Football Confidential: Coronavirus testing centre next to Central Coast Mariners training ground
Coronavirus testing close to home for Central Coast Mariners, movement from Sydney FC to Wanderers and celebrating women’s football. All this and more in Football Confidential.
A-League
Don't miss out on the headlines from A-League. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Just when the Mariners thought this season couldn’t get any more dispiriting, a sign went up at the club’s centre of excellence that has sent coronavirus anxiety to new levels.
Next door to the training field, gym and dressing rooms at the club’s Tuggerah Centre of Excellence is an office block, which houses (among others) the Mariners offices, and on the ground floor a cafe and a medical centre.
That medical centre was on Tuesday designated the coronavirus testing centre for the whole of the northern Central Coast, with queues of potential infectees expected to start lining up imminently (even though there isn’t yet a single reported case of the disease on the Central Coast).
Watch every Hyundai A-League game LIVE & On-Demand on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Mariners officials are still trying to work through the practicalities, though are bracing themselves for multiple variations on the old “couldn’t catch a cold” joke about their defence.
On Tuesday A-League officials wrote to the clubs asking if they are likely to close training sessions, but that’s a bit hard to do when there’s a coronavirus testing centre literally on your doorstep.
***
NOT many players have made the switch from Sydney FC to the Wanderers, but a few backroom staff have – and there’s been another familiar face at WSW HQ in recent weeks.
Mike Conway was Sydney FC’s emotion coach under Graham Arnold, and followed Arnie to the Socceroos when he succeeded Bert van Marwijk in 2018.
But Conway, highly regarded among players including Mat Ryan and Alex Brosque, has been helping out Wanderers interim boss Jean-Paul de Marigny since the latter stepped up to mind the shop in the wake of Markus Babbel’s sacking.
Turns out that de Marigny’s brother in law was a good friend of Conway’s and introduced them some 20 years ago.
***
SYDNEY FC midfielder Luke Brattan is getting some high-level support in raising funds for leukemia research, after taking part in the World’s Greatest Shave this week.
Brattan is raising funds in light of his sister Holli’s own fight with the blood cancer, with more than $20,000 pledged so far.
Teammate Adam Le Fondre has now donated the boots he wore in last year’s grand final – in which he scored Sydney’s first goal in the penalty shoot out against Perth – and Brisbane boss Robbie Fowler has got in touch via Twitter offering to send down a pair of signed boots.
***
THERE were a few starstruck kids at Nepean FC’s jersey presentation night for their SAP teams this week, when they realised who was handing the shirts out. Wanderers players Keanu Bacchus and Daniel Wilmering proved a hit as they mingled with the kids afterwards.
***
From junior players to professionals, volunteers to TV hosts, this week’s celebration of Female Football is timely with such a sharp increase in participants coming just as the W-League reaches the semi-finals – and the Matildas confirmed their place at the Olympics..
As The Daily Telegraph revealed on Wednesday, female participants – including volunteers, coaches, refs as well as players – are up more than 10 per cent on last year, and one of the game’s most familiar faces can see the same increase happening again in the next 12 months.
“With more young girls and women playing football than ever before, with the Matildas qualifying for the Olympics and hopefully the chance to host a Women’s World Cup here in 2023, it feels like the women’s game is hitting unprecedented heights,” said Fox Sports host Tara Rushton.
“This week celebrates the role of women at all levels across the game – the volunteers, the coaches, the refs, plus all the players.”