Foundation Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Ian Ferguson has today been unveiled as the inaugural Head Coach of new Hyundai A-League franchise North Queensland FC, ending a hugely successful four-year stint on the Central Coast for the Scottish football great.
Foundation Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Ian Ferguson has today been unveiled as the inaugural Head Coach of new Hyundai A-League franchise North Queensland FC, ending a hugely successful four-year stint on the Central Coast for the Scottish football great.
Ferguson was first introduced to the Hyundai A-League ahead of the Mariners- debut season as deputy to Football Manager Lawrie McKinna and played an instrumental role in assisting the Mariners to two Hyundai A-League Grand Finals, the Hyundai A-League 2007/08 Premiership and 2005 Pre-Season Cup success.
Ferguson-s work with his new club begins immediately – the former Rangers immortal departing the Mariners with the blessing and best wishes from his former employers.
“While it will always be with mixed emotions that we farewell anyone from the Mariners family, let alone a stalwart who has been there from day one, there will always come a time when some members of the club will need to move on to further their own career,” said Mariners Executive Chairman Lyall Gorman.
“We have evidenced on many occasions our fundamental principle that anyone who comes into our club should know that there is a career pathway for them and that we will do everything we can to ensure they maximize their growth potential and strive to achieve their aspirations whether at the end of the day this is with the Mariners or at sometime in the future, elsewhere, as is the case with Ian.
“We currently have on our books ten of our foundation year players, a greater number than any other club, all of our coaching staff and all of our senior Management. This is testament to the fact that our philosophy of assisting in the growth of our people serves us very well.
“Ian has been an outstanding contributor towards getting us where we are today and is a wonderful ambassador for the game. His technical knowledge is outstanding and he and I have discussed on many occasions over the past two years his career pathway, including his burning ambition to be a fully fledged Football Manager one day in the Hyundai A-League. That day has now arisen and we are proud to have been a part of his development and in assisting him to achieve his ultimate goal in this regard.”
Mariners Memberships for the Hyundai A-League 2008/09 season are now on sale at www.ccmariners.com.au .
