Central Coast Mariners have signed 19-year-old Japanese attacker Taiyo Hisamatsu for the 2026/27 A-League Men season. Announced by the club on 13 October, the move brings in a young wide player who came through Japan’s school football system before playing senior football in Austria’s lower leagues with SKN St. Pölten Amateure.
Hisamatsu’s arrival depends on visa and work-permit approval. Ahead of the Mariners’ match against Wellington Phoenix on 25 October, the official A-Leagues team news still listed him as awaiting his visa, meaning he was not yet available for selection at the time of that update.
Development in Japan and move to Europe
Hisamatsu began his youth development at Diablossa Takada before attending Kokoku High School in Osaka. According to Europlus, the organisation that supported his move to Austria, he played for Kokoku’s first team from his first year and wore the number 10 shirt in his final year. During his time at the school, he also helped the team qualify for the national Inter-High tournament for the first time in its history.
Early in his youth career, Hisamatsu played as a full-back before moving further forward into wide attacking roles. He also earned national youth recognition in July 2022 when he was named on a Japan Under-16 training-camp shortlist, according to Japan Football Association records. While that selection places him within a national youth-team environment, it does not confirm that he made a competitive international appearance.
His path to Europe started in February 2024 when he first trained with SKN St. Pölten’s second team, as reported by Europlus. He returned to Japan afterward and took part in trials across four countries in December 2024. Following those trials, he chose to continue his development with the Austrian club and joined its reserve side in 2025.
Playing record in Austria’s Fourth Tier
In Austria, Hisamatsu played regular minutes for SKN St. Pölten II in the fourth tier of the national league system rather than featuring for the club’s second-division first team. Player statistics listed by Transfermarkt record 11 appearances and three goals and three assists during the 2024/25 season, followed by 29 appearances and four goals and ten assists in 2025/26.
One of those goals came on 22 May 2026 in a 2-0 victory against SC Sparkasse Zwettl. According to the opposing club’s match report from the fixture, Hisamatsu scored in the 35th minute.
How he fits at Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners list Hisamatsu as an attacking midfielder and winger. Sporting director Matt Simon pointed to the teenager’s pace, technical ability and willingness to take on defenders when discussing the signing. Simon said in the club’s official announcement,
He’s quick, technically very good and brave in the way he wants to attack defenders. He has already shown a willingness to challenge himself by leaving Japan and playing in Europe at a young age, and that tells you something about his mentality.
Hisamatsu’s experience in wide areas could give the Mariners another option in attack, though the club has not announced a specific squad role or a guaranteed place in the first team. While the transfer offers him a chance to test himself in another senior competition after playing reserve football in Austria, he must first receive the required visa and work permit before he can make his A-League debut.
