The Little Club That Could.

[midfielder]

One of the reasons I choose to follow the Mariners from pre Hal… was because they had a plan… they knew were they were going and it centred on three things … Community Connection, A Centre of Football Excellence & a belief in the broader football family that is association football and their park teams…

Unlike other clubs the Mariners had heaps of football experience but at association level … the grass roots … and some connections into NSL clubs Blacktown Demons via LM & Penrith with Turnbull..

As far back as Hal I the Mariners had a back up team in the CC Lightning… and our youth training academies…

Over the years this plan towards technical excellence was lost especially by SBS as they consternated on Hal 4 & 5 … when we were short on cash and had players on contracts… OK so Hal 4 & 5 not the best … but always the plan of where we were going was in place…

At last an article that starts to talk about our plan … and given the kids we have signed this year … it is maybe working…

Nice article below…

Mariners men leave their mark in style

Central Coast have come a long way, writes David Sygall.

If there was a fairytale about the Central Coast Mariners it would be titled The Little Club That Could.

The Mariners have faced huge obstacles since the A-League began, from uncertainty over viability in a lightly populated regional area to simple practical challenges, such as finding a good training ground.

Yet in just six years the team has made three grand finals, won a pre-season competition and an A-League minor premiership and played in the Asian Champions League. Today they play for the pinnacle of domestic football, the A-League championship, against minor premiers Brisbane Roar.

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Outsiders might attribute the club's rise to good fortune. In truth, the Mariners have created from nothing a culture that reaches beyond football fans, put in place a development structure and given the Central Coast the sporting identity it longed for.

''The thing about the Mariners is that it's got a clear vision of where it wants to go,'' chairman Peter Turnbull said. ''There's a road map in place with the development of the Centre of Excellence. The club … knows what it is and knows where it's going.''

That's not to say it's been an easy ride. The club's financial position was severely tested this season, with sponsorships and attendances down. Turnbull blames the reduction in sponsorship on the global financial crisis and cyclical factors. Alarmingly, for last week's preliminary final, a paltry crowd of 7539 turned up for the last home game for 2010-11, possibly the result of increased ticket prices for the finals in a region feeling the pinch.

Turnbull admits it has been a tough few months but he believes it has exposed the club for what it really is. ''What we discovered this year is that the Mariners have a hard core of 7000 or 8000 supporters rusted on,'' he said. ''They're there whether we're winning, losing, whether it's wet, dry, hot, cold. That's a pretty good achievement a few years after starting from scratch.''

This season marks another leap forward. By making the grand final, the Mariners have qualified for the ACL, which puts them on an international stage and portrays a sense of success, which should attract bigger sponsors and better overseas players. They are weathering a difficult climate and hope to emerge strongly.

Facing such challenges is something most A-League clubs are accustomed to.

''Nothing comes easy,'' says Lawrie McKinna, the heart-and-soul coach for the first five seasons before becoming the club's football manager. From the time we started here six years ago, we rolled up our sleeves and worked hard. We just all knew what we had to do and we felt that was to embrace the community.''

The engagement mantra was sometimes taken to extremes. Amid his regular local radio spots, which he still does every Friday, McKinna once offered a barbecue at his house as a prize. ''Even John Aloisi, when he came here, embraced it,'' McKinna says. ''He was at my house for that barbecue, chatting away to the fans.

''It was about being accessible to the public … They knew the players, knew me, knew about my dog. Nobody at the club was aloof.

''After our first grand final, people were coming up to us in the streets and thanking us. Some said, 'We're not football fans but we're following you because you represent us.' We've given people here an identity.''

Turnbull believes coach Graham Arnold's success this season has left his doubters looking naive.

 

[gull]

Good article and great work by the club, but I can't stand "the little engine that could" stuff.

As long as we play along we'll never get the respect we deserve.

We been one of the most consistent teams in the league (three GF's proves it) so we're way past that stage surely.

 

[style_cafe]

Interesting article.

The lack of sponsorships could be because of the financial crisis as stated.

I`m not sure of the Mariner`s corporate structure but one would assume that they have a marketing arm.A data base of every business on the Coast & in supporting regions IE Manly,Blacktown,Gladesville.etc should be collected & every one of those business`s visited & a sponsorship package put to them.

Also National & international businessess should be targeted.

As for the attendence figures more needs to be done to promote the game.
At local level more public appearances by players at schools, shopping centres, community groups etc.are needed.

The membership of the Mariner`s also needs a total overhaul.It`s ridiculous that I can`t become a member because I don`t want to buy a season ticket or a ticket package.

Different memberships should be offered including an ordinary membership where for say $20- a member can get a discount card for tickets & be included in fan days.

Also some research should be done on the whole Mariner`s game day experience.

1) The Kendall bar talks have been terrific & should be advertised & expanded
2) Merchandising should be expanded.Look at what other clubs overseas are selling. Establish a Mariners shop at the COE.Anything that a logo can go on can be sold to fans.From keyrings to doona covers.We have an array of shirts for guys but what about the girls?So much needs to be done.
3) One of my biggest gripes at Bluetongue is the incident replays.
If a foul is committed show it on the screen!!! Everyone wants to see it,it`s part of the game.
If it`s a directive frm the FFA the clubs need to have it changed.

I`m sure others on here have a lot of other ideas to improve the club as a whole.

Let`s take "the little club that could" & make it "the big club that did"

 

[MagpieMariner]

An interesting article in the Errorgraph this morning, don't know how to put it on here or even if it's legal to do so. So I'll quote a little bit - article "League Coasting to death" by Paul Crawley.
"The NRL dodged a bullet on Sunday night...if the Central Coast Mariners had won...it would have been good night for rugby league on the Coast."
"Central Coast Bears...what the NRL must understand is the Central Coast already has its team -- they're called the Mariners."
Written by a leaguey in the context of league on the Coast, we're starting to get through to them.