Marlin Coast Rangers Football Club is an amateur soccer club founded in 1946.[1] and based in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The club play in the regional Football QueenslandFQ Far North & Gulf competition, the fifth tier of the Australian soccer league system. Its home ground was officially named Pennell Field in 2010,[2] in honour of Gary Pennell – a respected member of Marlin Coast Rangers Football Club.
The club has won the Football QueenslandFQ Far North & Gulf Treble (League, Premiership, Crad Evans Shield) four times in its history (2007, 2010,[3] 2013 and 2024), and also won the League Cup in 1954 and 2022.[4][5]
The club's Pennell Field grounds regularly play host to the Queensland Schools Football Championships, with the most recent event being the 10-12 years Girls and Boys Football State Championships in 2023.[6]
Pennell Field, located within the Trinity Beach Sporting Precinct on Nautilus Street in Cairns, serves as the home ground of Marlin Coast Rangers FC. Named in honor of Gary Pennell, a long-serving club member and contributor to the club’s development, the facility has become a central hub for football in Far North Queensland.
The ground features four full-size pitches, three of which are equipped with floodlighting for evening matches and training sessions. The layout allows simultaneous training and competitive fixtures, accommodating both junior and senior teams. In addition to the playing surfaces, Pennell Field includes a bar and canteen area, creating a vibrant matchday environment for players, families, and supporters alike.
Over the years, Pennell Field has hosted numerous regional and school competitions, including the Queensland Schools Football Championships, highlighting its role in promoting football at all levels. The precinct has evolved from basic playing fields into a modern, multi-pitch facility with amenities that support both competitive and recreational football, reflecting the club’s long-standing commitment to community engagement and youth development.
Formation of club and early history
The Club was originally formed in 1946 as Northern Australia Brewery (NAB) – and nicknamed Brewery – as one of eight teams in the newly-reformed Cairns Soccer Association League following an 8-year break of football competition in Cairns due to World War 2. The Club's first competitive fixture was a game against Latrobe on 20 April 1947.[8] The Club had a very successful 1954 season, winning the League title.[9] and Diggers' Cup.[10]
In 1973, the Club rebranded itself as Carlton United Brewery (CUB) after a corporate takeover of NAB by the Melbourne-based CUB. CUB Football Club was the first club to be based at Endeavour Park in Cairns, the current Football Queensland headquarters in Cairns.
In 1983, the Club moved to its current Trinity Beach grounds in Nautilus Street and rebranded itself as Marlin Coast Rangers Football Club.
Recent history
On 6 October 2023, former Coast player Cristoir O'Hare – who won the Treble with the club in 2010 and 2013 – was confirmed as the club's new player-coach for the 2024 season.[11]
In O'Hare's first season back at Marlin Coast, the club again won the Treble, after being crowned league champions for the first time in 11 years, and winning their FQPL Grand Final 4-0 against Mareeba,[12] and the Crad Evans Shield with a 5-3 win over MA Olympic in Townsville.[13]
In February 2025, O'Hare scored the fastest goal ever in Australian soccer when he scored from the kick-off after just 3.68 seconds in a 5-0 Australia Cup win over Stratford Dolphins.[14][15] In June 2025, Marlin Coast hosted Peninsula Power in the Quarter-Finals of the Queensland Cup, just one win away from the national stage and the furthest the club had ever reached in the competition.[16] Marlin Coast lost the game 3-2 after extra time.[17]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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