This cash bonanza will provide the Mariners with further essential capital to continue their Youth Academy and construction of a state of the art training complex and administrative centre that will be one of its kind in Australia.

"Today’s announcement marks yet another red-letter day for the Mariners and certainly ranks as one of the most significant milestone events of our already proud history," said Mariners Executive Chairman Lyall Gorman.

"This additional investment by the Mariners FC Unit Trust into the Mariners will see the acceleration of a range of off-field initiatives that will provide for the future of our club today, tomorrow and well into the future."

The Mariners FC Unit Trust has been boosted by investment from Sheffield United supremo Kevin McCabe’s Scarborough Group International Ltd, which has worldwide investments worth billions.

McCabe is the major shareholder of Coca Cola Championship side Sheffield United, which also owns controlling interests in Chinese Super League side Chengdu Blades, Hungarian club Ferencvaros and the United Arab Emirates based Dubai Blades, who will compete in the new UAE Football League from 2009.

‘Think global, act local’ is the slogan that Sheffield United have adopted in expanding their football operations beyond that of their South Yorkshire home, but also beyond the framework of football, having implemented and nurtured a range of revenue streams that means Sheffield’s viability does not rest on the fans that will or won't sit in their Bramall Lane terraces week after week.

McCabe has also implemented the same approach to his other club investments.

"By joining forces with Peter Turnbull in the Mariners FC Unit Trust, we have ensured the Mariners are in a strong position to, amongst many other things, develop and establish their youth development and talent identification initiatives," said McCabe.

"Through the worldwide network of clubs that now includes the Mariners, we have set up pathways for player and staff exchanges between the clubs concerned and have opened up a fresh association of sponsorship opportunities.

"Given Sheffield United’s experience in generating alternate revenues to football, we will ensure that the Mariners are established for the long term and continually challenging for top honours in the future, as they have done since their inception."

Plans for an unprecedented and unparalleled football complex at Tuggerah are well advanced and will feature top quality training pitches in addition to administration and ancillary facilities.

"The string of investment opportunities that we have in place through the Mariners FC Unit Trust now, and in the pipeline, are immensely impressive," said Mariners Deputy Chairman and majority shareholder Turnbull.

"We are well placed to take advantage of opportunities that inevitably arise in economic times like these and thus ensure that the Mariners can maintain their standing in the sport of football and throughout the community as a whole.

"All our planning is to ensure that the Mariners have income streams and infrastructure to ensure that the club will survive and flourish in the long term and not just be a short term success story.

"We want the Mariners to be here well beyond the next 100 years, not just beyond the next four or five."