The club has been plagued by moniey worries in recent months and players and staff were recently warned their monthly salaries may not be paid on time.

Shirt sponsorship with Soccer5s threw the club a short-term lifeline but now chairman Peter Turnbull has admitted they new cash quickly.

Turnbull insisted the club is still on firm footing, but said it is experiencing "short-term cash flow difficulties"

They have now opened talks with unnamed new potential investors but insisted the club was not sell out its core values in any deal.

“To continue the growth of the Mariners we need to replenish our capital and that’s what the talks aim to achieve," said Turnbull. "We are working with the FFA and have a sound business model in place.

“Our players and staff understand the situation and remain supportive of the club’s management.

"Our long-term vision for a diversified business includes the Centre of Excellence, the first stage of which sees the Soccer5s complex having its first open day next Wednesday.

“I have no doubt Central Coast Mariners will go from strength to strength and with the investment of new capital we will only become a stronger force in Australian football."

He added: “I want to assure our members and our fans that the foundation principles that underpin our club are non-negotiable.

“We are renowned as the community club of the Hyundai A-League due to our engagement with the people of the Central Coast.

"Those very strengths are what have attracted the potential new investors.

“Central Coast Mariners are in a good position. We are currently sitting second on Hyundai A-League ladder and are about to enter our second stint in the AFC Champions League.

“The Central Coast community is rightly proud of what the Mariners have built and this process is about making our house sustainable for the long-term."