Central Coast United joins with local A-Leagues side to develop talent in the region

Avatar

Central Coast Mariners and Central Coast United have announced an official collaboration with the shared goal of nurturing local football talent and ensuring a pathway for local stars to shine on the national and global stage.

The Mariners already have a reputation for being one of the most successful football academies in Australia and will now continue to develop talent from Central Coast United as they have done so for the six years since United’s inception.

Over 100 players have moved from Central Coast United to the Central Coast Mariners academy and this official partnership signifies a commitment to creating the best possible environment for up-and-coming footballers in the Central Coast region.

Central Coast United currently act as the feeder club for the Mariners, bridging the gap between grassroots football and a chance to play elite level professional football.

From U9s to U18s, Central Coast Mariners Academy and Central Coast United will be conducting joint open trials for Youth Boys, resulting in one of three possible pathways for players:

  1. Central Coast Mariners Academy
  2. Central Coast United
  3. Foundation Program

The Central Coast Mariners will continue to run and operate the Girls SAP and Youth Girl’s Academy programs for local aspiring female footballers on the Central Coast, a goal outlined in their 2023/24 season plan on their website.

A key factor in this partnership is improving players’ journeys and giving them a second chance. The partnership aims to create an environment where players who narrowly miss out on Central Coast Mariners’ selection can develop further at  Central Coast United or the foundation program in hopes to have another crack at it the next year.

Not only does this create a happier, less stressful academy system for the young prospects but it also allows the Mariners to monitor these players yearly and ensure they don’t miss out on any top talents.

Central Coast Mariners Sporting Director Matt Simon expressed his excitement for what the partnership brings for the future of Central Coast football.

“The Central Coast Mariners are committed to creating a pathway for all kids on the Central Coast and are proud to reaffirm this with a formal partnership with Central Coast United,” he said in a club press release.

“This partnership will enable all kids on the Coast to have a clear pathway to the Mariners Academy and this has been proven over the years to be one of the best pathway relationships in the country.”

Central Coast United General Manager Matt Crowell is also pleased to join officially with the Central Coast Mariners, a move that has been in the making for a few years.

“We are delighted to formally announce a partnership with the Central Coast Mariners. To have a professional football club in our region where local boys and girls have an opportunity to become professional footballers is incredibly special,” Crowell added via Mariners press release.

“For us to give our players this pathway to potentially reach the very top is something we support one hundred percent. Between CCM, CCU, CCSC, CCF and all the local clubs, I think football on the Coast is in a great place.”

Building this foundation with Central Coast United allows footballers in the Central Coast region to have a clear pathway into the professional game, whilst also providing an environment that allows them multiple chances to make it. The reigning A-League Men’s champions are making an intelligent move in building a stable foundation for their future which could contribute to even more success for the club.

Previous ArticleNext Article

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

Avatar
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

Avatar
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.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend