Belinda Neal (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise with pleasure this morning to pay tribute to the Central Coast Mariners, a team I certainly strongly support on the Central Coast and a team that has become very much a community icon. Only four years ago the Hyundai A-League was established, and I congratulate Frank Lowy for his foresight and his commercial commitment in getting such a wonderful competition off the ground. It has certainly been something that has really played a great hand in defining the Central Coast and giving it an identity, something we have been seeking for some time.

The Central Coast is located between Sydney and Newcastle and is often overlooked. People who see a reference to the Central Coast often consider that it is somewhere near Coffs Harbour, halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, but that is not the case. What has happened with the Central Coast Mariners is a clear statement to the rest of the world that we do exist and we do have an identity, and that team has been very much embraced by the community. The Central Coast Mariners have been there only for four short years but they have met with success, both in terms of the games they have played and the wins they have had. They have been in the final series in every one of those four years, and in two of those years they have been in the grand final. Unfortunately, we have yet to secure the great success of winning a grand final, but I am sure that that is not too far away.

We had the great pleasure of being selected, because of our success last season, for the Asian Football Cup, and we have had the pleasure not only of seeing the Central Coast Mariners playing in China and other Asian countries, but also of seeing Asian countries come to play here in Australia—in fact, at our own Bluetongue stadium in Gosford. It is a stadium that I always say has the best view in Australia. I do not know whether it is the best use of land to have a stadium that has water views, but you can either watch the football and enjoy that or look across the water and enjoy that view at the same time, so it is certainly a fantastic venue.

The Central Coast Mariners are in the Asian Football Cup. They had a fantastic game against Tianjin last night in China. Unfortunately, it was a two-all draw. There were some expectations during the game that they would win it by two to one, but unfortunately that did not take place. But I am certainly confident that they will continue to have success and hopefully they will play in the finals of the H group, where they are placed.

I would also like to say that it is my great pleasure to see the commencement this season of the W-League as an adjunct to the Hyundai A-League. It really is a great thing to see women soccer players able to play professionally. They are not yet paid in the same way as men, and I hope to see as an aspiration in the future that they will have equal pay, but it is certainly great to see at least that professional players are supported by the men’s Hyundai A-League. I was thrilled to see that the Central Coast Mariners W-League team did very well, though unfortunately they did not achieve a place in the finals. I want to congratulate them, and I hope that all of them will continue to play and show the commitment that they have shown to date, because certainly I was thrilled to see them.

A special thankyou to Lawrie McKinna, the coach—the whole team relies extremely heavily on him, and he certainly guides the team extremely well—and also to Lyall Gorman and John McKay, the executive chairman and the CEO, who have both been extremely hard workers and play a great role in keeping the team on its feet. Also, a special thankyou to both the New South Wales government and the Gosford City Council, who also provide the team with keen support, not only financially. But most of all I would like to thank the Mariners.