The Central Coast Mariners are excited to announce a partnership with Central Coast Sports College that will provide a full-time environment for female footballers and coaches both on the Central Coast and in regional areas.
The partnership will provide a pathway from the school to the Mariners NPLW program and players and coaches will have access to the resources and education tools of the School to ensure players have the best possible pathway through their footballing career.
As part of the partnership, Dan Barrett, NPLW 1st Grade Coach this year, will lead the program at the School and retain his position as Head of Female Football at the Mariners.
The relationship will provide a more sustainable pathway and serve a dual purpose; not only providing players with an opportunity for full time development but also offering full time work for coaches to allow them to grow and create better coaches in the Central Coast region.
Former Matilda Julie Dolan, the head of Community and Marketing at the school, said the partnership could fill a big hole for Women’s football and its pathways on the Central Coast.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for women and girls in general, not only those on the Coast,” she said this week.
“The school is right here, this synergy with the mariners is what will make it so beneficial and the key thing we can offer is for regionally based players to relocate and be part of a full time playing and education program.”
“In the leadup to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, this presents something for local girls to aspire to and with a strong program behind them it opens up that opportunity which is something that hasn’t been there before.”
Barrett echoed Dolan’s thoughts and said he was positive about the impact this could have for female footballers in the region moving forward.
“The big part of this for me is the opportunity to spend more time with the players and also being able to provide the Mariners players at the school with the things that we don’t have on the Academy side yet,” he said.
“Access to the gym and other assets like that, where we can really work on the development of a player in entirety, and although it’s a bit of a buzzword the fact that we can manage their workload so much better will be important.”
“A key part of player development is encompassing all aspects of what they need both on and off the field, and providing support for them between the Mariners, where we have the team and the competitive environment, and the school with mentoring and off field components, the two go hand in hand to build a very good player.”
