Mike Charlesworth has put the Central Coast Mariners on the market - and the buyer could end up being one of his fellow A-League chairman.Credit:Getty Images
Both the Mariners and Jets are on the market,with chairmen Mike Charlesworth and Martin Lee keen to divest themselves of their respective A-League licences as soon as possible.
If no suitable new owners are found,then those licences could end up being bought by the likes of the City Football Group,Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow,Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro or any other A-League chairman or ownership groups who wish to contribute to the cause.
The proposed trust would be funded by the members of the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association,the umbrella body representing the current owners of the soon-to-be 12 A-League clubs.
Prior to the A-League's independence vote,licences would traditionally revert to Football Federation Australia control when an owner was no longer able to fund the operations of a club,or when FFA moved to strip an owner of their licence for legal breaches.
Chinese lighting magnate Martin Lee is keen to offload the Newcastle Jets to a new owner.Credit:Getty Images
The APFCA fund would potentially serve that same purpose as a licence holder of last resort - or,as sources say has also been mooted,it could purchase licences from wantaway or underperforming owners,nurse those clubs back to full health,and then on-sell the licence at a profit to a new owner.
The idea is reminiscent of what occurred during the early years of Major League Soccer in the United States. MLS was on the brink of extinction two decades ago but the future of several troubled clubs was secured when other owners agreed to take them over and foot the bill to keep them running.