Australian Professional Leagues chief executive Steve Rosich on time in AFL, Central Coast Mariners and more

Australian Professional Leagues chief executive Steve Rosich says his time at WA’s AFL clubs prepared him for the rigours of running the A-League and awakening the sleeping giant that is the round ball game. It comes as Rosich revealed he was confident the A-League governing body will have locked in a deal to sell Central Coast Mariners’ licence by the end of next month. Speaking exclusively to The West Australian, the former Fremantle Dockers boss turned A-League head honcho also provided updates on the state of hibernating Western United and the prospect of finding a taker for a potential Canberra men’s team. Rosich spent 12 years as Fremantle’s chief executive after working with West Coast Eagles beforehand and prior to taking stewardship of the A-League, served as Victorian Racing Club chief executive. He said the opportunity of growing a domestic league attached to the world’s most popular sport was incredibly appealing and he would draw on more than two decades of experience in the sports industry. “The key elements of elite sport are the same: the emotion of the game, the tribal nature of clubs, the really good-natured element of club people looking to drive their clubs, both on the field and in the community. “I’ve seen it in in footy, I’ve seen it in racing and now I’m seeing it fairly and squarely and everpresent in Australian and New Zealand football. “That’s the reason I’ve been lucky enough to be chosen to lead this league: those experiences commercially, those experiences at running a club and driving the growth of the sport in both football and racing. “At Fremantle Dockers, it was a privilege to help drive that cub’s growth, both on and off the field, and go from a challenger brand to a really significant brand here in WA “Nationally, at the VRC with Flemington and the Melbourne Cup carnival, it was a significant challenge, getting the club through COVID and then out the other side and and bringing the carnival back to life.” Rosich has received a baptism of fire since joining the A-League in December, with the organisation taking on the Central Coast licence from former owner Mike Charlesworth after a reported breakdown in the sale of the club to Sydney business identity Damon Hanlin. It mirrors the governing body stepping in and propping up both Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets in early 2024, before both clubs eventually found new owners. But Rosich said he expected a swift resolution to the Mariners sale after they temporarily took on the licence in January. “A large impact on that thinking was the potential of the league and the potential of Central Coast in particular, and we’re seeing that play out international local interest,” he said. “We started talking with a really broad range of parties about that opportunity only a few weeks ago. We then established a shorter but still long list of potential partners, and we dwindled that down through a focused effort on to a small number of parties that we’re heavily engaged with. “It showcases exactly that: the opportunity with the A League and the opportunity with Central Coast, and hopefully we’ll be closing that out in March. That’s certainly the intention. “Based on the engagement to date, I’ve got no doubt, whoever that new partner is from the shortlist, it’ll be a really good partner for both the A-League and Central Coast.” The Mariners are not the only club to be beset by financial issues after Western United pulled out of the current campaign with a view to rejoining the competition for the 2026-27 season. “It’s been a focus from Stephen Conroy, who was executive chairman and is now stepping back up into the chairman role, and Stephen’s still leading that,” Rosich said. “I’m also talking directly with Western United. Their focus has been on governance and finance, and now it’s turning to operational execution for readiness for ideally, next season for men’s and women’s — but there’ll be some considered work over the next few months, and then an assessment of if and when that can happen. “What I’m seeing is a complete commitment by the people behind the club to get it back out of hibernation and operating as soon as possible.”