A-League contract for Sasha Kuzevski

Central Coast Mariners has announced that academy participant Sasha Kuzevski has been upgraded to an A-League contract for the upcoming season.

The 23-year-old signs his first professional deal after displaying exceptional determination and discipline to overcome an injury-ravaged 23/24 season.

A born and bred Coastie and boyhood Mariners fan, Kuzevski made his Isuzu UTE A-League debut for the club off the bench in December 2022 and would end the 22/23 season with eight League appearances and a Championship Winners Medal.

Kuzevski’s energy and tenacity on the pitch, coupled with his confident and personable nature off the pitch, has made him a fan favourite despite missing the whole of the 23/24 season after suffering an ACL injury.

Kuzevski expressed his gratitude and love for the club and outlined what he wished to achieve in the coming season.

“I feel very blessed and grateful to be able to extend my stay at the Mariners, this is a special place and a special club,” he said.

“I want to thank both Jacko and Simmo for showing their trust and belief in me, after what has been a challenging 12 months on a personal level.

“I also want to thank the medical staff for their expertise during my rehab.

“I am feeling fitter and stronger than ever before, and I am extremely excited to learn and grow under the guidance of both Jacko and Danny.

“I can’t wait to be back out there for season 24/25.”

Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Mark Jackson was pleased to extend Kuzevski’s contract, having been impressed by his tremendous resilience to return from injury.

“We are happy to announce that we’ve agreed to extend Sasha’s contract,” Jackson said.

“He’s a player that has shown tremendous resilience to come through the injury he had last year.

“I saw that he worked really hard to get back fit and he’s proven in the NPL games that he is a player that we want to work with and give the opportunity to kickstart his career.

“He’s a young player with potential and he had bad luck with injury, but he has come through that now so we’re looking forward to working with him as part of the A-League squad for the 24/25 season.”