The Central Coast Mariners are pleased to announce the signing of Annabel Martin for the upcoming A-League Women’s season.
The defender joins the Mariners having played in the Liberty A-League competition for six seasons, most recently for Wellington Phoenix.
Martin started her professional career as a 16-year-old, debuting for Melbourne Victory in the 2015/16 season.
She went on to play four seasons for the club, amassing 39 appearances as well as winning the Victory medal in just her third season of A-League Women’s football.
The defender moved to Newcastle for the 2019/20 season, however missed much of that campaign and the entire 2020/21 season after injuring her ACL.
Once recovered, Martin signed for Wellington Phoenix on a one season deal, featuring for the side in their inaugural A-League Women’s season.
The defender has also been a key figure in Sydney University’s First Grade squad over the past six seasons, featuring under Mariners A-League Women’s Head Coach Emily Husband.
Husband is extremely excited to have Martin signed on for the upcoming season, seeing her as a real leader in the group.
“Annabel is a fantastic player who will bring experience into the group. She has lots of A-League experience as well as experience with Junior National Teams who has grown into a real leader. She has a fantastic engine with a phenomenal cross and she is another player who is a real thinker about the game and reads play extremely well,” Husband said.
“Experienced players are what you build your team around. They know how to manage games well and how to lead the team through difficult times. Annabel is exactly that type of player, and it will be great to have her on the Coast.”
Martin is thrilled to have signed with the Central Coast, eager to get started as the commencement of the competition draws closer.
“I am super excited to be joining the Central Coast. To be a part of the community, I really think we will build something special as a team here for the future. I am super keen to immerse myself in the club and the community and give everything my best shot,” Martin said.
“To get to continue to work under Emily will be amazing, I rate her extremely highly as a coach. When we spoke about the opportunity, I grabbed it with both hands. I will be aiming to be a spark on the field this season and bring something off the field as well. I can’t wait to get the season underway; it can’t come around quick enough.”
