Players such as Alessandro Del Piero, Dwight Yorke and Juninho "could become a memory" for A-League side Sydney FC, according to Dominic Bossi of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. A "flurry of sponsors, a massive surge in membership, unprecedented exposure and increased viewers will put Sydney FC in a position to finally break even next season" following its on-field success this year. However, CEO Tony Pignata "warned fans not to expect the unprecedented financial stability" that has followed on-field success to "put them in a position to sign another high-profile marquee next season." In six years, the club has "trimmed its losses" from A$8M per season when it signed Del Piero to about A$1M ($750,000). Depending on the annual grant from Football Federation Australia and renewed sponsorship deals, "the number in the red could be almost negligible." Pignata "issued a warning to fans desperate to see big names at Moore Park in the near future." He said, "First and foremost, it's a football decision. [Coach] Graham [Arnold] will sit down and think about what he needs with his squad. Though, I've always said that the way the market is at the moment, the way money is spent in China and the MLS [Major League Soccer], it's very difficult to get players of that level to play in the A-League. When you're paying a bloke seven million bucks, it's hard to get a return on that." The team's deals with jersey sponsors Webjet and Star Track "expire at the end of the season and the value in those will rise following Sydney's success." Pignata: "We're getting new sponsors calling us. In the last three days we met with three or four potential new sponsors who are coming to us on the back of the season we've had" (SMH, 4/11).
