Central Coast Mariners want to copy GWS Giants with Canberra partnership
Date
June 9, 2016 - 7:07PM
Chris Dutton
The Central Coast Mariners have declared their intention to copy the GWS Giants' model for a relationship in Canberra, revealing they were prepared to take on financial risks of hosting two games in the capital to show their commitment to the partnership.
The Mariners will play two A-League games in Canberra next season against the Wellington Phoenix and defending champion Adelaide United after the draw was published on Thursday.
The games could also feature double-header fixtures with the Canberra United W-League team to grow further connections with the city.
The ACT government gave the Mariners a financial injection to shift their clash against the Phoenix to Canberra Stadium as part of the
capital's 'sister-city' relationship with Wellington.
The Mariners have already started offering two-game memberships to Canberra fans and will start a pathway program to give the capital's best coaches and players a chance to train with the Gosford -based club and will have a constant presence to build up support.
The financial commitment is dwarfed by the ACT government's $23 million deal over 10 years with the Giants.
But Mariners boss Shaun Mielekamp is confident his club can reap benefits from strong ties with Canberra and is open to the prospect of having more games in the ACT in coming years.
"The initial discussions were about having two games, but the way the budget fell with the government was that there was only money for one," Mielekamp said.
"The Adelaide game is a genuine financial risk for us, but we felt it showed that it isn't just a cash grab from us. It's a strategic play to grow football in the Canberra region, we want to do the right thing for Canberra.
"If we get it right, it will set up a long-term platform for a relationship between the Mariners and Canberra.
"We've got some sponsor interest, we're going to launch a two-game membership for people in Canberra and then we're going to create a pathway for the best players to come through our system.
"We want to do as much grassroots work as possible ... there are some exciting things that we're building on. We genuinely want to make sure we do everything we can to make it work. It's not a one off."
Canberra hasn't hosted A-League matches since 2009 when the Mariners played against the Perth Glory and Adelaide.
But the success of the Asian Cup and Socceroos matches in Canberra has created renewed interest in the sport in the city, despite Football Federation Australia continually pouring cold water on the suggestion of a permanent team in the capital.
The Giants play three AFL premiership matches and a pre-season fixture at Manuka Oval every season.
Support has steadily grown for the Giants in recent years and the Mariners are hoping to attract crowds of more than 10,000 to their matches.
It was Canberra United's W-League games in Gosford last year which triggered talks between the Mariners, the ACT government and Capital Football.
"It was a sort of 'light bulb' moment for us when all of our Mariners supporters were cheering on Canberra in the W-League games here last season," Mielekamp said.
"Our home will always be at Gosford ... but we're keen to grow partnerships that aren't at the detriment to our base on the Central Coast.
The Mariners will play the Phoenix on November 12 while Adelaide will play in Canberra on February 5.
The Mariners-Phoenix match was lured to Canberra by the new international flight route between Canberra and Wellington. It will also be part of a Remembrance Round to recognise Australian and New Zealand Defence Force personnel.
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/socc...nberra-for-201617-season-20160609-gpf4y1.html
