The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) can today confirm it will operate the Central Coast Mariners’ Academy (CCM Academy) through to the end of the 2026 National Premier League (NPL) season.
Last week, the APL announced that it had taken over the management of the Central Coast Mariners FC on an interim basis while a sales process is completed. This decision was made to ensure stability and continuity for the Club, its players, staff, partners and fans – and now, importantly the Club’s Academy.
The CCM Academy was being run under the Central Coast Mariners Foundation Ltd which was placed into liquidation by the former operator of the Club last Tuesday. The APL has since been working with the liquidator and will take on the control and operation of the CCM Academy from 27 January 2026.
The CCM Academy will be operated by APL SubCo Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the APL that is currently operating the Central Coast Mariners’ Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Ninja A-League Women teams.
The APL has worked at pace to get this week’s school holiday clinics up and running, and is pleased to confirm the re-commencement of the CCM Academy training on a staggered basis from next week ahead of the season start in February.
The APL will honour all player registration fees paid to-date to the former CCM Academy entity. Full details will be sent to CCM Academy players shortly to finalise their registration for the season. The APL is also working on the re-appointment of coaches so training can begin as soon as possible.
Commenting on the update, APL CEO Steve Rosich said: “The Central Coast Mariners’ Academy is an integral part of the community and the football ecosystem on the Central Coast. It is a proven talent pathway for our leagues and I am pleased to confirm our commitment to the Academy players, parents and coaches for season 2026.”
“Since last week, we’ve been working as quickly as we can to get across all of the detail and take on operations, but we acknowledge this period has been unsettling and has inconvenienced many Academy participants with the season so close.”
“We’d like to thank the many individuals and organisations across the community who have reached out to the APL to offer support for the Academy during this time, and all of the coaches, parents and players for their patience and understanding over the past week as we have navigated these changes. And a special thank you to Central Coast United for their supplementary training sessions this past week for all CCMA players.”
“We will continue to share updates with you all ahead of next week, and we hope you have a great season 2026!”
Ahead of training commencing next week, each team will receive tailored communication on plans for their team, with further updates to be shared via the Academy communications channel, 360.
For more information on the A-Leagues, please head to www.aleagues.com.au
