MARINERS TURN A PROFIT!

[dibo]

Mariners continue to kick goals off the field
by Benjamin Coonan
Tuesday, 2 September 2008

The Central Coast Mariners are proud to announce that the club has recorded its first operating profit for the recently completed financial year in another powerful endorsement for the stability and longevity of an organisation with ambitions to become the centre of excellence for football in Australia.

With an annual turnover of $7 million, this is the first time that the Mariners have been in a position to boast financial gain in the clubs four-year history.

Such a positive off-field return, coupled with the Mariners most successful Hyundai A-League campaign to date, where the yellow and navy secured a 2009 AFC Champions League berth by virtue of the clubs maiden Premiership success, is the strongest statement yet of the Mariners unwavering aspiration to become Australias premier football club.

Though pleased with their off-field accomplishment, the Mariners are also conscious of the immediate challenges facing all Hyundai A-League clubs, not least through the introduction of two new domestic leagues the National Youth League and the Westfield W-League, and the recently announced decision to expand the Hyundai A-League to ten teams from the 2009/10 season.

"We as a club and I personally would like to express sincere thanks to each of the shareholders and early investors of the Mariners who had the immense fortitude to commit to such a new venture in a new competition in a sport with very little historical corporate support," said Mariners Deputy Chairman and majority shareholder Peter Turnbull.

"The Directors and Management of the club have been working feverishly off the field to capitalise on the outstanding on-field success the club has enjoyed to provide solid foundations for the Mariners to prosper well into the future.

"We must also thank each of our sponsors and corporate supporters, who last season contributed some $3 million to our cause.

"Lastly but not least, it is a reflection of the outstanding work of everyone associated with the Mariners, from the playing group, coaching staff and administration to our Members and supporters that we have been able to progress from a concept on a sheet of paper to a turnover of $7 million within three years a tremendous effort."

Looking forward, there are several exciting initiatives currently being developed by the Mariners that will be unveiled in due course over the next twelve months.

Planning is advanced for the location and construction of a permanent training and administration base for the Mariners, which will include a world class one of a kind centre of excellence training facility and Academy base, sports science building, offices and ancillary facilities.

Through the Mariners Academy program, the Mariners will continue to offer elite and expanded development training programs for talented players and coaches within the Mariners network of grassroots associations.

The Mariners Academy will also be expanded to include a program of overseas tours for elite junior players throughout the Mariners worldwide network of affiliated clubs abroad, including Sheffield United in England, Chengdu Blades in China, Sao Paolo in Brazil and Ferencvaros in Hungary.

"Having been able to turn a profit from a Hyundai A-League team, we are now working to ensure that the same applies after accounting for the new challenges offered by the National Youth League and the Westfield W-League, as well as an increased salary cap and Under 23s marquee player system," said Turnbull.

"In that light, the Mariners are continuing to expand the commercial activities of the club in generating non-football related revenue to supplement the operations of a football club.

"There is a lot to look forward to in the short to medium term and myself and our Executive Chairman Lyall Gorman are absolutely convinced that the Mariners will become the centre of excellence for football in Australia and, indeed, we have already taken very significant steps in achieving this ultimate goal."

Mariners Memberships for the Hyundai A-League 2008/09 season are now on sale at www.ccmariners.com.au.

Central Coast Mariners

 

[Blair]

WOW!!!
Great news good to see suck on that Scumcastle.
We are going to be the most successful club in the A-league in the next 5-10 year
I would say.

 

[mickeverton]

Great News. Throws support behind the rumour of the  Mariners buying the Tennis Club at Tuggerah

 

[Jorome Alexander Bennett]

I'm excited by the way our management, for a long time( I hope), intend to keep profits low.

In Lyall and Turnbull, we have men with vision. Put in 10 years of work and have a world class club that has crazy profits and is likely ensured future crazy profits.

Profit is good. Spending is better.

 

[dibo]

I think it offers some perspective for those who think that we should be hiring big name players and building huge stadiums our total turnover was just $7 million. Aloisis signature alone for this season wouldve cost us 20% of a years total turnover! From that has to come wages and operating costs, the actual profit figure Im guessing was very small indeed, but from little things, big things grow and all that.

This means things like stadiums and whatnot are huge multiples of annual turnover a new 35k seater stadium would likely cost over $100m or something in the order of 15 years turnover. That would be an enormous commitment for a club that is figuratively speaking only just out of nappies.

What it shows though is that even in very tough circumstances football can be successful off the field as well as on it. Last years run of record crowds can only help. Our club is continuing to lead by example in how you get the off-field to work well, and our on-field performance will flow from that. A stable and successful club off-field is infinitely more attractive than an unstable revolving-door basketcase.

 

[MattSimon]

A stable and successful club off-field is infinitely more attractive than an unstable revolving-door basketcase eg. Newcastle United Jets FC.

 

[dru]

Is a step in the right direction but now it's got to be sustained and delivered year after year though bad seasons as well as good ones. luckily I think we have the right people that won't go crazy at the sight of a small profit and will use it wisely. But yes makes you glad to be supporter of a club such as ours.

 

[midfielder]

Great news and what I found interesting was 7 mill Turn Over with 3 million from sponsors ........ meaning 4 million from crowds, sales of shirts and other activies.

Thus to make a profit we need to keep crowds at or above Hal 3,

 

[bikinigirl]

. so no funding from ffa/fox midfielder?

 

[Blair]

This is wat sets us apart from every other club we are a family friendly club  scumcastle, would you sit in the squadron with a 8 year old no way the are a buch of shit heads. But with us the Marintors we are a family based fan base.

Living in a low demsity area(less people living in a square Km) we have to rely on our sponsers big and little. We dont have the population that can fill a 30,000.

I can see in the next 5 years a world class academy and i think we will be having players from all over the world coming to this area. We are close to the beach with a great life syle, where the next up and coming stars can come and train, live in a area were the media may not be as forceful as say England. If we can dominate the Junior League clubs will be lineing up to buy our players. All we need to do is get bigger crouds into the games to keep funding up and Debt down.

This club is the envy of the Owners of any other club in the league lets keep the money comin and the players wining.

 

[FFC Mariner]

I think we need to be v wary of mortgaging the future to build a new stadium.

Look at how uncompetitive (relatively) Arsenal have become since the hocked everything to build the new library (Emirates). For those with slightly longer memories, Chavski in the 70's is another example.

 

[dibo]

I think we need to be v wary of mortgaging the future to build a new stadium.

Look at how uncompetitive (relatively) Arsenal have become since the hocked everything to build the new library (Emirates). For those with slightly longer memories, Chavski in the 70's is another example.

i don't think arsenal's a great example - their revenues have boomed since they moved to the new library because they had huge unmet demand for tickets. we don't have that, and chelsea in the 70s didn't have that either.

 

[clarence]

Did I hear the sound of champagne glasses clinking? 

Profit is good. Congratulations  ;D

While they haven't exactly announced the bottom line figure, just to be in the black after starting from scratch, what?, 4 years ago, is damn good effort.

 

[FFC Mariner]

Wengner has said he now cant compete with the "bigger clubs" as the new stadium has sucked so much $$ out of the club.

The Chavs had terrible crowds in the 70's when they nearly went broke

 

[dibo]

Wengner has said he now cant compete with the "bigger clubs" as the new stadium has sucked so much $$ out of the club.

The Chavs had terrible crowds in the 70's when they nearly went broke

Their net annual position is up GBP20 million per annum at the most conservative estimate Ive seen, while turnover is up some GBP70 million (debt financing makes up the difference).

the ability to sell more than 20,000 more tickets than you used to every second saturday for 9 months is a massive boost.

 

[promdi442]

It was obviously a good result for our club. When will the other clubs announce their annual financial reports

 

[dibo]

they're privately owned - they don't have to announce it. the only reason you're hearing about ours is because it's good news and they want you to know.

 

[dibo]

We're not losing money!
No! We're not losing money!
We're not losing money!
Anymore...
1-2-3-4...

 

[Rowdy]

This is pretty impressive when you rewind the clock back to year one. Back then Lyall, when asked about his decision to invest in football via the a-league, scoffed at inquiries on the levels of possible returns of profit. He stated that the focus was to keep the club afloat for at the minimum, the first 5 years b4 expecting a profit.

I remember having drinks with him and his wife late into the evening after the HAL V1 Grand Final, despite the loss, the beers that night where all "half full" and he talked with a look in his eyes that many with big dreams have.

Congratulations to Lyall, the rest of the investors, board, staff and all that have contributed along the way.

 

[RADINHO]

wow imagine the Marquee we could get with 7 million