Today's takeover of A-League club Newcastle Jets by young coal baron Nathan Tinkler is a momentous occasion for football in this country.
The head of the Tinkler Group, a privately owned investment company which is involved in mining and property development as well as thoroughbred racing and breeding, is a 33-year old Novocastrian based in Brisbane with offices in both Melbourne and the home of the Jets, Newcastle.
Tinkler today took charge of the embattled club after former owner Con Constantine was unable to keep the operation afloat and the change of ownership is a fantastic moment for the club, the fans, the A-League, Football Federation Australia and the game in this country as a whole.
The negativity of the last couple of weeks has now been shot down and the fact that a club in the strong football region of the Hunter Valley will remain alive and well will do great things for the state of the game down under. The FFA and its CEO, Ben Buckley, must be applauded for pulling off a major coup in such a pessimistic and cynical time for football in Australia.
People need to remember that the A-League is just a fledgling competition, in just its sixth season, whereas rival codes, the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL), have been kicking around for over a century.
To have some of Australia's most successful businessmen queuing up to take control of A-League clubs suggests the future is far more brighter than what people think and this announcement will come as a boost to FFA who would be delighted with the Patinack Farm owner's decision to jump in, both feet first, and be a part of the growing world game industry here in Oz.
Tinkler is sure to bring a breath of fresh air to the Hunter region and as a proud Novocastrian will surely do his utmost to get the Jets up and firing again and back to the heights of the 2007/08 Championship but more importantly, has secured the future of a proud club in an ever-increasing competition that is the face of football in Australia.