Steadfast Group back again for the Mariners in Liberty A-League

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Central Coast Mariners and Steadfast Group
Image credit: Central Coast Mariners

Central Coast Mariners have extended their current partnership with Steadfast Group to support the return of the Mariners’ Women’s A-League team this season.

This expansion means that for the 2023/24 season, Steadfast Group will have their logo planted on the back of every Central Coast Mariners A-League Women’s jersey.

Steadfast Group first partnered with the Mariners in 2019 for their Mariners academy and Junior Member programs, before upgrading in 2021 to become a Senior Partner. Since 2021, they have had their logo positioned on the sleeves of the Mariners Men’s A-League kits.

Steadfast Group is the largest general insurance broker network and the largest group of insurance underwriting agencies in Australasia, with growing operations in Asia and Europe.

Their three business units empower Steadfast to serve their main goal – ensuring their brokers provide their clients with exceptional service and superior products.

Central Coast Mariners CEO Shaun Mielekamp mentioned Steadfast’s commitment to improving the Central Coast community.

“From their initial collaboration in 2019, Steadfast has shown unwavering dedication to our club and the development of football in our region. Now, as we venture into this exciting new chapter with the Mariners’ Women’s A-League team, Steadfast’s continued support sends a strong message of unity and progress,” Mielekamp said via press release.

“We believe that this partnership not only reflects the shared values between our businesses but also demonstrates our collective ambition to drive change in the world of football.

“We are so pleased to have Steadfast Group in prime position partnering with our Women’s team, their extended support underscores their commitment to empowering women in sport and making a lasting impact on the Central Coast community.”

Steadfast Founder, Managing Director and CEO Robert B. Kelly AM expressed his excitement to build the women’s game even further.

“Steadfast strives to have a positive and lasting impact on our communities, and empowering women’s sports is a fun and powerful way to do so,” Kelly added via Mariners press release.

“We’ve now been a proud supporter of the Central Coast Mariners for almost five years and are pleased to extend this support to the Women’s A-League. I wish the team every success as we look forward to an incredible season.”

The Mariners have mentioned in their overall strategy and in other recent agreements that they have a key focus on improving women’s football in the Gosford community. Recently, they made a commitment to upgrading the facilities and resources available to the women’s program and also received a generous gym equipment donation from the Lionesses to fast-track the progress.

As the Mariners enter the 2023/24 season as returnees to the league, the club and Steadfast Group have made it clear that they are focusing on increasing awareness and the quality of women’s football in the local community as they prepare an elite foundation to ensure the quality is sustained.

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Five Matildas figures recognised Among Australia’s Most Influential Women in Sport

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Mary Fowler walks out onto the pitch during Australia v Korea in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Image Credit: Rachel Bach; By The White Line

Code Sports‘ annual list of the 100 most influential women in sport is one of the more closely watched measures of where women’s sport in Australia stands. This year’s edition, released against the backdrop of a record-breaking home Women’s Asian Cup, features five women connected to Australian football across its top 100. Their collective presence on the list reflects a sport that is, by almost any measure, in the midst of a significant moment.

Mary Fowler has been ranked the most influential woman in Australian sport for the second time in three years, topping Code Sports’ annual list of 100 as the CommBank Matildas compete in a home AFC Women’s Asian Cup that has already rewritten the record books for women’s football globally.

Fowler’s ranking comes after a year defined as much by what happened off the pitch as on it. An ACL injury in April 2025 threatened to rule the Manchester City forward out of a home tournament with ten months to recover. She returned to club football in February 2026, was named in Joe Montemurro’s squad, and scored on her first start for Australia in 332 days, finding the net in a 4-0 win over Iran at Stadium Australia in front of a capacity crowd.

Sarah Walsh, ranked 14th, has been central to that shift as Chief Operating Officer of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Local Organising Committee. The former Matilda has overseen a tournament that has surpassed 250,000 tickets sold, demolishing the previous all-time record of 59,910 set across the entire 2010 edition in China. The opening match in Perth drew a record-breaking attendance of  44,379 fans at a Women’s Asian Cup. It lasted one week before 60,279 people filled Stadium Australia on International Women’s Day for Australia versus Korea Republic.

Those numbers carry weight beyond the scoreboard. They make the commercial and strategic case for continued investment in the women’s game in a way that advocacy alone cannot.

From the Pitch to the Boardroom

Captain Sam Kerr enters the list at 17, having returned from a 634-day ACL absence to score two goals in the tournament, including the opener in Perth on the first night. Kerr’s presence in the squad, and her continued ability to perform at the highest level, reinforces the argument that the Matildas’ 2023 World Cup run was not a ceiling.

Heather Garriock arrives at number seven having become the first woman to lead Football Australia, appointed Interim CEO in 2025 before transitioning into a newly created Executive Director of Football and Deputy CEO role following the appointment of Martin Kugeler as permanent CEO in February 2026. The role was designed to retain her influence within the organisation. With the Socceroos preparing for a sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup and the Matildas mid-tournament, Garriock’s position at the executive level of the sport’s governing body is not incidental.

At number 84, Lydia Williams enters the list in retirement. A proud Noongar woman and recent recipient of Professional Footballers Australia’s Alex Tobin Medal, the organisation’s highest honour for career-long contribution, Williams made her international debut in 2005 and retired in 2024 with more than 100 caps, becoming the first Australian female goalkeeper to reach that milestone and only the second Indigenous footballer after Kyah Simon to do so. She now sits on the board of the Australian Sports Commission.

The transition from player to policymaker matters because the decisions shaping Australian sport in the next decade will be made in rooms that have not always had people like Williams in them. Her presence there is part of the same story the rest of this list is telling.

Winter Futsal League Returns with New Cup Competition

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Women's Winter Futsal League Champions. Image Credit: Football NSW

Football NSW Futsal’s Winter Futsal League (WFL) is back for its seventh season, with 12 men’s clubs and six women’s clubs set to compete across the winter off-season.

The Men’s Division kicks off on Sunday 15 March at Valentine Sports Park and affiliate venue The Centre Dural, welcoming back familiar sides including Dural Warriors, Sydney Allstars and Phoenix Futsal alongside new and returning entrants Eastern Suburbs Hakoah, Mascot Vipers and Sydney Futsal. The Women’s Division follows on 11 April, featuring six clubs including newcomers Dural Warriors and East Coast Bulls. Both competitions will conclude with a finals series in July.

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