The Central Coast Mariners are proud to announce that Head Coach Nick Montgomery and Assistant Coach Sergio Raimundo have signed a two-year extension on their contracts which will keep them on the Coast until 2025.
The former Sheffield United player, Nick Montgomery transitioned to coaching in 2017 after concluding his time with the Mariners Isuzu UTE A-League team and taking charge of the NYL team where he won the Premiership double, and in the process aided in the development of players such as Alou Kuol, Josh Nisbet, Max Balard, Dan Hall and Jacob Farrell to name all but a few.
In their first season in charge, Montgomery and Raimundo took the Mariners to new heights and broke numerous records, matching last season’s points tally and scoring 14 more goals in the process.
Under their leadership, the Mariners have created a model and brand which is now producing world class talent capable of playing at the highest level.
Mariners’ Head of Football, Ken Schembri spoke highly of the impact that Montgomery and Raimundo have had.
“12 months ago, I had no hesitation in recommending Nick [Montgomery] and Sergio [Raimundo] to our executives for the role of Head & Assistant Coach, and over the last season, they have shown everyone the capabilities that they have as coaches.
“Everyone at Central Coast Mariners is very confident that their extension by another two years will take the club to the level that we aspire to be at” Schembri added.
“We are building a model that pushes youth development and under Nick and Sergio, I look forward to seeing this continue into the future.”
Nick Montgomery is a familiar face around the Central Coast having migrated here from Sheffield United in 2012, helping the club to lift its first championship as a player, and now going to his 10th year at the club and 2nd as Head Coach, he is relishing the chance to continue to build on last year’s success.
“Speaking to our new chairman Richard Peil and seeing his ambition and vision to establish the club, I am excited to build on the foundations that we started a few years ago in becoming the best development club in the A-League.”
The Mariners most recently topped the charts in Australia for Academy Graduates getting first team minutes and Montgomery recognises this as one of his proudest achievements.
“For so long, Mariners players were often overlooked for National Teams, but now it is so great to see the likes of [Jacob] Farrell, Nizzy [Josh Nisbet], Kye [Rowles] and Alou [Kuol] getting the recognition they deserve, with many more to come” Montgomery said.
“With last season’s FFA Cup Final, and our second consecutive top six finish, we have set a benchmark and Sergio and I will attempt to do everything we can to recruit, retain and develop our own players and compete strongly in the competition, making the Coast proud of who we are.”
Everyone at the Central Coast Mariners welcomes the extension of Nick and Sergio and looks forward to seeing them continue their great work into the future.
