It was announced yesterday that Manchester City Football Club, in partnership with the ownership group of the Melbourne Storm, had successfully acquired Melbourne Heart FC.
Dear Members and Supporters,
It was announced yesterday that Manchester City Football Club, in partnership with the ownership group of the Melbourne Storm, had successfully acquired Melbourne Heart FC.
Today, on our first full day, the work has begun to help your Club to fulfill its immense potential both on and off the field, within Australia and beyond.
A lot has been written overnight about Manchester City-s entry into Australian football, the city of Melbourne, and the Hyundai A-League. It is our view that we are at the very beginning of a significant opportunity. There is a lot to be done and we are very excited to start that work today.
The first thing we intend to do is listen, learn and better understand every aspect of the Club. In the last 24 hours, we have met with members of the Club‘s management. We have also met with John van ‘t Schip, his coaches and the players. The Director of Football at Manchester City FC, Txiki Begiristain, and the Director of the City Football Academy, Brian Marwood, have already watched their first training session.
Naturally, this process will also include hearing from fans, members and partners that have supported this Club during its short history. We want to listen and learn first, and take well-supported decisions immediately thereafter.
The one thing we already know is that we will work hard to deliver very good football. Melbourne coaches and players will have access to City-s world-class global football resources, including scouting, coaching, human performance and performance analysis. It is also expected that players and coaches from Melbourne will spend time at the City Football Academy (CFA) – a world-class facility for football training and development that will open adjacent to the Etihad Stadium in Manchester in July 2014.
I understand that many of you will have questions about the future of the Club. We are committed to sharing information with you as soon as we can. However, as I stated yesterday, out of respect for the players and coaching staff in the middle of the Hyundai A-League season, we will not be making any more major announcements until the end of the current season.
In the meantime, we should all ensure that the team on the pitch enjoys all of our support for a strong and successful remainder of the season.
Yours sincerely,
Ferran Soriano
CEO, Manchester City Football Club
