There has been a lot of talk lately about Brisbane Roar reaching an agreement with Colorado Rapids over a fee to sell Lucas Herrington. Much of this has been told without the full picture. We want to tell you in detail what happened and why it is important for this football club.
The conversation began with the Colorado Rapids approaching the Roar with an offer to buy the club’s share of the Lucas sale at an increased price. As with any decision of this magnitude, the matter has been referred to the club’s ownership group, as required by our management. After considering the proposal, the owner instructed the club to negotiate and reach an agreement. It was this process that was followed properly and completely.
The report is missing the most important part. How did Roar even manage to keep the sold share worth such a large amount?
Lucas Herrington was not bought. He was selected into the Queensland football pathway, developed and supported by that club into professional football. We supported him along the way, gave Lucas an opportunity in the professional game and increased his value to the point that foreign clubs became interested in him after Lucas played less than 15 professional matches. The transfer itself was a club record, and the hard work of ensuring a sales fee was added to the deal further saved the time spent on Lucas by numerous coaches and support staff. In total, the transfer of Lucas Herrington brought Brisbane Roar more than 1.5 million Australian dollars.
He is no exception. He is the latest in a line of talented young Queenslanders to make progress. In the last three years alone, the players the club has produced and sold have generated more than A$3 million in transfer fees. To put this figure into context, Brisbane Roar’s history up to this point had earned the club around A$500,000. Moreover, sales commissions were not present in any transaction entered into by the club prior to this period.
It’s not luck. This is a thoughtful strategy. Identify Queensland talent early, develop them properly, give them a real professional platform and structure deals so that the club shares the players’ future. The same path that gave birth to Lucas gives birth to the group that follows him, and every dollar earned goes back to the football club. This model, shared by A-League clubs, is often forgotten and not fully covered by the wider media, who prefer to push a certain story and headlines that return clicks.
We understand that fans want the Roar to retain and develop their best young players. Us too. We began our journey of actively supporting young Queensland talent three years ago and the fruits of that journey have already borne fruit. This is the path we will follow for many years to come.
We are very proud of Lucas and all that he has achieved. He carried the badge, he earned his move and Brisbane Roar will be part of his journey for a long time to come. Looking forward, we wish him and the CommBank Socceroos all the best for their upcoming World Cup round of 16 match against Egypt this weekend.