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Every time I watch a football match in Gosford I cringe.
Yes, the crowds are consistent, but what I really worry about is all the money the Central Coast Mariners are losing to rent.
A crowd of 9000 in a town of 300,000 is reasonable, but I hate to know how much money is going down the toilet, resulting in the Mariners’ shoe-string budget.
I have heard that for the Mariners to “break even” they need to attract 14,000 fans to Bluetongue Stadium – a feat they have only managed once this season.
They are in a lot of trouble financially.
They couldn’t even get a sponsor for their first Asian Champions League match in Korea.
How do they avoid the same troubles in future years?
The answer, is selling home games.
The Mariners have already taken a step in the right direction by having talks with Sydney’s Brookvale Oval for a one-off match next season, where they need to get about 4000 fans to break even.
Yet they have already missed an opportunity by having their ACL home games in Gosford.
In my opinion, they should have sold their home games to ether northern Sydney or Wollongong, opening the Mariners up to a new supporter base in either region.
So what would happen if the Mariners sell some home games to Sydney?
I think that Gosford Council would wise up and lower their rent to keep their only national sporting side in Gosford.
The fans would start to come to more games to show their support, and the club would get more members from untouched areas.
Heck, if the matches they sell to north Sydney are against Sydney teams, then big crowds could be expected.
I think three games is the magic number of games to sell, leaving Bluetongue Stadium with ten games.
They will be able to remain a Gosford side, but they could also pull a profit – something that will never happen if they continue to play all their games in Gosford.
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