Central Coast Mariners FC W-League
Encyclopedia
The Central Coast Mariners FC W-League team, also known as the Central Coast Mariners Women, represented the Central Coast Mariners in the Australian Women's National football (soccer)
League, the W-League
for two seasons between 2008 and 2009. In July 2010 it was announced the team would not be entered in the 2010 W-League, due to lack of funding. There is hope that the team may reenter the competition in a later season.
was appointed as the inaugural team coach. In October 2008, the squad was announced and featured Matildas
Kyah Simon
, Lyndsay Glohe
and Renee Rollason
. As the club was funded by Football NSW and not the Mariners exclusively, the W-League outfit played home matches in Sydney's west at Parramatta Stadium
and Campbelltown Stadium
, which was an opportunity for the Mariners brand to spread into areas outside the Central Coast.
Although the Mariners season got off to a bad start with a loss to the , they soon found their feet to record back-to-back wins over and , however, against Canberra, lost their first choice keeper Lisa Hartley
after she fouled a Canberra United attacker and was shown a straight red card. The following three fixtures were all lost by the Mariners and failed to gain a point, including two back-to-back fixtures where the Mainers failed to score a goal. Those three fixtures were also at the Mariners' second home, Campbelltown Stadium, which proved to be the bogey ground for the Central Coast outfit as they failed to gain a single competition point from the venue. However, in round 7, the Mariners responded with a 6-0 drubbing of , in Adelaide. That result would become the biggest team score and also the biggest win in the inaugural season by any team. Unable to maintain the momentum, the Mariners again lost another two back-to-back fixtures without scoring a goal and other results didn't go their way leading into the final round which meant a win against Melbourne Victory wouldn't be enough to finish in the top 4 for the finals. The Mariners did win their final match for the regular season, almost ending Melbourne's finals hopes. The match was played in torrential rain, however, the Parramatta pitch held up as the Mariners put two late goals past the Victory shot stopper to win the match 2-0. With the Mariners in fifth at the conclusion of the round 10 fixture, only a win by would put the Mariners into sixth and Melbourne into fifth. In a thrilling match, Sydney were up 3-0 within 28 minutes, but Adelaide United weren't to be out done, with a thrilling finish that saw Adelaide score two mid-second-half goals, but could push for a third. Sydney defeated Adelaide 3-2 and attained the remaining finals spot. That result confirming the Mariners' 6th position on the ladder, divided only by goal difference with the fifth placed Melbourne.
Kyah Simon, the leading goal scorer for the Mariners with 5, was only 2 goals short of the golden boot award which went eventually to Sydney's Leena Khamis. In a season that featured 4 wins and 6 losses from the 10 fixtures, the Mariners would be looking to improve on that for the next season.
After not making the finals in the inaugural season, many changes were to follow. Eleven players from season 1 did not have their contract re-newed with the Mariners. As a result, there were ten new signings for the new season. Five of which from Sydney FC Rachel Cooper
; Jessica Seaman
; Samantha Spackman
; Kelly Golebiowski
; Michelle Heyman
, and three from the USA Jillian Loyden
; Kendall Fletcher
; Lydia Vandenbergh
, with Caitlin Foord
and Ashleigh Connor
from the AIS
and Illawarra Stingrays respectively.
But the changes were to continue as the Mariners' would now play their home matches at the real home (mens senior and youth teams) of the Central Coast Mariners, Bluetounge Stadium. As part of a special one-off, the Mariners will play one home match at Canberra Stadium
against Canberra as a curtain raiser to the Men's A-League fixture, Central Coast against . Another home fixture will be played at Leichhardt Oval
, in Leichhardt
as part of a double-header with Sydney FC playing Perth Glory in the opening match, and then the Mariners playing Melbourne Victory in the second.
The new season started in the best possible fashion for the Mariners with a 3-1 victory over traditional rivals Sydney FC away at the Sydney Football Stadium. The derby
fueled by the fact that all three goals from the Mariners were scored from former Sydney players - Kelly Golebiowski and a double by Michelle Heyman. The Mariners continued their winning streak to a club record of 3 consecutive wins with a 2-0 victory over Adelaide at the Mariners first home game at Bluetounge Stadium in wet conditions. In a match dominated by the yellow and navy, goals were hard to come by, however the final 17 minutes produced the match winning goals from Trudy Camilleri and Ashleigh Connor, with the latter being a driven low shot from the edge of the 6-yard box. The inaugural champions were the next opponents in a top of the table clash. In a tight affair the Roar dominated the possession and the shots at goal. Late in the second-half, the Roar scored the one and only goal of the match. With a loss to the Roar, the Mariners were looking to get back on the score sheet and into the winners circle and that's just what they did against the near rivals Newcastle. The derby produced 6 goals with the Mariners 5-1 runaway winners. Lydia Vandenburgh scored with only 5 minutes gone. Michelle Heyman added another two and on the half-hour mark it was 3-0. A second-half penalty to Kendall Fletcher and a late goal from substitute Trudy Camilleri completed the Mariners scoring, but an 89th minute consolation goal to the Jets rounded off the scoring.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
League, the W-League
W-League (Australia)
The W-League is the preeminent women's semi-professional football league in Australia. Established in 2008, it is composed of eight teams - seven of them are affiliated with seven of the Australian clubs currently in the A-League, with the eighth team based in Canberra...
for two seasons between 2008 and 2009. In July 2010 it was announced the team would not be entered in the 2010 W-League, due to lack of funding. There is hope that the team may reenter the competition in a later season.
Season 1 - 2008/09
As one of the 7 established Australian A-League clubs, the Central Coast Mariners Women was announced to coincide with the establishment of the new W-League. In early September, Stephen RocheStephen Roche (coach)
Stephen Roche is currently manager of W-League side Central Coast Mariners.-Central Coast Mariners W-League:In 2008 he was named as manager of the new W-League club the Central Coast Mariners women's team....
was appointed as the inaugural team coach. In October 2008, the squad was announced and featured Matildas
Australia women's national association football team
The Australia women's national association football team, nicknamed the Matildas , represents Australia in international women's association football and is governed by Football Federation Australia . The team has regularly qualified for both the Women's World Cup and the Olympics although has won...
Kyah Simon
Kyah Simon
Kyah Pam Simon is an Australian female football player. She currently plays for Sydney FC in the Australian W-League.Kyah made her debut against Melbourne Victory on Saturday, 25 October 2008...
, Lyndsay Glohe
Lyndsay Glohe
Lyndsay Glohe is an Australian football player, who currently plays for Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League.Lyndsay made her debut against Melbourne Victory on Saturday, 25 October 2008.-External links:*...
and Renee Rollason
Renee Rollason
Renee Rollason is an Australian football player, who currently plays for Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League.Rollason made her debut against Melbourne Victory on Saturday, 25 October 2008...
. As the club was funded by Football NSW and not the Mariners exclusively, the W-League outfit played home matches in Sydney's west at Parramatta Stadium
Parramatta Stadium
Parramatta Stadium is a sports stadium situated in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia.The stadium is used primarily as the home ground of Australian National Rugby League club the Parramatta Eels...
and Campbelltown Stadium
Campbelltown Stadium
Campbelltown Stadium, formerly Orana Park and Campbelltown Sports Ground, is a rugby league stadium in Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia. It is the full time home ground for the Western Suburbs Magpies District Rugby League Football Club and is one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers...
, which was an opportunity for the Mariners brand to spread into areas outside the Central Coast.
Although the Mariners season got off to a bad start with a loss to the , they soon found their feet to record back-to-back wins over and , however, against Canberra, lost their first choice keeper Lisa Hartley
Lisa Hartley
Lisa Hartley is an Australian soccer player. She played for the Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League during the 2008–09 season.Lisa made her debut against Melbourne Victory on Saturday, 25 October 2008....
after she fouled a Canberra United attacker and was shown a straight red card. The following three fixtures were all lost by the Mariners and failed to gain a point, including two back-to-back fixtures where the Mainers failed to score a goal. Those three fixtures were also at the Mariners' second home, Campbelltown Stadium, which proved to be the bogey ground for the Central Coast outfit as they failed to gain a single competition point from the venue. However, in round 7, the Mariners responded with a 6-0 drubbing of , in Adelaide. That result would become the biggest team score and also the biggest win in the inaugural season by any team. Unable to maintain the momentum, the Mariners again lost another two back-to-back fixtures without scoring a goal and other results didn't go their way leading into the final round which meant a win against Melbourne Victory wouldn't be enough to finish in the top 4 for the finals. The Mariners did win their final match for the regular season, almost ending Melbourne's finals hopes. The match was played in torrential rain, however, the Parramatta pitch held up as the Mariners put two late goals past the Victory shot stopper to win the match 2-0. With the Mariners in fifth at the conclusion of the round 10 fixture, only a win by would put the Mariners into sixth and Melbourne into fifth. In a thrilling match, Sydney were up 3-0 within 28 minutes, but Adelaide United weren't to be out done, with a thrilling finish that saw Adelaide score two mid-second-half goals, but could push for a third. Sydney defeated Adelaide 3-2 and attained the remaining finals spot. That result confirming the Mariners' 6th position on the ladder, divided only by goal difference with the fifth placed Melbourne.
Kyah Simon, the leading goal scorer for the Mariners with 5, was only 2 goals short of the golden boot award which went eventually to Sydney's Leena Khamis. In a season that featured 4 wins and 6 losses from the 10 fixtures, the Mariners would be looking to improve on that for the next season.
Season 2 - 2009
Rachel Cooper
Rachel Cooper is an Australian football player who currently plays for Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League. She played for Sydney FC during the 2008–09 season of the W-League....
; Jessica Seaman
Jessica Seaman
Jessica Seaman is an Australian football who currently plays for Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League. She played for Sydney FC during the 2008–09 season of the W-League....
; Samantha Spackman
Samantha Spackman
Samantha Spackman is an Australian football who currently plays for Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League. She played for Sydney FC during the 2008–09 season of the W-League....
; Kelly Golebiowski
Kelly Golebiowski
Kelly Golebiowski is an Australian football player who currently plays for Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League...
; Michelle Heyman
Michelle Heyman
Michelle Heyman is an Australian football who currently plays for Canberra United in the Australian W-League. She played for Sydney FC during the 2008–09 season of the W-League....
, and three from the USA Jillian Loyden
Jillian Loyden
Jillian Ann Loyden, better known as Jill Loyden is an American soccer goalkeeper. She formerly played for the Chicago Red Stars in the Women's Professional Soccer....
; Kendall Fletcher
Kendall Fletcher
Kendall Fletcher is an American soccer defender currently playing for Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer and the of the Australian W-League...
; Lydia Vandenbergh
Lydia Vandenbergh
Lydia Kathleen Vandenbergh is an American soccer defender currently playing for magicJack of the Women's Professional Soccer league.-External links:* * * * *...
, with Caitlin Foord
Caitlin Foord
Caitlin Foord is an Australian football player, who currently plays for the Sydney FC in the Australian W-League.-Club career:...
and Ashleigh Connor
Ashleigh Connor
Ashleigh Connor was an Australian soccer player, who played for the Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League....
from the AIS
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
and Illawarra Stingrays respectively.
But the changes were to continue as the Mariners' would now play their home matches at the real home (mens senior and youth teams) of the Central Coast Mariners, Bluetounge Stadium. As part of a special one-off, the Mariners will play one home match at Canberra Stadium
Canberra Stadium
Canberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...
against Canberra as a curtain raiser to the Men's A-League fixture, Central Coast against . Another home fixture will be played at Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval is a football stadium in Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia. It is a home ground for the Wests Tigers rugby league team. The stadium has a nominal capacity of 20,000, with recorded highest crowd figures of 23,000 in the 1981 KB Tooth final South Sydney Rabbitohs versus...
, in Leichhardt
Leichhardt, New South Wales
Leichhardt is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Leichhardt is located 5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt...
as part of a double-header with Sydney FC playing Perth Glory in the opening match, and then the Mariners playing Melbourne Victory in the second.
The new season started in the best possible fashion for the Mariners with a 3-1 victory over traditional rivals Sydney FC away at the Sydney Football Stadium. The derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
fueled by the fact that all three goals from the Mariners were scored from former Sydney players - Kelly Golebiowski and a double by Michelle Heyman. The Mariners continued their winning streak to a club record of 3 consecutive wins with a 2-0 victory over Adelaide at the Mariners first home game at Bluetounge Stadium in wet conditions. In a match dominated by the yellow and navy, goals were hard to come by, however the final 17 minutes produced the match winning goals from Trudy Camilleri and Ashleigh Connor, with the latter being a driven low shot from the edge of the 6-yard box. The inaugural champions were the next opponents in a top of the table clash. In a tight affair the Roar dominated the possession and the shots at goal. Late in the second-half, the Roar scored the one and only goal of the match. With a loss to the Roar, the Mariners were looking to get back on the score sheet and into the winners circle and that's just what they did against the near rivals Newcastle. The derby produced 6 goals with the Mariners 5-1 runaway winners. Lydia Vandenburgh scored with only 5 minutes gone. Michelle Heyman added another two and on the half-hour mark it was 3-0. A second-half penalty to Kendall Fletcher and a late goal from substitute Trudy Camilleri completed the Mariners scoring, but an 89th minute consolation goal to the Jets rounded off the scoring.