Newcastle Jets have been put up for sale in a bid to secure a long-term, sustainable future for the financially troubled A-League club.
The Jets have been controlled since early 2021 by a group made up of several other A-Leagues clubs, after Martin Lee - who had owned Newcastle since 2016 - was stripped of his franchise licence over unpaid debts and a lack of investment.
Former NRL executive Shane Mattiske was placed in temporary charge by the consortium of owners - led by Sydney FC, Western United and the Western Sydney Wanderers - and has worked to stabilise the club.
The club's men's senior side kicked off their A-League season with a 2-2 draw away at Perth Glory on Sunday night, courtesy of a dramatic 92nd-minute equaliser from Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, while the women opened their campaign with a 1-0 win at Central Coast on October 14 before losing 1-0 to Perth on Sunday.
The Jets, who say sponsorship income has doubled over the past two years and that they are on target to achieve 8500 members by the end of the season, have now begun the process of transitioning to new, permanent owners.
“When they stepped in to support the Jets, the owners were focused on building stability, establishing growth and sustainability and finally to support the transition to a more permanent owner," Mattiske said in a statement on Monday.
"Now is the time for the final part of that plan to take place.
"They’ve delivered on that plan and now we can confidently move to new ownership and a bright future.”
