Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley has said the Premier League club is exploring options to implement a multi-club ownership model – and have even looked towards the Australian market.
Multi-club structures are growing in popularity and Newcastle might be the next to get on board, along the lines of Manchester City’s model.
Speaking at the Bloomberg Power Players Summit in Jeddah, Staveley said that the club is keen to establish a multi-club network in the future.
‘Multi-clubs are part of having football, it’s a real benefit to be able to have players and train players that aren’t part of your squad.
Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley says her club is exploring options to implement a multi-club ownership model
Staveley revealed that the search is ongoing to add clubs to the existing structure
‘The Uefa rules are changing and so we have to see what emerges. Obviously, the dynamics around whether we could have a club have changed quite dramatically over the last year.
‘I’m still a very big fan of the multi-club model, a lot of other competitors and friends in the Premier League have multi-club relationships, but it has to be considered as a whole.
‘We’ve looked at Belgium, we’ve looked at a lot of European markets, we’ve looked in Asia, Australia, we’ve looked in Brazil — pretty much everything.
‘We’ve looked at every market and getting players through our academy system and through that multi-club model would be very helpful in terms of allowing us to buy and have players as part of our journey earlier on.’
A-League club Melbourne City is part of Manchester City’s multi-club model while Bournemouth owner Bill Foley’s Auckland-based team has secured a licence to join the competition in 2025-26.
In 2023, Staveley also spoke of her interest in the multi-club model for the Magpies, but are considering all options.
‘We’re looking at everything in terms of how we grow our brand, our club,’ said Staveley.
‘Opportunities to buy players affordably well early in the cycle are critical to our growth. We’re very focused on the academy and young players. We’re bringing some exciting guys in.
‘Obviously we’ve looked at a multi-club but whenever you look at multi-club you’ve got to make sure you’ve got the right fit with the changes around GBE points at the moment. It’s important to do that.
The club co-owner says that they have looked at Australian markets, among others
Clubs falling into a multi-club ownership model have been on the increase
‘You also have to choose your territory correctly and make sure you’ve got the right chemistry. Remember, you’re working with another fanbase and another area. It’s critical you set out what your goals will be. It’s complicated.
‘We’re also looking at another structure that would allow us to do both, maybe something that gives us more opportunity to work with a lot more clubs. That’s just quite an early stage.
‘I think anybody who is looking to buy a club is going to be looking at that multi-club model.’
