The Central Coast Mariners are happy to announce that Nicholas Duarte and Bailey Brandtman, two talented young players, have both agreed to scholarship agreements with the team.
As they start their professional football careers, the two will now practice regularly and full-time with the Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s first squad, gaining knowledge from our current Isuzu UTE A-League players.
Throughout the previous season, Brandtman has been a mainstay of the Mariners academy, appearing frequently and scoring goals for both the first grade team and the NPL NSW Championship-winning Under 20s.
The 18-year-old, a towering striker with a powerful shot, was put on the bench for our past two AFC Cup games as a reward for his academy work.
At the Marbella Week of Football, Brandtman was most recently away with the Young Socceroos, where he scored against both France and Denmark to help the team win.
Nicholas Duarte, who previously attended the Mariners Academy from NPL team Wollongong Wolves, is now formally recognized as a Scholar.
After making his debut against Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 19, he went on to play twice for the Mariners A-League Men’s squad throughout our championship-winning 2022–2023 campaign.
The following week, in our 4-1 victory in Mudgee, Duarte also donned the uniform for his second and last game of the year, playing nearly thirty minutes against Macarthur FC.
Mark Jackson, the football manager for the Central Coast Mariners, is happy to be able to provide the two scholarship offers and is looking forward to seeing the players continue to grow as players while playing for the Mariners.
“I’m thrilled to be able to provide a scholarship to Bailey and Nico for this opportunity. These two guys have a lot of potential, and this aligns with our club’s goal of helping our younger players grow,” Jackson stated.
“We think these two can become very valuable members of the Central Coast Mariners in the years to come. We’re excited to keep up the good work with them and set up procedures to support their growth.
The TAG Foundation’s kind sponsorship enables the Mariners to offer scholarship contracts. In order to help promising young football players advance in their careers, the organization provides essential funding so they can practice full-time with the first team.
Many players who are currently on the first team and many who have moved abroad have benefited from the program’s support in their development.
Numerous alumni, including Josh Nisbet, Jacob Farrell, Gianni Stensness, Lewis Miller, Garang Kuol, Alou Kuol, and Jing Reec, are now playing in the world’s top leagues.
The team would like to express its gratitude to the TAG Foundation for its ongoing assistance in helping young Central Coast football players grow.
