'I have to prove myself': Mariners new owner learning on the job

Mike Charlesworth may have gone but one immutable fact lives on at the Central Coast Mariners: long-term sustainability is contingent on keeping the talent pipeline flowing.

Synonymous with Socceroos like Mat Ryan, Mile Jedinak and Tom Rogic, and more recently up-and-comers Alou Kuol, Kye Rowles and Lewis Miller - the Mariners’ mission has always been to sell, or sink, in the A-League.

MARINERS' NEW OWNER IS THE PEIL DEAL

New Central Coast benefactor Richard Peil has vowed to beef up the club's Academy to keep the cash coming in from overseas deals.
The England-born Aussie says the only marquee he will ever look at bringing to the club is Liverpool's James Milner.
Peil defended the record of previous owner Mike Charlesworth who was a divisive figure among fans in Gosford.

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And newly-ordained owner - Canberra-based footballer turned business mogul Richard Peil - yields to the reality of operating in a market where the Gosford gold fish will always be minnows swimming against a fierce financial tide.

However, the Yorkshire-born boss of the Australian arm of gym chain Anytime Fitness - once himself at Huddersfield and Luton Town - has no doubt he can continue the club’s recent resurgence heading into the new A-League season, as the turbulent and often truculent Charlesworth era recedes into the rear view vision mirror.

He has already quashed talk of transplanting the club away from its roots, and has nutted out a stadium rental agreement with Venues Live, the new landlords of the club’s Central Coast Stadium home.

Richard Peil

“There are business opportunities to put the club on a different trajectory but the proof’s going to be in the pudding,” said Peil, who took over from London-based fellow Leeds United fan Charlesworth in May.

“So far all I’ve done is talk a good game mate, let’s see where it leads us. I have to prove myself in this space and I’m learning on the run. We have to keep producing players as we’ve done in the past.

“There are no really big corporates in the Gosford area who are interested in being an $800,000 sponsor like some of the other clubs have.

"I'm working hard with the corporate team and the football department to put strategies in place to mitigate the current losses.

“One of those strategies is to do even better on the academy side. I’ve brought in (golden generation Socceroo) Luke Wilkshire to head that up (following on from the success of head coach Nick Montgomery in his previous incarnation)

“I look to promote from within and while Luke needs to work his way through his professional licenses, I like to think he’ll be our next A-League coach when Monty ultimately moves on to bigger and better things.”

Another ex-Socceroo Peil has brought on board is Andy Bernal - famously once minder and translator to David Beckham at Real Madrid - to take charge of “athletic development and one-on-one fitness training”.

Peil’s gravitation to Gosford, and subsequent acquisition of the club from Charlesworth, has a whiff of the fortuitous about it.

His interest was piqued after son Toby - a budding midfielder who was trialling at English League One MK Dons - ended up joining the Mariners Academy.

A friendship was forged with fellow Yorkshireman Montgomery, and the seeds of Peil’s buyout were born.

Nick Montgomery

“If the A-League expands the way it hopes to the club could become a valuable asset down the track,” he added.

“We are not here to make money though through cash flow. In fact, if and when we make any cash flow profit I'll put it back into local sport and charities."

The football gene was always a part of Peil, whose own career came to a premature end while at the Wollongong Wolves after he succumbed to a succession of injuries.

He arrived in Australia aged nine with his family, then left school at 15 to chase his own football dream back in England.

“Unfortunately knee injuries probably hindered my career - I had four surgeries by the time I was 23,” he explained.

He never made a senior appearance for either the Terriers or the Hatters, who were flying back in the early ‘80s under David Pleat in the old First Division.

“They had nine internationals on the books and while I trained with the first team the bottom line was that I wasn’t good enough to make the grade there,” he added.

“My claim to fame is that I cleaned (England international winger) Ricky Hill’s boots.”

Absentee ex-owner Charlesworth was a pantomime villain to some - despite rescuing the club from bankruptcy back in 2013 and securing a maiden Championship.

His penchant for wacky stunts and sugar hits (reference Usain Bolt here) - coupled with a notoriously whippet-lean budget - didn’t go down well.

Peil’s only gismo is a two-seater plane he plans to pilot between the ACT and his second home on the Coast to shave travel time down to an hour.

He concluded the takeover without meeting Charlesworth in person and believes the Englishman has been unfairly vilified.

“Mike deserves to spoken about in a positive light because he saved the club and people need to remember that,” he reiterated.

“I’ve spoken with seven groups of supporters, or factions. Half of them love him because they believe the club wouldn’t be there otherwise.

“The other half I think don’t fully appreciate that. I heard all these stories about him but he was very different to how I imagined.

"He’s trying to get out in August and I’m looking forward to spending a few days and having a beer with him. Travel restrictions during Covid made that impossible until now. He’s an out-of-the-box thinker and I like that.”

Peil doesn’t plan on enlisting any imports over 25 years old, other than in extreme circumstances, and the only marquee he’d open the cheque book for is Liverpool’s James Milner, who first won his adoration wearing the white of Leeds.

“Jason Cummings - who’s been great for us - is the type of player we’re looking at, somebody who wants to come here and maybe reinvigorate their career," he stressed.

“James Milner - as a Leeds boy who’s still in unbelievable shape - is someone I’d make an exception for. I’d open the wallet up for him.”