SYDNEY, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A-League club Central Coast Mariners, champions of Australia as recently as 2024, have been taken over by the league pending a sale to new owners.
The owners of the three-times A-League champions gave notice they would be forfeiting their club participation agreement (CPA) and the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) took control on Monday "while a sales process is completed".
"We believe it is the best course of proactive action to terminate the current CPA under the current ownership and run an expedited and robust sale process to find a new and stable long-term owner for the Mariners," APL Chairman Stephen Conroy said in a statement.
"We are confident that with the engaged local and international interest, we can find the right buyer for the Mariners to take the club forward and ensure their long-term success."
The club, based in the dormitory town of Gosford an hour north of Sydney, is currently bottom of the A-League with three wins in 12 matches.
The league was reduced to 12 teams just before the start of the season when Melbourne-based club Western United, champions in 2022, had their licence withdrawn because of financial difficulties.
The club was placed in "hibernation" by APL for the 2025-26 season while it sorted out its problems and hopes to return for the next campaign.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, Editing by Himani Sarkar)
