New owners?

The only team for me - Adelaide United F.C!
Discuss the best football club in Australia!

Moderator: Moderators Group

User avatar
shinAUFC
Forum Moderator & Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 9354
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:51 pm

Re: New owners?

Postby shinAUFC Sat Sep 15, 2018 11:51 am

The videos posted about the clubs 15 year anniversay and formation in the nsl were fantastic.

They really went in depth and covered things that long term fans would be interested in .

Regardless of onfield performances i feel like the old days are making a comeback reminiscent of pickard and bianco and its taken a dutchman and chinese investors to make it happen.

The one gripe i have which is not the new owners fault at all is all this emphasis on rebuilding the youth academies and producing our own talent....

We have just had 2 La masia veterans run this club (with distinction) but did not capitalise on any potential legacy from their work.

If only the stars aligned and we had gombau and amor at this club with owners who moved to the same beat.
Ppl who slap the label of truth on the 1st thing they hear, do it out of ignorance, convenience or cant be bothered picking through a thin layer of falsehood to find the real truth, or possibly even another lie
The voice in our head is the final judge
User avatar
Stuckey
Forum Moderator & Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 17515
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 12:29 pm
Current Favourite Adelaide United Player: Whichever Toure is playing
Favourite Adelaide United F.C. Song: Sha la la lala lalaaaa AUFC!
Location: REDelaide
Contact:

Re: New owners?

Postby Stuckey Mon Sep 17, 2018 10:11 am

The videos posted about the clubs 15 year anniversay and formation in the nsl were fantastic.

They really went in depth and covered things that long term fans would be interested in .

Regardless of onfield performances i feel like the old days are making a comeback reminiscent of pickard and bianco and its taken a dutchman and chinese investors to make it happen.

The one gripe i have which is not the new owners fault at all is all this emphasis on rebuilding the youth academies and producing our own talent....

We have just had 2 La masia veterans run this club (with distinction) but did not capitalise on any potential legacy from their work.

If only the stars aligned and we had gombau and amor at this club with owners who moved to the same beat.
Yeah I agree. Although Kurz does appear to be focused on development to an extent. He mentioned he'd rather see the money the FFA spent on Honda go to an additional youth player on each HAL squad's bench.
I still believe the only way AU will ever compete with the big club's in the HAL is thru a strong focus on bringing young players thru the ranks so I hope this is something the club keeps working on.
Time to Djbate!
User avatar
Old Gregg
Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 3539
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:50 am
Current Favourite Adelaide United Player: Cassiooooooooooo
Location: Learning about Cuba and having some food.

Re: New owners?

Postby Old Gregg Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:29 am

Interesting article by Bonita Mersiades - an overview of each club's ownership.

http://footballtoday.news/features/long ... gue-owners

Here's the section relevant to Adelaide United:
Adelaide United

Although Adelaide United Chairman, Piet van der Pol, has worked in football for 15 years, it is unlikely that he has ever been in roles where he earned enough to be able to afford an A-League club license and its subsequent operational costs. He is on the record as saying that the investors include two other Dutch nationals and one Chinese national, including one of the Netherlands’ richest men, but they wish to remain anonymous to "protect their privacy".

It is unclear why Adelaide United is not transparent about their ownership, and it is almost as mysterious that Adelaide United fans seem happy not to know.

Van der Pol is President and CEO of Qingdao Red Lions in Shandong province, a club he formed with Rob van Eck and former Adelaide United Board member, Bruno Marveggio in 2016. The club's naming rights sponsor is Fortschritt, a German company listed in Hong Kong, that manufactures agricultural machinery.

Adelaide United is owned by Australian Football Opportunities Pty Ltd which in turn is owned by the Hong Kong registered Global Football Opportunities. The sole director of each is given as the 47-year-old van der Pol.

The initial shareholder and first director of Global Football Opportunities was Rob van Eck who, like Martin Lee, has substantial business structures in Shenzhen, China, where he has been based for 13 years.

Amongst other things, van Eck is the Managing Director of Smart Brands International, which is involved with the development, production and worldwide distribution of high quality consumer goods under major retail brands including Goodyear, Dunlop and Grundig.

He is also involved with a number of similar companies, including Shenzhen Intra Industry, a trading group that exports products for retailers worldwide, working closely with Dutch family-owned trading company, EDCO, and Shenzhen ATR. EDCO is owned by the Adriaanse family, and the head of SZATR is Mr Yu Li Dong. It is understood that van Eck, Adriaanse and Yu were co-directors in a company known as Jaliro International (made up of the first two letters of each of their given names - Ja Li Ro) which is also involved in import/export.

Van Eck established Global Football Opportunities in October 2017; van der Pol was made the sole director in February this year. Via Adelaide accounting firm, Tilbrook Rasheed, van der Pol established Australian Football Opportunities in February with the initial transfer of shares to Adelaide United taking place on 7 March.

The directors of Adelaide United and Australian Football Opportunities are van der Pol and David Rasheed, who is also Company Secretary.

Ownership

Netherlands: 75%; China 25%
I don't understand much about the business world but it looks like a tangled web of companies and subsidiaries ... should we be worried about how opaque it all is & the lack of info about the anonymous investors behind the scenes?
All I need is some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine.
User avatar
shinAUFC
Forum Moderator & Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 9354
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:51 pm

Re: New owners?

Postby shinAUFC Fri Oct 19, 2018 11:52 am

Ive actually wondered why Val hasnt pressed hard on this issue.

I imagine the article is already written just waiting for the first sense of a crisis at the club.

They are valid points though, it would be nice to know where the money is coming from. Much the same if we were owned by a russian oligarch.
Ppl who slap the label of truth on the 1st thing they hear, do it out of ignorance, convenience or cant be bothered picking through a thin layer of falsehood to find the real truth, or possibly even another lie
The voice in our head is the final judge
otto62
Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 1709
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:12 pm
Current Favourite Adelaide United Player: Isaias

Re: New owners?

Postby otto62 Fri Oct 19, 2018 12:37 pm

Personally, I'm not too interested in who the owners are, or how much money they have, or what industries they make their money in. As long as they're not fraudulent or involved in an industry like armaments, gambling, sex, cigarettes or alcohol.
User avatar
mcjules
Forum Moderator & Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 3505
Joined: Wed May 16, 2012 10:06 am
Current Favourite Adelaide United Player: Bruce Djite

Re: New owners?

Postby mcjules Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:06 pm

Personally, I'm not too interested in who the owners are, or how much money they have, or what industries they make their money in. As long as they're not fraudulent or involved in an industry like armaments, gambling, sex, cigarettes or alcohol.
You contradicted your first statement with this. Regardless, I feel the same but because I don't know who they are I can't be sure about them. In all likelihood they are not involved in anything I'd find morally or ethically objectionable but there's still doubt there.

I didn't really like Bonita's assertion that "Adelaide fans are happy not to know" because I think there are plenty of us who do want to. It's just a honeymoon period at the moment where fans are optimistic about a chance for change.
User avatar
Old Gregg
Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 3539
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:50 am
Current Favourite Adelaide United Player: Cassiooooooooooo
Location: Learning about Cuba and having some food.

Re: New owners?

Postby Old Gregg Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:13 pm

yeah that's it, just having a little breather until the next wave of pessimism holds us down :)
All I need is some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine.
User avatar
RedRebel
Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:52 pm

Re: New owners?

Postby RedRebel Fri Oct 19, 2018 2:43 pm

Personally, I'm not too interested in who the owners are, or how much money they have, or what industries they make their money in. As long as they're not fraudulent or involved in an industry like armaments, gambling, sex, cigarettes or alcohol.
So can we definitely rule out that we are not owned by a group called Argasecial? Hope so 😊
User avatar
shinAUFC
Forum Moderator & Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 9354
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:51 pm

Re: New owners?

Postby shinAUFC Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:38 pm

I have respect for mersiades, so im curious if she knows more than she may be able to publish?

Also agree that its a little rough on AUFC fans that she is assuming we dont care. I suspect this issue is on a slow boil and will come to a head at some stage
Ppl who slap the label of truth on the 1st thing they hear, do it out of ignorance, convenience or cant be bothered picking through a thin layer of falsehood to find the real truth, or possibly even another lie
The voice in our head is the final judge
ZANZIBAR
Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 2870
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2011 11:30 am
Current Favourite Adelaide United Player: Owen Goal
Location: Adelaide

Re: New owners?

Postby ZANZIBAR Fri Oct 19, 2018 7:01 pm

Anyone watch Ozark on netflix. this makes me think of that
otto62
Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 1709
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:12 pm
Current Favourite Adelaide United Player: Isaias

Re: New owners?

Postby otto62 Fri Oct 19, 2018 9:37 pm

I think the article implies that the named people and businesses are the likely owners.
User avatar
RedRebel
Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:52 pm

Re: New owners?

Postby RedRebel Sat Oct 20, 2018 2:19 am

I think the article implies that the named people and businesses are the likely owners.
Spot on, I think so too.
User avatar
blahblah
Forum Moderator & Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 5928
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:30 am
Current Favourite Adelaide United Player: the kit bag guy
Favourite Adelaide United F.C. Song: Bound for South Australia
Location: Japan

Re: New owners?

Postby blahblah Sun May 31, 2020 9:51 am

I do hope that our owners are not getting jittery in relation to the China-Australia diplomatic spat.
User avatar
sevengoals
Forum Moderator & Proud Adelaide United Supporter
Posts: 18484
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 2:38 am
Current Favourite Adelaide United Player: all of them
Favourite Adelaide United F.C. Song: Expand the league now!
Location: Austria

Re: New owners?

Postby sevengoals Sun May 31, 2020 9:29 pm

I do hope that our owners are not getting jittery in relation to the China-Australia diplomatic spat.

Oh ...

But politics and sport should never mix ?

:wink:

And there is a SantaKlaus.
And the Easter Bunny.
And let's not forget Big Foot and the Bunyip are a couple ...


:mrgreen:
" There was, he added, no room for spin, showmanship, hubris or “any of the feelings of invincibility” that so often shackle nations with an imperial past ... " - - -

Pies: 3867

No Roots, No Growth!

Return to “Adelaide United F.C.”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 36 guests