MELBOURNE (Reuters) - New Zealand will have two teams in the A-League in 2024/25, with an Auckland-based side backed by billionaire businessman Bill Foley to join Wellington Phoenix in Australia's top flight.
Australian Professional Leagues (APL) said it awarded a full license to American Foley, founder and general partner of Black Knight Football Club, which owns English Premier League team Bournemouth and has a significant stake in French side Lorient.
Foley is also founder and owner of the National Hockey League’s 2023 Stanley Cup champions, Vegas Golden Knights.
"It’s an honour to bring a top football club to Auckland," he said in a statement.
"Building a championship team from expansion has been my most exhilarating professional achievement, and I aim to do the same for the fans of New Zealand and particularly the community on the North Island.
"It's a special place and an area that I know will embrace this team."
Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, had a team in the first two A-League seasons but the New Zealand Knights folded in 2007 to be replaced by Wellington Phoenix, based in the nation's capital.
APL had planned for an Auckland-based A-League Women's team to launch in the same season as the men but said on Tuesday it would start from the following 2025/26 season.
"The expansion of the A-Leagues into Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and the league becoming truly Australasian, is a step change moment in the development of football in New Zealand," New Zealand Football (NZF) boss Andrew Pragnell said.
"Bill has seen the potential of Auckland as a football city and is here for the long haul to help grow and develop the sport."
The official name of the club is still to be confirmed.
Governing bodies Football Australia and NZF will now seek final approval from FIFA and regional soccer federations, APL said.