Canberra A-League bid slips behind Auckland

Auckland's billionaire owner William Foley was officially awarded a full A-League licence on Tuesday after he was provisionally announced last month.

The Auckland team has appointed Nick Becker as their chief executive, with the club also boasting a new website - AKLfootball24.com.

But they're still finalising a name, colours, a training facility and a home ground.

Foley's preference was for the "Black Knights" - a pointer to the Black Knight companies and NHL team Las Vegas Golden Knights he owns.

An Auckland men's team will enter the A-League next season, while they'll enter a women's side a year later.

It's believed there's at least two potential investor groups interested in Canberra, with The Canberra Times revealing both groups toured the capital at the start of November.

A-Leagues commissioner Nick Garcia told The Canberra Times last month he hoped to have a Canberra owner in place in early December to give the club enough time to prepare to sign players in the January transfer window.

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While the Canberra bid was yet to land an owner, it does have Canberra Stadium as a potential home ground - and a funding arrangement with the ACT government.

It also has the rich history of A-League Women's team Canberra United to tap into.

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