FIVE North Coast Football youngsters are taking the next step in their football journeys after securing opportunities with professional and elite development clubs in Australia.
Benji Pledger, Emile Simmonds, Diesel Van Tilborg and Nicholas McKeon have all signed with the Central Coast Mariners Football Academy, while Myles Reedy has joined Sydney-based National Premier Leagues club Marconi Stallions and has already relocated to Sydney to pursue his football ambitions.
The players currently represent North Coast Football in the Premier Youth League, continuing a pathway that is providing talented regional footballers with opportunities to test themselves against the best young players in the country.
The Central Coast Mariners have established themselves among Australia’s most successful clubs, achieving a historic treble in the 2023–24 season by winning the A-League Men Premiership, A-League Men Championship and AFC Cup.
Their achievements included a 3-1 grand final victory over Melbourne Victory, underlining the level of football the young North Coast players will aspire to reach as they progress through the Mariners’ development system.
For Reedy, the move to Marconi Stallions represents another significant milestone, with the teenager already making the move to Sydney to begin the next chapter of his development.
North Coast Football General Manager Duncan Marchant said the opportunities reflected the progress being made by young players throughout the region.
“We’re incredibly proud to see so many young North Coast players progressing into A-League and NPL academy environments for 2027, as well as earning selection in state teams, Indigenous representative programs and even Young Socceroos pathways,” he said.
Those opportunities are a credit to the players themselves, their families and the coaches who have invested so much time in their development.”
While seeing talented youngsters leave the North Coast can be bittersweet, Marchant sees the big picture and prioritises player development.
“At NCF, our role is to create a genuine pathway for talented young players from our region to be identified, challenged and prepared for the next level,” he said.
“When players from the North Coast are progressing into elite academies and representative programs at state and national level, it shows that the pathway is working and that geography does not have to limit opportunity.”
Marchant said the ultimate measure of success was not keeping the region’s best players close to home, but ensuring they had the skills and opportunities to progress.
“For us, success isn’t about holding on to the best players; it’s about helping them become good enough to move on.
“Every player who takes that next step into an A-League academy, an NPL program, a state team, an Indigenous representative side or a national youth setup is something the entire North Coast football community can be proud of.”
By David WIGLEY
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