Pelligra Group were formally unveiled as the new owners of Glory at a press conference at HBF Park on Sunday, seven months after the club was placed into receivership when owner Tony Sage relinquished his licence.
Group chief Ross Pelligra, along with WA Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti, Minister for Sport David Templeman, APL chairman Stephen Conroy, and Glory CEO Anthony Radich spoke to the local media about a new era for the club.
Saffioti spoke about this being a new chapter for football in Western Australia, and emphasised that throughout receivership, her government wasn’t prepared to have a situation where there wasn’t an A-League team in WA, and were delighted that the Pelligra group had become the new owners.
“On behalf of the State Government to all those football supporters out there, of which we know there are tens of thousands, we have a new chapter. We have a state government that’s very willing to support the game into the future. There’s the investment in the Sam Kerr Football Centre, the investment in the upgrades of change rooms and other facilities for the women’s game around the state and we really want to make sure that Perth Glory can be the Glory team of the nation.” she said.
Sports Minister David Templeman echoed the sentiment shared by Saffioti.
“(The) investment by the Government (means we have) a football centre of excellence and now a new owner of our wonderful Perth Glory, so I am just so excited about the opportunities that are created through this announcement, very excited about what it means for children and young people who love the game, and those who haven’t yet experienced the game,” he said.
“We now have the opportunity to build the numbers, build the support, build the passion, and build the excitement going forward.”
New chairman Pelligra mentioned that he was keen to purchase the club given its long history and the enthusiasm of the local support, and that he wants to reconnect with the local community to re-ignite the passion for Glory.
“(We need to) understand how we can create the football club for the people of WA. This is a club that belongs to WA in the hearts of WA people and we’re going to make sure that it’s got the ownership of the local people,” he said.
He has already made his first steps in reconnecting with the base, offering 3000 free tickets to children under the age of 16 for the next home game.
Pelligra also mentioned that his team would be looking at ways to increase the number of home games for the women’s team at HBF Park, as well as developing young female talent as they currently do with the Perth Glory boys’ academy.
“(We will) look at how we can try and change that and see how we can make sure we get more games here (HBF Park), and with the young juniors, we’re going to see how we can potentially get that to grow, (but) it’s going to take time and it’s not something that we can do overnight, but it’s our goal.”
There are many things for the club to work on as it tries to get itself back on an even keel, but this new appointment has already given a new sense of optimism around the club. How this translates to results on the field is uncertain, but there can only be an upward trend in feelings about the club off the field.
