Hanlin, a former NPL NSW and Australian Championship Sydney Olympic chairman, has been in talks with Charlesworth to buy the Mariners and has submitted formal documentation to the APL and Football Australia in late 2025, pending due diligence, a fit and proper person test and other requirements.
However, Hanlin’s takeover, with the APL set to launch a new sale of the club amid “committed local and international interest”, is far from a failure.
Former Central Coast Mariners owner Mike Charlesworth.Credit: Getty Images
One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told this publication that Hanlin’s deal with Charlesworth had failed and that APL’s takeover maneuver was a clean slate.
Multiple sources say English Championship club QPR – home to Australian trio Kealey Adamson, Daniel Bennie and Jayden Pearlman – also held talks with Charlesworth to buy the Mariners in the off-season and even reached an agreement with him, but the deal fell through at the eleventh hour, at which point they withdrew their interest.
The APL will now try to revive those discussions, but sources say two other European clubs and a local consortium have already signaled their intention to be part of the process.
The Mariners have won all three of their A-League championships under Charlesworth, including an unprecedented treble in the 2024–25 season.
QPR’s owners were in talks to take over the Mariners in the off-season.Credit: AP
But Charlesworth has been openly trying to unload the club for many years, citing financial strains that have led to significant spending cuts, the departure of treble-winning coach Mark Jackson, many of his star players and other key front office staff – including their social media operator.
The Mariners haven’t posted on X (formerly Twitter) since late October, and announced Jackson’s departure — a week before the season — with a cruelly done graphic.
Loading
The latest round of turmoil to hit the A-League comes after former champions Western United were put into ‘hibernation’ in September – although there could be a way back for them after avoiding liquidation and settling a tax debt with the ATO, with the club announcing last week that all legal proceedings against them had been dropped.
Western United manager John Aloisi has left the club to take up his first role abroad at Chinese Super League outfit Chengdu Rongcheng.
Leave a Reply