The Holman Barnes Group (HBG) has reached a heads of agreement with the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) and Total Soccer Growth Holdings (TSG), to be the new operators of the Central Coast Mariners FC women’s team.
The Holman Barnes Group is a NSW-based community, hospitality, and entertainment organisation, with deep connections in sport through their major stake in the Wests Tigers rugby league side, and equity stake in APIA Leichhardt FC to establish Wests APIA FC and strengthen grassroots participation and pathways.
HBG were identified as the preferred party for the Central Coast Mariners’ women’s team given their strategic alignment to the opportunity, their ability to mobilise quickly to establish operations for this season and their capacity to meet the commercial requirements.
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The Mariners hold aloft the Championship Trophy
The investment in the Central Coast Mariners’ women’s team by HBG includes all of the rights, obligations and responsibilities to operate the Mariners’ women’s team.
TSG will retain the club licence via the Club Participation Agreement (CPA) and will operate the Mariners’ A-League Men’s side, and the club Academy which includes men’s and women’s teams as announced in June.
The investment in the Mariners’ women’s team, reflects HBG’s broader philosophy of integrating strong community engagement with high-performance outcomes, ensuring talented female footballers are supported from grassroots participation through to the highest levels of the game.
Daniel Paton, CEO, Holman Barnes Group said: “Our vision is to establish a sustainable, high performance A-League Women’s program on the Central Coast that delivers elite football outcomes while embedding long-term participation and development pathways for female footballers across New South Wales.
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Mariners players
“We believe elite women’s football programs must be built upon a dual foundation of participation and performance pathways. We want to create an enduring women’s football program on the Central Coast that expands participation opportunities, strengthens the pathways to elite domestic and international competition and advance the growth of women’s football – while preserving the strong community identity synonymous with the Central Coast Mariners.”
“We’re thrilled to be embarking on this journey alongside TSG and the Central Coast Mariners, which will open the door to new opportunities for aspiring athletes and no doubt help grow this great game for generations to come.”
Total Soccer Growth Holdings’ Ruben Gnanalingam said: “Today the work done as part of our promise from a month ago – to work hard, alongside APL, to find a credible candidate to take on the operation of the Central Coast Mariners’ women’s team – has come to fruition.
“We are delighted to have struck an agreement with such a community-focused, Australian entity such as Holman Barnes Group. We will be providing HBG with support through our international network wherever possible.”
APL Chair, Stephen Conroy said: “We’re thrilled to have secured the future of the Central Coast Mariners’ women’s team, and establish this tripartite heads of agreement with TSG and HBG, to further strengthen the sporting pedigree of the Mariners and football in the Central Coast.”
“This innovative structure provides HBG with the full rights and obligations of the women’s team, and gives the club dedicated women’s investment, matched with decades of local experience in women’s football participation and development.”
“This is a unique model that ensures the long-term sustainability of the Central Coast Mariners, can generate enduring value for the Club, and potentially create other investment opportunities to drive the growth of the Ninja A-League Women.”
“Thank you to the HBG Board and management team, led by Daniel Paton, for this partnership and for making it possible to secure the future of the Mariner’s women’s team – providing a pathway opportunity to the many thousands of aspirational athletes in the region.
Mariners players celebrate
The Mariners’ supporters will be delighted with this news and the ambitious plans HBG has to engage with the fans and community in the region.”
Commenting on the season ahead, APL Chair, Stephen Conroy added: “The Central Coast Mariners FC, their partners and fanbase, can now plan with certainty for season 2026/27 – with the fixtures for the Ninja A-League Women season to be released in the coming weeks.”
“We are really excited about the growth potential of the Ninja A-League Women, it’s a really important strategic pillar for us, and significant work is underway to continue the sustainable growth across the league.”
This heads of agreement, a tripartite agreement between TSG, HBG and the APL, will now progress to a long form agreement and the usual regulatory checks including ‘Fit and Proper Persons’ by Football Australia.
The transition of management will begin today, with the APL and TSG providing support over the coming weeks, to ensure continuity and to fast track planning ahead of the season.
The Ninja A-League Women 2026/27 season will kick off on Saturday 17 October, 2026, with the full season fixtures to be released in the coming weeks.
