Finals and youth firmly in focus for Newcastle Jets new owners

Maverick Sports Partners, headed by experienced football administrator Maurice Bisetto, have taken control of the Jets, who have been funded by the owners of rival A-League clubs since 2021.

Bisetto confirmed that Stanton and Ryan Campbell, who took the women's team to a historic semi-final berth, had been retained.

Stanton said at the end of last season that his young team, who finished 10th in their first campaign under his coaching after six wins, 10 draws and 11 defeats, had "a lot of potential" and had "laid some good foundations".

The Jets have 11 players contracted for next season, including recruits Aleks Susnjar, Eli Adams.

Kosta Grozos, Callum Timmins, Lachy Bayliss and Phil Cancar have been offered extensions.

Captain Brandon O'Neill, attackers Archie Goodwin Reno Piscopo and Trent Buhagiar and defenders Lucas Mauragis, Jason Hoffman and Carl Jenkinson have departed.

Asked if the Jets could make the finals next season, Bisetto said: "Yes, of course."

Bisetto has already met with Stanton.

The salary cap for the men's competition is expected to stay at $2.6 million. However, there is strong speculation that the annual grant that each club receives could be as little as $500,000 - down from $2 million last season.

"We were aware of the situation around the revenue and club distribution going into the acquisition of the Jets," Bisetto said. "We have levers that we can pull to flex and be agile around whatever decisions are made. Given the contractual nature of the player squad, it is probably not going to come from there."

Bisetto said in a bid to become sustainable the Jets would put a strong emphasis on developing players through the academy, with the potential to sell them to overseas clubs.

Teenage women's star Emmas Dundas and men's youth team captain and newly signed scholarship holder Ben van Dorssen were at McDonald Jones Stadium for the unveiling of the ownership group on Tuesday.

"As a club we need to recognise that we are a pathway for a lot of young talent," Bisetto said. "We need to support that young talent with good coaching and good facilities.

"The A-League is not a destination league for players like Emma and Ben. Their ambitions are to play overseas in better leagues. The reality is that one or two might progress overseas. As long as we have players coming through the system the club will be fine. Hopefully that is one of the pillars of success."

Jets women's captain Cassidy Davis said confirmation of the new owners was a relief.

"It is a great step forward for the club," she said. "Hearing Maurice and how much the new owners intend to support the women's team and the academy is exciting."

Jason Hoffman, who retired at the end of the season and is in talks with the club about an off-field role, said it was a "really positive day".

"It is fantastic news," he said. "We can put the conversation about ownership to rest and can look forward to what hopefully is a really engaging and bright future."