MONTY
THE MAN BEHIND THE MARINERS Meet Nick ‘Monty’ Montgomery, the fiercely dedicated coach of the Central Coast Mariners who is as passionate about his club and youth development in sport as he is about his adopted home Down Under. WORDS SOPHIE CRENIGAN-EDWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY ROBBIE SZAFRANEK, GLENN POKORNY
chairman and owner, Kevin McCabe, was close friends with Peter Turnball, owner of the Mariners at the time. Conversations happened very quickly, and agreements were put in place. Australia was meant to be.”
After representing Sheffield United for 12 years, Monty wanted to sink his teeth into a new and exciting challenge. “I could have stayed in England and was offered the opportunity to represent Leeds United, and there was also talk of going to the United States,” he says. “Sheffield’s former
Fast-forward 10 years and the Montgomery family – now including baby Eva, who was born in 2019 – still call the beautiful region home. “In 2017 we became Australian citizens,” says Monty. “We absolutely love where we live. We love the weather, the beaches and bush trails,
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When you hear the name Nick ‘Monty’ Montgomery, you immediately think of football. By which we mean the round-ball variety, or soccer as it’s often known in Australia. During an illustrious career spanning several decades, Monty has played at the highest level, representing Sheffield United in the English Premier League. But how did the man who stood toe-to-toe with football greats such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, end up living on the Central Coast and calling the Mariners his football family?
Presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Monty and his family had just 48 hours to make up their minds. In less than a fortnight he, along with his wife, Josie, and their 14-month-old twin daughters, Leah and Chloe, bid farewell to family and friends, packed up their belongings and started their new Central Coast chapter.