The Central Coast Mariners are pleased to announce that Dylan Ruiz-Diaz will continue his development at the club after he signed a Scholarship with the Mariners this week.
Ruiz-Diaz arrived at the club from Western Sydney Wanderers in October 2018, and besides playing regularly for the Mariners NPL team also made two appearances off the bench for Alen Stajcic in the final two games of last season.
The 18-year old has been capped at Young Socceroos level and made his Hyundai A-League debut in the 3-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in round 26 last season, and said he was very pleased to have made this step in his career.
“I’m very pleased to have signed my first professional contract at 18 years old, and it’s something I’ve been working towards for my whole life,” Ruiz-Diaz said.
“I feel very fortunate, but I’ve put in a lot of hard work and I’m excited for what is still to come in the future and to be out on the park helping this team push for finals during the second half of the season.”
“I’m very pleased to have been given this opportunity to join a club like the Mariners which believes in young players and which is willing to give players the chance to play in the first team if they are deemed good enough to make that step.”
“After making my debut last season, I have been training regularly with the first team and was really happy to be given the opportunity in some big games recently and I would like to thank all the fans and everyone at the club for the encouragement they have given me.”
Mariners Head Coach Alen Stajcic, who brought Ruiz-Diaz off the bench in the A-League clash vs Sydney in December, said the scholarship deal was reward for his hard work during pre-season and in the campaign so far.
“It has been pleasing to see how far Dylan has developed in recent months, and for him to now be signing a scholarship contract is a significant milestone for him” Stajcic said.
“It’s clear to see that he has talent and is a driven individual, and he’s just one of a number of promising youngsters that continue to come through this club. We believe Dylan has plenty of potential and with lots of hard work we believe he is on the right track to be able to make a mark in the A-League.”
“We continue to have faith in young players at the Central Coast Mariners, and we believe this is another positive long term step both for Dylan and by the club – hopefully Dylan will repay our faith in him with his performances on the pitch when given the opportunity.”
