Victorian consortium buys Perth Glory

Perth Glory Football Club has been bought by a consortium led by Victorian property developer Primeland Group, headed by Robert Brij, and new chairman-elect John Nekic.

The Primeland consortium has been selected four months after the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) appointed receivers to find new owners for the Glory.

That was after Perth entrepreneur Tony Sage relinquished ownership of Perth Glory after 15 years.

The sale process was understood to have attracted multiple bids, with the price believed to be more than $20 million.

Mr Brij established Melbourne-based Primeland in 2017.

Its website lists seven projects in the eastern states across the residential, industrial, hospitality and land markets.

Mr Brij’s LinkedIn profile also states he is chief executive of Singapore firm Base2 Capital, which described its activities as sports management and real estate private equity.

“We are honoured to have been handed this great responsibility, acknowledging we are just the third ownership group to lead the club in twenty-seven years,” Mr Brij said.

“We believe in the potential of football, the potential of the A-League and particularly in the potential of Perth Glory.

“At its best, Glory was a representation of Perth and WA and we are eager to reconnect.”

Mr Nekic coordinated the successful bid alongside Primeland Group.

He is a director of two Melbourne-based furnishing businesses and describes himself as a passionate supporter of AFL club Hawthorn and English Premier League club Arsenal.

Today’s announcement said Mr Nekic had been involved at various levels of Australian football for over four decades, as chair, CEO, committee member and adviser.

In his capacity as executive chairman-elect and a co-owner of the Glory, Mr Nekic said he was energised by the support of the state government and local councils in Perth.

“In the first instance, we are eager to engage, listen and understand the opportunities that exist for Glory,” he said.

The ownership changes come after a tumultuous period for Glory, with Mr Sage trying for several years to find a new owner after racking up big losses.

The club was heavily disrupted by the impact of COVID travel restrictions and the renovation of its home stadium in East Perth. In addition, there was a big exodus of players at the end of last season.

Australian Professional Leagues CEO Danny Townsend said Perth Glory was one of Australia’s oldest professional football clubs.

“The incredible volume of interest during the bidding process for the licence is testament to the opportunity that exists for football in Western Australia,” he said.

“Together with the recent announcement of the preferred bidder for Auckland’s expansion team, the strength of interest in the A-Leagues is stronger than ever both domestically and internationally.”

Glory CEO Anthony Radich said the sale came as a great relief, removing the veil of uncertainty over the club.

“We can now move forward positively with renewed hope, energy, and optimism, building our club into the powerhouse we know it can be and deserves to be,” he said.

Formal completion of the sale is scheduled to take place in early November.

Full licence approval is subject to successful completion of the necessary regulatory processes by Football Australia (FA).