The Mariners were in State League last season, which under a restructure will be changed to a Conference League and contain three age groups, under 14s, under 15s and under 17s.

Had Western remained in that tier heading into the new season, a stack of the team’s senior players would have been void of any quality football.

While the pathway for the Mariners’ best junior talent would have been also capped at an under 17s level.

As a result, the club applied for a promotion into the Football NSW’s second tier – the NPL2 – and was successful.

Payne was relieved after hearing the news but said he’s been made aware of some grumblings from various Sydney football clubs after Western’s approval to leap up a league was rubber stamped ahead of their own.

“I’m hearing this week there’s some Sydney based clubs not impressed that we’re there, that their clubs had right of way into that second tier,” Payne said, on deck at this week’s Football NSW junior state titles.

”We're there now, so it’s up us to step up.

“But I’m confident, we should be in that comp. We’re strong enough.

“Our juniors are strong enough, and even this week at the state titles that’s evident ... we’ve got the talent coming through the grades.

“For sure, we’ll be motivated to prove some of the doubters wrong.”

More so than that though, Payne said the benefit for the club in the long term in regards to player retention was immeasurable.

“Certainly for the development of the junior players, to be in that second tier is great for the club,” he added.

“It’ll give them pathways to develop and for our senior players to remain local rather than travel or leave the sport, that’s beneficial for the club too.

“Everyone at the club is pretty happy to be in the second tier.”

He said there was somewhat of a nervous wait though as the Football NSW board mulled over the decision to promote Western into the second tier of women’s football in the state.

“I guess with anything like that there was some doubt as to what was going on, for the girls as well,” he said.

“If we were knocked out of the top two tiers, where do the senior players go?”

The second tier the Western Mariners girls will contest next season will include 10 teams and will give the region’s best young female talent a clear pathway into senior football given the club will continue to field a first grade outfit, as it did in the 2017 State League, in NPL2 in next winter.