Mariners want North Shore fans but will stay in Gosford: Charlesworth
Date
December 4, 2014 - 7:00PM
Sebastian Hassett
Football reporter
Home away from home: Mariners coach Phil Moss and captain John Hutchinson at North Sydney Oval on Thursday.
Photo: Ben Rushton
Central Coast Mariners' owner Mike Charlesworth says he wants to keep the club in Gosford for the "next 100 years" but admits they must radically expand their supporter catchment on Sydney's North Shore if they want to survive in the A-League.
In an interview with Fairfax Media on Thursday, Charlesworth was at pains to say he would not shift the Mariners, saying they would play no more than three matches away from Central Coast Stadium.
Many fans remain convinced the club's owner is in the process of surreptitiously moving them south in the hope of becoming Sydney's third A-League club.
But as the Mariners prepare to host their second match at North Sydney Oval in as many seasons on Friday night – this time at home to Melbourne Victory – Charlesworth said he had no intention of making it the club's permanent home.
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"It's only one game this season that we've taken to North Sydney Oval but it's something that we need to do from a commercial point of view. We must expand our geographic footprint and our supporter base," Charlesworth said.
"Unfortunately, we're at the bottom of the TV ratings, which affects our commercial value and our appeal to sponsors. We simply need to do something about that. We want to be a bigger club.
"We don't have a commercial model that is sustainable today – we have a population base of 300,000 over a large geographic area and it's very challenging. All we're doing is expanding that footprint. We want to build a new supporter base and it will take a long time."
Charlesworth disagreed the Mariners would try to replicate the dual-region model of NRL side St George Illawarra, a team that purports to represent both Sydney's south-east and Wollongong.
Instead, he said the ideal model belonged to AFL powerhouses Hawthorn, who have taken matches to Tasmania in a decade-long partnership that has provided a massive financial boost for the Hawks.
"They've managed to get the balance right and we think the Hawthorn model could very well for us. It's something that's been embraced by their supporters," he said.
"We want to get our supporters to feel the same way about what we're doing. Perhaps we haven't communicated that very well but we understand that now and we're committed to explaining our vision. We'll be taking a roadshow around the Central Coast to help with that.
"We want to get to a situation whereby people are travelling up the freeway from Sydney to watch games in Gosford and vice-versa. We also want to expand [the supporter base] west and we're putting academies in Bathurst and Mudgee as well."
The English-born businessman, who moved back to his homeland this past year but remains a frequent visitor, claims he wants to keep "10 to 11 matches per season in Gosford".
"That's the same as it was in the first few years in the A-League and then you're factoring in Asian Champions League matches as well. It's a lot of content in an area of 100,000 people [around Gosford]," he said. "The ideal number of home games for any Australian club in any sport is 10 to 11 matches in one location and we're no different.
"We're still 100 per cent committed to playing those matches in Gosford but in order to attract a new and younger supporter base, it means putting some content into a region close by. It's just common sense, especially when 20 per cent of our supporter base already lives there."
It is clear that Charlesworth, who took a controlling 64 per cent stake in the club in March 2013, is fed up with losing money at Gosford and sees either North Sydney or Brookvale Oval – where the Mariners will play Adelaide United in February – as ways to soften the blow.
"We'll analyse the results of those two games from a commercial and strategic point of view before making any decisions," he said. "We had one game last year at North Sydney and that was a relative success commercially. We'll wait until after the Brookvale game before we compare."
Although rumours persist Charlesworth is looking to sell the club, which he denies, he admits he's open to investment.
"We've always wanted more substantial investment but in the past nine years, the only two people to get involved have been myself and Kevin McCabe – two Englishmen," he said.
"Are we actively seeking investment? No. But would we talk to potential investors? Of course. We'd like to share the pain, because, right now, it is painful."
The club has also been criticised for losing touch with the local community but Charlesworth insists it's on the improve.
"In the transition from [foundation coach] Lawrie McKinna, Graham Arnold was very successful on the pitch but the number of community engagement projects dropped significantly," Charlesworth said.
"We've started to reverse that, we're doing more community work under the Phil Moss regime, yet people weren't complaining about this when we were winning.
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We're doing more community work than two years ago, that's for sure. Is it the same level as we were doing under Lawrie McKinna? No, but there's a fine line for professionals who are paid to play football. That's their primary job.
"We need to work harder in the community but I think this perception is a little bit skewed in terms of the so-called 'good old days'."
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/...-in-gosford-charlesworth-20141204-12091z.html
