Mariners new Traing Facilities · Yellow Fever Nga Wana Kowhai

Great news for us the claim to build Australia's center of football excellence is starting to come through. Gee I love our management

Must be read also in conjunction with the following post from our forum when these two things are added together it starts to add up. go to the second last post and read the stuff from the RSL club http://marinators.net/forum/index.php?topic=2657.0

Also reported on SBS tonight after the A-League scores http://player.sbs.com.au/naca/#/naca...League-update/

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/foo...584656536.html

Mariners are poor cousins no more
Michael Cockerill
December 8, 2008

CENTRAL Coast Mariners are no longer unfashionable after completing a major overhaul of the club's ownership structure - including substantial fresh investment from an English property magnate - which is likely to make the club one of the most viable, and ambitious, in the A-League.

Kevin McCabe - owner of English second-tier side Sheffield United with a fortune estimated at more than $300million - has joined forces with current stakeholders Peter Turnbull and Lyall Gorman to form the Mariners Trust, which owns more than 60 per cent of the club.

In the short-term, the trust will inject $1m into operational costs, but it is the long-term strategy - expected to involve $40m of investment during the next five years - which will take the club to a new level.

The most exciting project is the construction of a massive new training complex at Tuggerah, which will include a 120-room hotel as well as state-of-the-art training and administration facilities. The development is expected to be officially unveiled next week, and will make the Mariners the first club in the competition to own its own headquarters, making it the envy of the league.

Other key trust plans include the establishment of a world-standard youth program based at Tuggerah, closer ties between the Mariners and McCabe's international network of clubs - principally Chinese side Chengdu Blades and the newly formed UAE side Dubai Blades - taking over Bluetongue Stadium's management rights, the recruitment of at least two foreign imports for next year's Asian Champions League campaign, and a loan player from Sheffield United in the next few weeks.

McCabe flew out of Australia last night after watching the Mariners host Queensland Roar on Saturday night, but before his departure made it clear he saw huge potential in the future of the Mariners.

"What they've achieved in just four years is fantastic," he said. "This was something that was never planned. I spend a lot of time in Australia on business. I got to meet both Lyall and Peter about 15 months ago and their ideals and mine are pretty much the same.

"I've been with Sheffield United since 1995 and it's all been about creating business models which can provide revenue opportunities off the field.

"Peter and Lyall see things the same way and that's why we've got together. It's about building a proper infrastructure, from the six-year-olds upwards.

"Football is a risk game. How often does the best team lose?

"Probably more than in any other sport. What you want is to build a club which is going to be successful over the long term."

McCabe owns Hungarian side Ferencvaros as well as Chengdu and Dubai, while Sheffield United also have a partnership with Brazilian giants Sao Paolo. Asked whether he hoped his newest football investment would be a profitable one, he replied: "I don't hope, I know it will."

The Mariners will head to Chengdu for acclimatisation ahead of next year's ACL campaign, with McCabe adding: "If we get the link right, you'd expect a couple of players from Chengdu to end up at the Mariners in the next few years."

McCabe revealed a Sheffield United player was likely to join the Mariners ahead of the ACL, saying: "Probably the best way for fans to be convinced an affiliation is working is with a player swap. Fingers crossed, there will be an announcement soon."

Socceroo/ Mariner / Whangarei