Glory will become part of a worldwide alliance consisting of seven clubs including Manchester City, Chonburi from Thailand, Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua, Russian outfit FC Moscow, Thanda Royal Zulu in South Africa and Swiss side Grasshoppers Zurich.

Glory co-owner John Spence, who played a vital role in ensuring Perth was part of the alliance, said the benefits of the deal both on and off the pitch will be far reaching for the West Australian club.

“I passionately believe that alliances like this will become commonplace if clubs want to take full advantage of their place in the world game,” Spence said.

“Football is growing so rapidly that only by sharing skills, resources and expertise will clubs be able to realise their full potential.”

Spence identified eight key areas in which Perth Glory will benefit from the alliance.

1. Inter club player loans: This will aid in identifying players that can help fill gaps in club playing rosters through injury, suspension and national team duty. “There are three Thai Internationals that are free agents for the next few weeks and we’re looking to possibly bring one or two of them down to Perth,” said Spence. “Going forward we’ll be able to get more players, including some who are vying for first team spots with Man City.”

2. Trials: The network of clubs will give young players coming through the system at Perth Glory the chance to showcase their talents across the globe. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our current players and also will be a key selling point when attracting new players to the club,” Spence said. “I believe it will be a great catalyst in the decision making process when a player is looking to sign. In the short term Man City representatives will be coming to Perth to look at what we’re doing and the players we have on our books.”

3. Friendlies & pre-season matches: All the clubs in the alliance have committed to playing matches against each other including games in Perth. “Man City is keen to bring a team to Western Australia and it will be a terrific for all football fans in Perth to see an English Premier League team in their own back yard,” Spence said. “Also under discussion is an opportunity to hold a competition against the other teams in the alliance.”

4. Cross marketing: Each club in the alliance is a leading contender in their respective countries and has expertise in building their football brand. Manchester City Chairman Thaksin Shinawatra has revealed his desire to see Manchester City take a position as one of the world's biggest football brands and he is determined to ensure that all clubs in the alliance are part of that winning football culture. “The A-League has a strong presence in Asia through the Asian Champions League and our links with clubs in that part of the world will be a bonus for us to promote our brand,” Spence said.

5. Cross sponsorship: For both existing and future sponsors, this deal opens cross-sponsorship chances amongst the club. “Increasing the commercial viability of the club is vital in growing Perth Glory. The alliance opens opportunities where sponsors can do deals across several clubs and gain exposure to audiences here in Australia and around the globe,” said Spence. “This can include things like branding, database marketing and other ideas which can get you a commonality between the countries, for sponsors that is a very appealing proposition,” he added.

6. Academies: Two development academies have already been announced, one in Thailand and one in China. The next academy to be developed will be in Goa (India) in collaboration between Manchester City, Perth Glory and Spence’s company Karma Resorts. “India is a largely untapped football development area and with their massive population there will be many exciting prospects from the country,” Mr Spence said. “Closer to home we’re expecting an academy to be running in Perth in the future and Perth Glory will be a major beneficiary of the emerging talent to come through that program.”

7. Coaching and Administration: The enormous resources and expertise of Manchester City will be tapped by Perth Glory to ensure best practice is used in Western Australia. “One of the problems with a relatively small set-up like Perth is that you have a limited budget and resources,” Spence said. “On a coaching front a team like Man City has a terrific set-up with state of the art sports science facilities which enable them to develop techniques to aid in performance and recovery and we will have access to this information.”

8. Global credibility: Supporters of each of the clubs in the alliance will be exposed to Perth Glory as the team of choice in this part of the world. “I can’t tell you how proud it made me to log onto the Man City website and see the Perth Glory name there with details about the club,” Spence said. “I’ve also had the opportunity to talk with Sven-Goran Eriksson and he is genuinely excited about the prospects of this alliance.”