Success for Western United’s ambitious part-football, part-real estate project will not be determined for a decade or more, but powerful young striker Noah Botić showed he is a man of the present with a hat-trick in a 3-2 A-League Men elimination final victory over Adelaide on Friday.
Financial uncertainty has swirled around the club in recent weeks, and the visiting Reds shocked the small yet passionate crowd of 3,080 at Ironbark Fields with an early goal through Luka Jovanović.
But in front of Socceroos assistant Hayden Foxe, Botić scored twice in the first half and once in the second to keep Western United’s season alive and make his case for Australian selection.
The 23-year-old said he was just focusing on playing for Western United at the moment, but it would be “special” to receive a call-up. “If that call comes, then obviously I’m going to be extremely happy and proud to represent my country,” he said.
Botić’s three goals take him to 15, two more than the next highest scorer in theA-League Men. His coach and former Socceroos striker John Aloisi said a senior call-up is inevitable if he keeps improving.
“I keep on saying that eventually Noah will become a Socceroo but we know, and I think Noah knows, there’s still a lot of improvement, so he just needs to keep on improving like he’s going and then eventually the call-up will come.”
The resounding victory sets up a two-legged semi-final against crosstown rivals Melbourne City, with both legs to be held at AAMI Park. Botić picked up a knock to the quad on Friday, but was confident he would take part next week.
The prolific youngster remains unsigned next season and is almost certain to move overseas, meaning Friday was likely to be his final game at Ironbark Fields. “I’m not going to say too much, but if it was, it’s been a pleasure playing here, especially in front of these fans,” he said.
Like that of their star striker, Western United’s future is far from certain. There is much to like about the long-term strategy of basing a club in the booming suburbs to the west of Melbourne.
But there are fears that the footballing entity – which is part of a larger property development working with Wyndham city council – might not last until the promise that secured one of the A-League’s expansion berths in 2018 can be realised.
Supporters still dream of a privately-owned stadium, filled with those from Melbourne’s multicultural west watching local talent dominate the A-League, but that vision remains some way off.
The club’s cash-flow challenges are obvious. Crowds this season are the lowest in the league at 3,644 on average, and players were late in getting paid last month.
Western United is subject to a winding up application from the Australian Taxation Office and other creditors, including the commissioner of state revenue, a web design company and the local licence-holder of Kappa, the manufacturer of the team’s playing strips. That matter is due to be heard later this month.
In this context, the announcement a week ago of investment by the KAM Sports group of Maciek Kaminski and his son Mikhail – Americans who have built wealth in real estate – is significant. The level of investment reportedly is around $100m, which would help meet Western United’s debts.
But the deal – as noted by APL chair Stephen Conroy in the release – remains “pending”, and is subject to “successful completion of the necessary approval processes by Wyndham city, the APL and regulatory processes by Football Australia”.
While many in the football community have hailed the announcement as good news, others have been more cautious. The Kaminskis were reportedly set to buy Belgian club KV Kortrijk in 2023, but the deal never eventuated.
Professional Footballers Association chief executive, Beau Busch, is hopeful the investment secures Western United’s future, but wants to ensure it is “subject to a thorough and transparent due diligence process” – including by his own organisation – to ensure the best interests of the players, and the integrity of the competition, are upheld.
“Our clubs are operating in arguably the world’s toughest and most competitive sports market in the world, as such we need to be clear on the fundamentals that are required to succeed,” he said.
Busch cited clubs such as Western Sydney, Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Auckland who have strong backing, a clear market demand, the right match day infrastructure, and ambition to grow and build something for the local community.
“We’ve seen it time and again over the past 20 years,” he said. “Clubs that fail on one or more of these fundamentals have been unable to succeed and have dragged the league down as well.”
Of these four clubs, all but Sydney are taking part in the A-League Men finals, which continue on Saturday with another elimination clash between Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory. The winner of that match meets premiers Auckland in a two-legged semi-final.