Onside with the Mariners is a primary prevention initiative dedicated to promoting respectful and healthy relationships within the Central Coast community. Utilising the widely influential platform of football, the program aims to foster a cultural shift toward values such as respect, gender equality, and positive interpersonal behaviours.
Collaboratively developed by the Central Coast Mariners, the NSW Department of Education, and the University of Newcastle, the Onside with the Mariners Program specifically engages Year 7 and 8 students in secondary schools. It incorporates trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches, using football-based activities to facilitate meaningful discussions around respectful relationships, conflict resolution, and the prevention of gender-based, family, and domestic violence.
