Melbourne Heart has announced Sydney goalkeeper Clint Bolton will join the club in its inaugural season, while Westpac has signed on as a principal partner.
Bolton, 34, signed a multi-year deal with the new club after spending the past five years with the Sky Blues.
While he will complete his duties as Sydney player this season, he will join the Hyundai A-League’s newest franchise when the season is complete.
CEO Scott Munn also confirmed the club had entered discussions with another Sydney player in John Aloisi.
“I can confirm we are certainly talking to him. But we are talking to a lot of players as we have to fill a squad of 23,” Munn said.
Head Coach John van‘ t Schip said he had been following Bolton closely since seeing him in action early in the season. He said he is an excellent acquisition for the club.
“Clint has proven over time to be one of the most professional and outstanding goalkeepers in Australia. He leads by example and is the perfect person to have in goals when are you are starting a football club,” he said.
“Keepers of Clint-s quality, if they can remain fit, get better as they mature. A player like Edwin van der Sar, for example, signed for Manchester United when he was 34 and has now won three championships and a European Cup.”
Bolton, who has played more than 100 games for Sydney, has been one of the most consistent keepers in the history of the A-League and has kept 11 clean sheets for the Sky Blues during its premiership-winning campaign.
He has also made four appearances for the Socceroos in a decorated career which began at the Brisbane Strikers in the early 1990s.
He joins Dean Heffernan, Matt Thompson, Jason Hoffman, Kristian Sarkies and Kamal Ibrahim as Melbourne Heart signings.
Heart have also made a giant leap off the field in signing banking giant Westpac as a principal partner.
“Although Melbourne Heart FC is in its infancy, the club is steadfast in the belief that it bears a distinct responsibility to further the cause of football throughout the state, utilising its resources and coaching expertise to help inspire the next generation of Victorians,” Munn said.
“I would like to thanks Westpac for sharing our vision and joining us as we make our first tentative footsteps into a world unknown.”
