Melbourne property developer buys Perth Glory
Embattled A-League club Perth Glory will be run by Melbourne property developer Robert Brij and entrepreneur John Nekic, in a multimillion-dollar deal that will attempt to make the West Australian team financially viable.
Perth Glory fell into receivership and its licence was revoked in July after former owner, West Australian businessman Tony Sage, was unable to find new investors. A search for a new buyer has run for the past three months.
Perth Glory has new owners. Getty
The Australian Premier League confirmed reports in The Australian Financial Review on Tuesday that property investment and development group Primeland, which is run by Mr Brij, will take over the club and its licence.
Mr Brijj said he was honoured to become the third owner of the Glory in its 27-year history. Mr Nekic, managing director of window furnishing manufacturer Shadelight, will become chairman of the club.
“We believe in the potential of football, the potential of the A-League and particularly in the potential of Perth Glory,” Mr Brij said. “At its best, Glory was a representation of Perth and WA, and we are eager to… bring everyone along for the journey in what we believe will be an exciting future for the club.”
Mr Brij’s latest purchase comes four months after Primeland acquired one of Melbourne’s best-known boutique hotels, the Brighton Savoy, with plans to redevelop the prime Bayside site into a $120 million mix of luxury apartments and townhouses.
Primeland, which began in 2017, runs a range of projects including a 123-hectare former GM Holden car assembly factory in Adelaide acquired by developer Ross Pelligra in 2017, a boutique hotel development in East Melbourne and a 160-room Holiday Inn in Richmond.
The terms of the deal are
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