Chief executive Lawrie McKinna is continuing talks with potential buyers for the Newcastle Jets and does not expect the emergence of the Central Coast Mariners on the market to impact negotiations.
Mariners owner Mike Charlesworth revealed on Tuesday that he intended to sell his majority sake in the A-League club.
The Jets have been for sale for the past 18 months. Term sheets were exchanged with a Sydney businessman in July only for the deal to stall.
McKinna has since received interest from another parties and said news that the Mariners were also hunting for a new owner would not change his course of action.
"I'm still talking to the same people," McKinna said. "It makes no difference to us. We are concentrating on what we are doing."
Mariners chief executive Shaun Mielekamp said keeping an A-League presence in Gosford was "paramount," but conceded Charlesworth could consider offers from other regions.
"If there is a massive offer and a massive opportunity from another region that's here, I know it'll be looked at," Mielekamp said.
McKinna said from the outset that the transfer of the Jets licence would be on the provision that the club stayed in the Hunter.
The Scotsman was the Mariners' inaugural coach and spent five successful years at the helm and another as the football and commercial manager and believes it is essential that teams remain based in both regions.
"Both teams over the years have shown they can be competitive," he said. "Both teams have history, both teams have won a championship.
"I know there are people who want to take the [Jets] licence elsewhere because I have been asked in the past. The answer is no."
Mielekamp rejected reports Charlesworth had put a $4 million price tag on the club and was confident he would secure a sale, rather than having to consider handing back the licence to Football Federation Australia.
"I suppose that (handing back the licence) is an option, it's always been an option available to Mike - but he's never triggered that," Mielekamp said. "The fact that we do have a lot of confidence that there will be offers and there are people we've been speaking to for a period of time now, we think that'll grow and take that out of control."
The Mariners are nailed to the bottom of the ladder - collecting their fourth wooden spoon in five years - and have averaged crowds of 5500 at home.
Jets owner Martin Lee knocked back an offer of $12m a year ago.
Meanwhile, McKinna said there was no chance of the Jets' final game of the season against Wellington on August 13 being switched back to McDonald Jones Stadium.
The clash is technically a Jets home game but was moved to Sydney's Jubilee Stadium to lessen the travel for Wellington, who have been in a "bubble" in Sydney for two months.
Phoenix's game against Brisbane Roar on Wednesday has been switched from Sydney to McDonald Jones Stadium due to border restrictions in Queensland.
The Queensland government has deemed greater Sydney a COVID-19 hot spot and the Roar would have to self isolate on return.
"They don't want to have to quarantine when they go back to Queensland," McKinna said.
A crowd of nearly 2600 was on hand for the Jets' 1-0 win over Western United on Sunday. And with the clash against Wellington potentially deciding if the Jets make the finals, McKinna would love for it to be at home.
"Ours was the biggest crowd to date since the return from COVID," McKinna said. "The biggest before that was at the Wanderers game last Friday with 2100.
"We have asked FFA to move our game but they said no. They just said this is the draw. Wellington, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and the Melbourne teams have also had home games taken away."
IN THE NEWS:
-
Belmont South stabbing: Court hears Justin Fuller 'murdered half-sister's partner' at Lake Macquarie
- KNIGHTS | Bradman Best has been sidelined indefinitely after suffering a syndesmosis injury in Storm defeat
- Victoria and NSW coronavirus updates: 12 new cases in New South Wales, 436 in Victoria
- Nelson Bay man charged with drug possession, resisting and breaching public health order for travelling to and from Victoria
