The Central Coast Mariners have today confirmed its Foxtel National Youth League playing roster and coaching appointments for the 2017/18 season.
Today the Mariners can confirm the appointment of Head Coach Wayne O’Sullivan who will lead the Foxtel National Youth League (FNYL) team during the 2017/18 season with Will Vasquez and Joe Haywood selected as the Assistant Coaches.
O’Sullivan has most recently worked as the Technical Director of the Central Coast Mariners Academy and also made 37 Hyundai A-League appearances for the Mariners between 2005-2007 as a player. ‘Sully’ as he is affectionately known, will continue his role as Technical Director across the Central Coast Mariners Academy & North Shore Mariners.
Vasquez remains as an Assistant Coach within the FNYL set up and is joined by Haywood from North Shore Mariners who was the Head Coach of the side during the 2015/16 season.
Like last season, the 10 FNYL clubs have been divided into two conferences; Conference A (Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar FC, Melbourne City FC, Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory) and Conference B (Central Coast Mariners, Canberra United, Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers FC). Within each conference, the teams will play each other twice over 10 rounds (4 home / 4 away – 8 matches and 2 byes per team).
The Central Coast Mariners start their campaign on November 19 against the Newcastle Jets away from home.
CLICK HERE to view the full Foxtel National Youth League draw.
O’Sullivan spoke about the positive change in the structure of the Central Coast Mariners pathway and it’s positive impact on the Foxtel National Youth League team
“It’s an exciting time and I am really look forward to working with the young talented players in our pathway,” O’Sullivan said. “More importantly there’s been a really positive shift in the football structure that will give a direct link between our academy, FNYL and Hyundai A-League playing style.
⏰ 24 HOURS TO GO ⏰ Have you placed your bid on a player-worn kit? All proceeds go to @CCNewSouthWales ? https://t.co/o3cMWPLkgg #ALeague pic.twitter.com/GvMNKIBug2
— #CCMFC (@CCMariners) November 2, 2017
“Playing a consistent brand of football throughout the club is critical. It’s only been in the last 18 months that it’s become a major focus for the Mariners.
“What’s exciting is that Paul Okon and Ivan Jolic have a real desire to play a particular brand of football. They are really buying into that, which sets up the club for the long term. As a direct result of the genuine hands on interest of Paul, Ivan and Balder Berckmans we are very well placed to provide opportunities to aspiring future Central Coast Mariners A-league players.
“It gives the club an identity and culture for the long term.
“This year is a transition year for our youth structure in regards to performance vs results. It’s crucial that we use the FNYL to implement our playing style, make sure the players understand the key principles associated with the Hyundai A-League team and physically develop those players.
“The PlayStation 4 NPL season will be where focus will be more on results, we will use that because there’s promotion/relegation where you need to win some games. There will be a higher focus on winning in that space than there necessarily will be in the FNYL which is purely about closing the gap and aligning with our Hyundai A-League team.
“The restructure of our football pathway Aligns 13s through to Hyundai A-League and also engages the North Shore Mariners. This allows us to give opportunities to players from both the Central Coast and also attract the best footballers from the metropolitan region, widening the Mariners pool of talent.
Have you heard about The Football Grounds? We're excited to partner with the new football facility at Erina! ⚽ https://t.co/PVSgnMu4ir pic.twitter.com/l7fT6OqRlE
— #CCMFC (@CCMariners) November 2, 2017
Training has officially started but O’Sullivan said that the focus for a lot of his playing group has been on their studies with the HSC.
“Quite rightly both the Mariners and the players have made their studies priority number one over the past two weeks,” O’Sullivan said. “So, we haven’t had access to those boys all the time.
“It’s an exciting time, we ran out in a trial against Sydney FC last week – we had five A-League boys and so did they and they were competitive from the outset, showing good signs of understanding.
“There are definitely players within that squad that, given the right tools, could definitely be seen running around at Central Coast Stadium soon,” O’Sullivan said.
Central Coast Mariners Foxtel National Youth League Squad: Aamir ABDALLAH, Quentin CHENG, Michael GLASSOCK, Jack GREENWOOD, Kyle JOHNSON, Peter KEKERIS, Jack KUIPERS, James MARKOVIC, Lewis MILLER, Aidan MUNFORD, Joshua NISBET, Mathias PAZ, Emmanuel PETERS, Jordan SMYLIE, Gianni STENSNESS, Aidan TAOUIL, Lachlan WALES, Charles WILLIAM
Central Coast Mariners Foxtel National Youth League Home Games
Round 2
Central Coast Mariners Youth vs. Western Sydney Wanderers Youth
Saturday, 25 November 2017
Venue: Central Coast Mariners Centre of Excellence
Kick-off: 10:30am
Round 5
Central Coast Mariners Youth vs. Sydney FC Youth
Sunday, 17 December 2017
Venue: Central Coast Mariners Centre of Excellence
Kick-off: 4:30pm
Round 6
Central Coast Mariners Youth vs. Newcastle Jets Youth
Saturday, 30 December 2017
Venue: Central Coast Mariners Centre of Excellence
Kick-off: 10:30am
Round 8
Central Coast Mariners Youth vs. Canberra United
Saturday, 13 January 2018
Venue: Central Coast Mariners Centre of Excellence
Kick-off: 10:30am
