Recently through the clamour in which the A-League churns out each season, Central Coast Mariners have been quietly charging towards what could be considered one of the club’s greatest accomplishments.
Australian football sometimes needs reminding regarding the pedigree in which their second football confederation boasts. Asia has the largest fan following of football than any other continent across the globe, residing over 800 million, passionate football fanatics. Since joining the Asian Football Confederation in 2007, Australia as a footballing nation has drastically improved. An Asian Cup triumph on home soil, accompanied by a series of successful World Cup Qualifying campaigns, has our presence within Asia definitely been understood.
In 2014, Western Sydney Wanderers notoriously defied the odds against Asian Moguls Al-Hilal over a 1-0 win played across two legs of extremely intense finals football. It catapulted a relatively newly founded club at the time, into current financial stability, recognition, and prestige across both Asia and Australia. The total prize money the Sydney-based club had earned from winning the most coveted prize in Asian Football, was a whopping 3.5 million dollars, and the opportunity to play in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Since 2007, A-League clubs at the business end of the ladder, are eligible for Asian football qualification, qualifying for both the Asian Champions League, or AFC Cup. The cash injection Asian football has had upon the A-League is what the doctor ordered for Australian football. Influxes of revenue generated through international advertisement, television rights, international sponsorship proposition. The possibilities are open-minded. As are the Central Coast Mariners who are currently three games away from their biggest pay-day in their history.
The Gosford based outfit have been custodians of the A-League since its inception. Their youth academy is considered as one of the best across the country, breeding the likes of Mile Jedinak, Tom Rogic and Mat Ryan, who all shared successful careers in both domestic and international football, spanning across Europe. A-League Premiership triumphs occurred in 2007-08 and 2011-12, culminating in Champions League qualification. A maiden Championship win in 2013, was complemented by another, a decade later. A second place finish in the 2022-23 season, resulted in qualification for Asia’s second most coveted prize, the AFC Cup.
The new format of the competition means that clubs within the tournament are divided into five separate zones. Central Coast were victorious within their zone, beating fellow A-League side Macarthur in the inter-zonal final. The Mariners have positioned themselves into a semi-final, and will face Chinese outfit FC Abdysh-Ata Kant, over two legs to determine the finalist. The new format of the AFC Cup was implemented to provide more financial opportunity and prestige to competitions across the continent, simultaneously providing clubs with more incentive to perform within their own leagues, while having a trophy in which they can be competitive in, despite their lack of financial support or global recognition.
The Mariners are primed for this opportune moment. They overcame a relentless Macarthur in a gruelling inter-zonal final that has set them up for the the prestigious Asian title, and all the financial beneficiaries it can allow the yellow and navy to continue their resurgence and ultimately the key to becoming the powerhouse within Australian football.
