Tucked away in Tuggerah, a small village 90km north of Sydney that mixes the semi-rural, residential and light industry, the facilities of the Central Coast Mariners are modest at best. The gym is housed in domed tents, the physiotherapist department in a container, and three small tubs serve as ice baths for the players. The clubhouse still needs a lick of paint. During the recent Women’s World Cup, Germany used the single pitch at the training complex that met FIFA standards following an upgrade, and finalists England trained at the club’s stadium in nearby Gosford.
The club’s head of athletic development Andy Bernal, a former Socceroo and Reading player, is almost apologetic over the facilities that can’t match those of more resourced outfits in the A-League or European clubs. But sporting director Matt Simon, a former player of the New South Wales club in 2006, remembers the days when
