Melbourne Storm ... new owners set to gudie the defending premiers. Source: Colleen Petch / AAP
The sale of Melbourne Storm to a consortium led by a New Zealand entrepreneur was announced at a media conference on Tuesday morning.
Bart Campbell, a businessman and former barrister, is spearheading the group that has bought Storm from their owner, News Limited, effective immediately.
Also with immediate effect is the replacement of the News Ltd board and executive, which includes the replacement of chairman Stephen Rue with Bart Campbell and CEO Ron Gauci with Mark Evans.
| W | L | D | B | PD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rabbitohs | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 116 | 18 |
| 2 | Roosters | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 142 | 16 |
| 3 | Storm | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 77 | 15 |
| 4 | Sea Eagles | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 71 | 13 |
| 5 | Knights | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 12 |
| 6 | Broncos | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 10 |
| 7 | Sharks | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 10 |
| 8 | Titans | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -10 | 10 |
| 9 | Raiders | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | -49 | 10 |
| 10 | Panthers | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 8 |
| 11 | Cowboys | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -12 | 8 |
| 12 | Dragons | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -43 | 8 |
| 13 | Bulldogs | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -45 | 8 |
| 14 | Eels | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -91 | 6 |
| 15 | Warriors | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -133 | 4 |
| 16 | Tigers | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -164 | 4 |
“The playing record of the team since foundation has been nothing short of exceptional," Campbell said.
"I was lucky enough to meet with some members of the coaching and playing group when they were in the UK for the World Club Challenge.
"The quality of these people is a big driver to become involved along with the challenge of taking the club forward in the great sporting city that is Melbourne."
Campbell's position as the non-executive chairman of TLA Worldwide - a sports agent and marketing company - has given him links to top sporting identities, including former NFL quarterback Troy Aikman and New York Yankees pitcher "CC" Sabathia, The Australian reported.
Campbell is also chief operating officer of Chimes Communications, which is said to be the world's "fourth largest sports marketing agency".
Evans returned to Melbourne from London last week to finalise the deal with News Ltd, which also owns the parent company of this website.
The consortium is believed to boast a wealth of experience in sports administration, particularly Evans, a long-time chief executive of English rugby club Harlequins.
Evans has spent a lot of time in Melbourne exploring Storm's potential, while negotiations have been held since the group first flagged its interest in the club last November.
The sale figure is confidential but the new owners will have immediate access to more than $20 million in NRL funding, guaranteed to the club when News withdrew as part-owner of the competition.
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