launched the Indian Super League in 2013. IMG part-owned the ISL until 2018.
 Discussions cooled in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic struck but had not died. There is a strong chance those talks will be revisited if Fox Sports pulls the plug on its 15-year partnership with FFA by terminating its $57 million a year broadcast deal.
 FFA declined to comment on negotiations with Fox Sports when contacted by the Herald but senior sources at the organisation did not rule out selling A-League equity if the TV deal was cut short. A-League clubs, FFA and the players union remain in the dark about Fox Sports' intentions. The pay TV provider did not make its final quarterly payment of this season's deal, which was due last week.

The A-League is suspended indefinitely due to the pandemic with FFA vowing to resume the season only when it gets the green light from federal and state governments.
 Meanwhile, private investors are also circling A-League clubs in the hope of a finding a bargain. Park Lane, a US investment bank which specialises in helping cashed-up clients buy sporting teams, is keeping an eye on all major Australian sports, including football, and has already made an informal approach to one A-League club. ....”

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/soccer/plans-for-private-ownership-of-a-league-still-on-table-after-ffa-talks-with-us-firm-20200424-p54n1g.html