The Central Coast Mariners are one of eight clubs competing for the ultimate prize in Australian domestic football – the Hyundai A-League.

Inaugurated in late 2004, the Mariners are the first team to represent the Central Coast region on a national and international sporting stage.

Home to over 300,000 people who reside along an idyllic 90 kilometre stretch just north of Sydney, the Central Coast is one of Australia’s most prominent tourist destinations and the Mariners are the flagship team of their community.

Since the dawn of Australia’s new football era, the Mariners have established themselves as one of the Hyundai A-League’s powerhouse clubs.

After making their first competitive appearance on 7 May, 2005, the Mariners went on to qualify for four consecutive domestic finals, the second of which earned the Mariners their first ever silverware – the 2005 Pre-Season Cup.

The Mariners’ Pre-Season Cup triumph laid the platform for an outstanding debut campaign that saw the Central Coast win the hearts and minds of sports fans across Australia.

The Mariners staged an enthralling late season reprise to earn a history making place in the inaugural Hyundai A-League showpiece at Aussie Stadium, where they were denied the Hyundai A-League title by southern rivals Sydney FC in front of 41,689 spectators at Aussie Stadium.

The Mariners began their second campaign as they had their first – by qualifying for the final of the 2006 Pre-Season Cup.

There was to be no joy on this occasion for the yellow and navy, who had just weeks previously added their first ever marquee player to their playing roster – iconic Qantas Socceroo legend Tony Vidmar.

Although the Mariners’ second Hyundai A-League campaign failed to emulate the on field achievements of their previous season, the yellow and navy continued to make significant strides off from the pitch by way of an ever expanding Membership base and booming home attendance average at Bluetongue Stadium.

Season three saw the Mariners add one of the ultimate prizes in Australian sport to their cabinet – the Hyundai A-League 2007/08 Premiers Plate, having finished top of the Hyundai A-League field after 21 regular season rounds.

En route to the club's maiden Premiership success, the Mariners lured arguably the biggest football name in the short history of the Hyundai A-League to the Central Coast - Qantas Socceroo legend John Aloisi.

Aloisi's stint in yellow and navy returned seven goals between October 2007 and February 2008 - the Australian sporting icon a standout alongside 2008 Mariners Medal winner and soon to be Qantas Socceroo Mile Jedinak.

Another appearance in the Hyundai A-League Grand Final saw the Mariners narrowly defeated by their northern rivals the Newcastle Jets, but the Mariners were none the less able to reflect on their most successful campaign to date, one that booked the yellow and navy their tickets to the exclusive 2009 AFC Champions League – Asia’s most prestigious club competition.

Off the field, crowds at the Mariners’ picturesque bayside home at Bluetongue Stadium swelled to an all-time average high of 12,738 per match throughout the home and away season, a figure boosted by three record attendances of 17,514, 18,686 and 19,238, which were each recorded within the space of three weeks towards the end of the 2007/08 campaign.