Mr Moric is now pursuing Federal Circuit Court action for more than $60,000 in unpaid wages and damages against the Mariners and their manager Alen Stajcic, saying the unpaid work left him "deeply depressed" and doubting his future in the game. A Mariners spokesman said the club was "surprised" by the nature of the claim and said they "believe it to be without merit". The club would "strongly defend" itself. I am now in a situation where I have to give up all my hard work as a junior and stabilise myself outside of football. Mark Moric The case draws attention to the use of unpaid work in professional sport and for young workers in many other industries. Professor Stewart - who has written major reports for the government and regulators on unpaid work - said a case such as this could set a precedent. "It's a grey area because of the lack of clear case law," he said. "This could become a really important test case and not just for professional sports."

Unpaid work is now common for young people. Research by Professor Stewart in 2016 found 58 per cent of people aged 18 to 29 had done unpaid work in the previous five years with much of it legally questionable. ACTU secretary Sally McManus is supporting Mr Moric and said the use of unpaid work in his case was similar to "wage theft scams" in hospitality and retail and called for legal changes to give unions greater rights to check wages. "Employers know that it's hard for working people to claim back stolen wages, and that even if they go to court and win, the worst that is likely to happen is the employer will have to pay them back," she said. Moric captained the Australian junior team, the Joeys. Credit:Twitter Mr Moric, a product of the Australian Institute of Sport, captained Australia's international junior side the Joeys. Mr Moric said he returned from playing professionally in Croatia to trial with the A-League Club.

He said Mr Stajcic, a former coach of the Matildas, repeatedly reassured him he would get a contract. "In my situation, it is hard to understand why someone would continuously tell me I would receive a contract and at the same time expect me to travel and perform at training every day without a dollar nor contract," he said. A separate letter from Mr Moric's lawyers, Bird & Bird, to the Mariners said after a few weeks on trial Mr Moric was promised a scholarship contract worth $30,000 a year by Mr Stajcic for the 2019-20 season. He was promoted on the Mariners' Twitter account, on its webpage and played a number of pre-season games. But the contract never eventuated, despite the promises, the letter claims. Central Coast Mariners coach Alen Stajcic. Credit:AAP The Mariners spokesman disputed this. "Mark Moric was never engaged by the Central Coast Mariners as a professional football player," the spokesman said. "Mr Moric trialled with the club in May 2019 before a training period with the club's National Youth League squad in July and August 2019." Mr Moric had to rely heavily on his parents to get by financially during the lengthy period without pay and did not have enough money to eat lunch, leaving him physically drained, he said. Mr Moric claims Stajcic told him, or words to that effect, in mid-year that a deal was very close and "I know it's hard financially, but you just have to keep going".

By August he was told he was no longer needed. Mr Moric says he is now worried about his future in the game. "As a young person, I am now in a situation where I have to give up all my hard work as a junior and stabilise myself outside of football before worrying about improving my game. I am taking action to not only put a stop to the clubs using young players around the country but to give myself some sense of relief that I have not done anything wrong," he said. Professor Stewart said the case could be settled on the simpler legal question of whether Mr Moric was misled and deceived but if the court ruled on the use of unpaid trials that would have a real chance to be "precedent-setting". He said the length of time Mr Moric said he went unpaid was important to the case and clashed with guidance from the Fair Work Ombudsman. "If you look at the guidance on unpaid trials you would struggle to say this is lawful," he said. If someone was genuinely a volunteer, that is typically not regarded as employment. Nor were unpaid trials or internships through an authorised educational course.