Mariners partner with ASICS to boost performance and community

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Image credit: Central Coast Mariners

The Central Coast Mariners have announced a new partnership with ASICS, naming the renowned sports performance brand as the club’s Official Footwear Partner and Corporate Supporter.

Under this agreement, ASICS will supply high-performance footwear designed to help Mariners players maximize their performance both on and off the pitch.

Known globally for its advanced sports footwear and apparel, ASICS will offer the team cutting-edge technology aimed at improving agility, comfort, and overall athletic performance.

For the Mariners, this partnership marks another step toward elevating their competitive edge and expanding their corporate portfolio with a big named sportswear brand.

Alyssar Narey, CEO of Central Coast Mariners FC spoke on the shared values between the two parties.

“ASICS is a global leader in sports technology and having them as our Official Footwear Partner is an exciting development for the club,” Narey said in a press release.

“Their commitment to innovation and performance will empower our players to perform at their best and we’re proud to have them as a supporter of our journey moving forward.”

Mark Brunton, Managing Director of ASICS Oceania spoke with excitement about the potential opportunity through this partnership.

“Our new partnership with the Central Coast Mariners is an exciting one for the ASICS brand. With our unique heel gradient technology, a key feature of our football boots providing extra player support, we’re excited to help some of the league’s top players perform at their best whether at training or on game day,” Brunton said in a press release.

“ASICS, derived from the Latin phrase anima sana in corpore sano meaning ‘a sound mind in a sound body,’ is committed to promoting active, healthy lifestyles.

“We are therefore proud to support the Mariners in inspiring the benefits of sport and movement and supporting the Central Coast community.”

This partnership highlights the Mariners’ continued focus on excellence in the A-League and underscores their dedication to strengthening ties within the Central Coast community.

By joining forces, ASICS and the Mariners are committed to inspiring the local community through active living, promoting health, and supporting wellness initiatives across the region. It’s a great initiative from the club to benefit their fans.

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South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

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Image Credit: SCFC

South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

Football NSW announces 2026 First Nations Scholarships as pathway access program enters new phase

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Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW has announced the recipients of its 2026 First Nations Scholarships, with ten emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players from metropolitan and regional NSW receiving support designed to reduce the financial and structural barriers that have historically limited First Nations participation across the football pathway.

The scholarship program, developed and assessed in collaboration with the Football NSW Indigenous Advisory Group, targets players across both elite and development environments – recognising that talent identification alone is insufficient without the resources to support progression once players are identified.

Co-Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group Bianca Dufty said the calibre of this year’s recipients reflected the depth of First Nations football talent across the state, and the importance of structured support in converting that talent into long-term participation.

“Their dedication to football and the desire to be role models for younger Aboriginal footballers in their communities is to be celebrated,” Dufty said. “I’m confident we will see some of these talented footballers in the A-League and national teams in the future.”

 

Beyond the pitch and into the pipeline

The 2026 cohort spans both metropolitan clubs and regional associations, an intentional distribution that acknowledges the particular barriers facing First Nations players outside major population centres, where access to development programs, qualified coaching and pathway competitions is more limited and the cost of participation more prohibitive.

The next phase of the program will introduce First Nations coaching scholarships, extending the initiative’s reach beyond playing pathways and into the coaching and administration pipeline – areas where Indigenous representation remains among the lowest in the game.

The structural logic is clear. Scholarships that reduce financial barriers at the entry point of elite pathways matter most when they are part of a sustained ecosystem of support rather than isolated gestures. Football NSW’s collaboration with the Indigenous Advisory Group provides that continuity, ensuring the program is shaped by the communities it is designed to serve.

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