ccmfans.net is the Central Coast Mariners fan community, and was formed in 2004, so basically the beginning of time for the Mariners. Things have changed a lot over the years, but one thing has remained constant and that is our love of the Mariners. People come and go, some like to post a lot and others just like to read. It's up to you how you participate in the community!
If you want to get rid of this message, simply click on Join Now or head over to https://www.ccmfans.net/community/register/ to join the community! It only takes a few minutes, and joining will let you post your thoughts and opinions on all things Mariners, Football, and whatever else pops into your mind. If posting is not your thing, you can interact in other ways, including voting on polls, and unlock options only available to community members.
ccmfans.net is not only for Mariners fans either. Most of us are bonded by our support for the Mariners, but if you are a fan of another club (except the Scum, come on, we need some standards), feel free to join and get into some banter.
Thanks B G
Phenomenal... but some people have FAAAAR too much time on their hands!
Date: March 30, 2014 - 12:49PM
Michael Cockerill
Football Writer
View more articles from Michael Cockerill
Bigger game: Sydney FC's draw against Melbourne Victory on Saturday night is small fry compared with the looming battle for space in the team's home city. Photo: Getty Images
Seemingly, the focus at Sydney FC right now is on the life-and-death struggle to make the finals – a cause only partly helped by Saturday night’s draw against Melbourne Victory.
Truth is, there is a much bigger prize preoccupying the front office at Moore Park. Building a centre of excellence remains the holy grail for chairman Scott Barlow, who is acutely aware that after a decade of existence the club desperately needs to prove it has some sense of direction.
At last, the CoE is more than a dream. Soon it could become a reality. But for that to be achieved, the richest club in the A-League needs to win a battle for hearts and minds with a club many associate with a bygone era, Sydney Olympic.
Tempe Reserve, so close to the northern end of the runway at Sydney Airport that you can imagine a punt kick from Vedran Janjetovic or Paul Henderson hitting the bottom of a plane, is the battleground between two clubs who live in different circumstances but share a common goal. Marrickville Council will have to decide, but don’t assume might is always right. Sydney Olympic, who have close cultural ties to the district, have produced a tender based on community involvement which may yet usurp the claims of a club which, after all, is owned by a foreign billionaire. It’s a hard one to call.
Two leading Labor Party figures – former powerbroker Mark Arbib, these days a Sydney FC board member, and Anthony Albanese, the local member – may ultimately have a major influence on the outcome of the council’s deliberations. Newington College, where former Sky Blues coach Ian Crook runs the football program, is also believed to be part of both submissions. Crook also worked briefly for Sydney Olympic as their technical director.
The good news is, for once, this is not a contest between football and another code for a key infrastructure project. Football’s lack of political clout – compounded by the continued ambivalence of the FFA towards infrastructure issues – means the game usually loses those. At least this time football wins, no matter what. The question is whether it will be Sydney FC or Sydney Olympic who will be opening their new CoE at Tempe. On different levels, it can be a game-changer for both clubs.
It was Central Coast Mariners, of course, who set the bar by building the A-League’s first CoE at Tuggerah. Other clubs are now trying to catch up, and the arrival of Manchester City’s billions (they’re rumoured to be about to spend $20 million on developing a CoE for Melbourne Heart/City at Latrobe University) has quickened the pace as the game – as a whole – sees the benefits of taking the development pathway to a new level.
And that whole of the game includes the semi-pro tier, of which Sydney Olympic remain a leading light. Never underestimate the drive, and the passion, of a club which has won two national titles and can still pull the heart strings of the major figures in the Greek-Australian community. For instance, Nick Politis, who once helped bankroll the club, is in the loop and could yet emerge as a key backer of Sydney Olympic’s plans for a CoE.
Either way, Tempe Reserve – which encompasses the failed Newtown Jets social club – is grand prize for the game. Situated on the border of three local associations – St George, Eastern Suburbs and Canterbury – it has the size, and the location, to become an iconic new facility for hot-housing the best young talent from Sydney’s eastern seaboard.
The western suburbs – and Western Sydney Wanderers by definition – already have the home of Football NSW at Parklea. The other half of Sydney is crying out for the same opportunities. Sydney FC will feel they have the inside running, but don’t rule out the ambitions of Sydney Olympic, who see the CoE as the catalyst for one day making a bid to return to the top flight.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/...-excellence-20140330-zqom5.html#ixzz2xQrrY31m
