Post by marinermick on Jul 17, 2007 9:02:56 GMT 10
Mariners Top Rich List (Telegraph)
By Tom Smithies and John Taylor
July 17, 2007 12:00am
THE Central Coast Mariners this week will announce a new commercial deal that will make the Gosford club one of the best-backed franchises in the A-League.
The astonishing transformation of the Mariners' finances - quite apart from the recent investment by former Sydney backer Peter Turnbull - means their sponsorship revenue has reached $2.5 million, a figure equalled only by Melbourne Victory, according to well-placed sources.
The new deal, with Community First Credit Union, is one of a number the club has sealed, with at least nine being six-figure sums that add up to a total of $2.5 million.
A source with knowledge of the state of A-League clubs' finances said: "What the Mariners have done - probably better than any other club - is engage with their grassroots, so they have been able to secure a range of medium-sized deals rather than one big eye-catching sponsor.
"Only Melbourne Victory have been as successful in accumulating sponsorship money."
It's thought the Mariners are now exploring the guest-player facility that Sydney used so well in season one in signing Japanese legend Kazu, though no specific players have been identified so far.
But that would allow the club to boost its national profile, with the club's ambitious aim of building a - if not the - centre of excellence for the game nationally.
The Mariners' executive chairman Lyall Gorman said that further deals in the pipeline could yet take the income figure higher still.
"Our sponsorship work for this season is still unfinished and we still have other categories to fill which, when completed, will push us very close to the $3 million mark," Gorman said.
The plan to turn the Mariners' academy into a national centre of excellence may seem prematurely ambitious given the club's well-documented financial travails in year one, but the club already have partnerships signed with several local associations giving them access to the region's young talent.
Meanwhile, Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna expects Nik Mrdja and Sasho Petrovski to develop into a lethal combination but "just need a little more time together".
After Saturday's win over Wellington Phoenix, McKinna said: "I thought individually they did some good things against Wellington on Saturday but the combination is not there yet.
"Give them another three or four weeks together. I am very excited about them playing together and having Tommy (Pondeljak) and Adam (Kwasnik) on the flanks. We've got some real pace there and you saw some of those runs Mrdja made."
The Mariners still have Dean Heffernan and Greg Owens to return and give the team even more pace but McKinna is not sure whether they'll be ready for the next Pre-Season Cup match against Queensland in Orange on Saturday.
McKinna has already inspected the pitch at Wade Park. "The field is a lot better than last year and has a lot more grass," he said.
The Mariners, who won 2-0, were the only team to collect a bonus point from the opening round of matches.
By Tom Smithies and John Taylor
July 17, 2007 12:00am
THE Central Coast Mariners this week will announce a new commercial deal that will make the Gosford club one of the best-backed franchises in the A-League.
The astonishing transformation of the Mariners' finances - quite apart from the recent investment by former Sydney backer Peter Turnbull - means their sponsorship revenue has reached $2.5 million, a figure equalled only by Melbourne Victory, according to well-placed sources.
The new deal, with Community First Credit Union, is one of a number the club has sealed, with at least nine being six-figure sums that add up to a total of $2.5 million.
A source with knowledge of the state of A-League clubs' finances said: "What the Mariners have done - probably better than any other club - is engage with their grassroots, so they have been able to secure a range of medium-sized deals rather than one big eye-catching sponsor.
"Only Melbourne Victory have been as successful in accumulating sponsorship money."
It's thought the Mariners are now exploring the guest-player facility that Sydney used so well in season one in signing Japanese legend Kazu, though no specific players have been identified so far.
But that would allow the club to boost its national profile, with the club's ambitious aim of building a - if not the - centre of excellence for the game nationally.
The Mariners' executive chairman Lyall Gorman said that further deals in the pipeline could yet take the income figure higher still.
"Our sponsorship work for this season is still unfinished and we still have other categories to fill which, when completed, will push us very close to the $3 million mark," Gorman said.
The plan to turn the Mariners' academy into a national centre of excellence may seem prematurely ambitious given the club's well-documented financial travails in year one, but the club already have partnerships signed with several local associations giving them access to the region's young talent.
Meanwhile, Mariners coach Lawrie McKinna expects Nik Mrdja and Sasho Petrovski to develop into a lethal combination but "just need a little more time together".
After Saturday's win over Wellington Phoenix, McKinna said: "I thought individually they did some good things against Wellington on Saturday but the combination is not there yet.
"Give them another three or four weeks together. I am very excited about them playing together and having Tommy (Pondeljak) and Adam (Kwasnik) on the flanks. We've got some real pace there and you saw some of those runs Mrdja made."
The Mariners still have Dean Heffernan and Greg Owens to return and give the team even more pace but McKinna is not sure whether they'll be ready for the next Pre-Season Cup match against Queensland in Orange on Saturday.
McKinna has already inspected the pitch at Wade Park. "The field is a lot better than last year and has a lot more grass," he said.
The Mariners, who won 2-0, were the only team to collect a bonus point from the opening round of matches.
Lyall and co have certainly placed the bar very high indeed!
