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The Central Coast Mariners look to be making a bold move into Northern Sydney, and David Gallop and Frank Lowy would do well to watch this one closely.
Whether the reports that surfaced in the Fairfax press yesterday about the Central Coast Mariners playing more games out of North Sydney Oval in future are true or not, the perception is they are testing the market.
Michael Charlesworth needs to be careful not to alienate the people of the Central Coast – and the club hastily issued a statement in response yesterday refuting the claims they are seeking a permanent relocate
And having been attending Mariners games at Bluetongue Stadium since day dot, that afternoon in the inaugural A-League pre-season where Andrew Durante broke a leg and a rivalry was born, I’m certainly happy to share my opinion in favour of the folk of the Central Coast.
The feeling is that even if Charlesworth is only flirting with the idea of throwing more games the way of North Sydney Oval, he is sending out the wrong type of message to those that have backed the club since it’s inception almost a decade ago.
While the motive might be to shake the Central Coast from a perceived lethargy or even test the waters in an area it claims houses one in five of its members, it must be careful not to turn away the fan base it has built up locally.
While Charlesworth might point to the money he has poured into the club and his subsequent loses, for the FFA there is a bigger loss to make that might not necessarily be measured in dollars and cents.
Football can ill afford to throw away the significant investment of resources and time it has spent on building the round ball game in the Central Coast.
While it might not have historically been a football community in the way Newcastle has always been, there’s no doubt that a love for the club and the code has blossomed for many in the area.
There is now a cottoned on core base that should only grow if managed well.
Of course this might not be the most affluent of communities, but the fact that many of them have invested their time and money should be respected.
No doubt reeling from an initial public relations backlash, Charlesworth issued a statement yesterday backing away from his threats in the Sydney Morning Herald that the Coasties might not have a club if they don’t back it.
Making those types of threats is hardly the best way to go about engaging more of your community.
Even in his statement yesterday there was little acknowledgement for the fans that do attend Bluetongue and have made that commitment over the years.
There was also little acknowledgement that this is a community that punches well above its weight as far as A-League support is concerned.
While there is much hype about the growth and further potential of the Western Sydney Wanderers, the reality is there was still an excellent support base of Mariners fans at last season’s grand final.
The scenes from their victory parade a short time later were very special for the region.
The Mariners’ average attendances per head of population also stack up well.
This is a supporter base that can’t be taken for granted. Almost a decade of building it up can’t be destroyed because someone isn’t turning a profit.
The reality of club ownership is that it is hard to turn a dollar, and that would be particular so in an area like the Central Coast where there is already a clamour to make ends meet.
Yesterday, in his back-tracking statement, the message from Charlesworth was that he was trying to lure the support base from the Northern Suburbs football community up to M1 more regularly.
Perhaps the feeling there are no more fans to be found from the Gosford and Wyong regions.
Either way, I do wonder what Sydney FC, who must draw a portion of their members from the northern suburbs of Sydney, have to say about this exercise.
After all, this is a club that is also looking to build its base.
For Lowy, Gallop and the FFA, it’s all a fine juggling act and one they must manage with the long term interests of the game at heart.
Today they have taken the step of dousing the speculation about a permanent or more regular move to North Sydney by claiming the facilities at North Sydney need upgrading.
The Central Coast has long been thought of as rugby league territory, but there is little doubt the younger generations there are growing up with football running through their veins.
The trick is that many of these kids then leave the Coast for work opportunities elsewhere in adulthood.
But their bond with the local community and football should stick.
Far too much has been invested in the region to throw it all away, so Charlesworth and the FFA would do well to be mindful of the mixed messages being emitted.
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