After being rewarded for his promising youth form with a Hyundai A-League debut on Sunday, Mariners forward Alou Kuol has signed a Scholarship contract with the Hyundai A-League club through to the end of the 2020/21 season.
The 19-year old moved from Shepparton at the end of 2019 to join Nick Montgomery’s Foxtel Y-League side, and embarked upon a successful campaign where he scored six times in six matches, before blazing a trail through NPL pre-season in recent weeks.
A hat-trick against the Broadmeadow Magic and a four goal half against the Jets early last week will have put NPL2 defenders on notice ahead of that season beginning, before Kuol was called into Alen Stajcic’s side and came off the bench against Western United with just under 20 minutes to play.
Recently too he spent time in Portugal at the Academy of Primera Liga heavyweights Sporting Lisbon after his successful Youth League season, training with their age-grade teams and learning more about the football scene in Europe.
The former Goulburn Valley Suns product said this week he was excited to sign his deal, and emphasised it’s just one step of what he’s been working towards since arriving on the Coast.
“I’m very proud and appreciative of the Mariners for giving me this opportunity, and very happy that I can develop here and continue my progress as a Mariner,” he said.
“As a kid I wanted to be able to say I was playing on TV, so to be able to do just that in front of my family and friends, I couldn’t ask for any more.”
The Shepparton product was ‘lost for words’ about his debut and the chance to make it in front of his family at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday.
“That’s the best thing ever to have my family there,” he said.
“And to make my debut and take my first step in becoming a professional so I don’t know what to say, I really was lost for words [when it happened].
“I’m so appreciative of Staj for giving me the opportunity, but now it’s time to get back to training and there’s plenty of hard work ahead of me.”
“I wouldn’t be in this position without Monty and Sergio [Raimundo] who brought me into the youth setup, so I can’t thank them enough for helping me in my development and enabling me to have this chance.”
Stajcic praised the work of the Mariners Academy when speaking of Kuol, having identified him last year before bringing him to the Central Coast.
“It’s great that we’ve been able to reward Alou’s strong development, much of which is owed to the likes of Monty in the Academy,” Stajcic said.
“Alou is a great example of our player identification and the platform we give players here to develop their game and pursue their career.”
“He has worked hard through the Foxtel Y-League season with Monty and in training with the first team, and this is a great reward for him.”
“We’re reinforcing our position as a club that provides opportunities for young players to excel and Alou is an example of the talent amongst our ranks.”
