By David Gold
May 18 – The head of the Australian A-League, Lyall Gorman (pictured left), is to be the new executive chairman of the club in western Sydney joining the league this season.
The newly set-up team have also appointed Tony Popovic (pictured below, left) as their head coach.
Gorman will take control of the club’s management, ranging from football to financial operations, and will start his new role on Monday (May 21).
Australian Football Federation (FFA) chief executive Ben Buckley (pictured below, right) said: “The establishment of the A-League club in western Sydney at this time is the most important project in the context of building a sustainable A-League.
“I believe the club will have an impact on the A-League well beyond the region of western Sydney.
“For that reason there is no one better qualified in Australian sport than Lyall Gorman for the job of kick starting the new club.
“His experience with the [Central Coast] Mariners and his time as head of the Hyundai A-League provide Lyall with a unique insight into the challenges ahead and as a Bankstown boy he has a huge passion for the region.”
Buckley also praised Lyall’s role in increasing attendances and television audiences during his time as head of the A-League.
“I see the role of executive chairman as being about much more than building a club on behalf of members and fans,” said Gorman.
“It’s about being entrusted by the football community with a mandate to deliver on the enormous potential of Western Sydney.
“At the outset, the promise was made to put community engagement at the core of the club.
“That will be the strength of this new club and how it can set new benchmarks in football.”
Gorman will be joined by former Australian international defender Popovic, who enjoyed a distinguished playing career, including a five year spell with English League club Crystal Palace.
Popovic has previous coaching experience with the other A-League team in Sydney, and leaves his role as a coach at Palace to join West Sydney.
“Certainly it’s a great challenge, but one that I can handle,” said Popovic, who won 61 caps for Australia and played at the 2006 World Cup.
“We are short of time but we’re confident we’ll get a good team, a competitive team from the outset and one that’s well prepared.
“That’s the challenge we face.
“Building something from scratch…coming out to the west where I started my football was an opportunity that was very hard to turn down.”
West Sydney were created following the expulsion of Gold Coast United from the A-League after a dispute between the FFA and the club’s billionaire owner Clive Palmer.
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