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There’s been talk of a sell-out crowd for Sunday’s free admission match on the Gold Coast, which is fantastic news. But it will mean nothing if United management don’t capitalise on what appears to have developed into quite the event on the Glitter Strip.
In Tuesday’s Gold Coast Bulletin it was claimed more than 10,000 free tickets had been snapped up already and United were boldly stating they were targetting an attendance of over 20,000 fans.
And CEO Clive Mensink told FourFourTwo yesterday there was a possibility of a sell-out.
It’s fantastic stuff, especially for a club like Gold Coast United, who have so much negative press associated with their brand.
This is a club who’ve been sinking fast, with attendances falling from an average of 5392 last season to 2812 this season, and this initiative will give them some air, but that oxygen won’t last forever and they’ve got to build on it.
The fact so many people have already registered their interest in attending the match shows the potential of the Gold Coast market to the A-League.
Of course, it’s one thing to claim a free ticket – as it costs you nothing – but another thing altogether to actually turn up to the game. Let’s hope the majority of those registered for tickets do make the trip to Robina, despite talk of bad weather.
Either way, irrespective of how many turn up on Sunday, the level of interest this week suggests an A-League club on the Gold Coast can work. It just needs to be run and managed a lot more effectively.
There’s certainly been a lot of mistakes made by Gold Coast United since they came into the A-League, but Sunday’s free admission match can potentially be seen as a fresh start.
Mensink denied this when he told FourFourTwo: “It’s just a moment to show our appreciation to Frank Lowy and his World Cup bid team. And it’s an opportunity to provide the Gold Coast community who have been doing it tough with an early Christmas present.”
But let’s hope behind the scenes United management are thinking a bit more imaginatively about it all and working on plans to capitalise on the fixture.
After all this is the perfect opportunity for United to re-connect with the local community, show them that they’ve learned from their mistakes and showcase, and ultimately sell, their product.
As was said on Tuesday’s Fox Sports FC program, the club also needs to be active and aggressive on Sunday in surveying attendees and learning more about why they have and have not attended in the past.
Owner Clive Palmer said the gesture of making the match free admission was to salute the efforts of FFA boss Frank Lowy in his failed 2022 World Cup bid.
Maybe that’s Palmer being stubborn and finding an excuse to give an inch – as he so desperately needs to – in order to find a compromise with the local football community he has previously alienated.
But let’s hope it isn’t a one-off event.
If it is, I feel it will be a token gesture which means little in the grand scheme of things. I’m doubtful one free match will win many, if anyone, over in the long-term.
Publicly United have been cool this week on committing to the idea of lower ticket prices for future matches. Mensink said: “It is something we will take on board but we are just looking forward to this weekend.”
And I don’t mind that stance for now. Ideally, they should build up Sunday’s event for all it’s worth and then early next week announce they’ve cut ticket prices for the rest of the season, like new Jets owner Nathan Tinkler has done on the Hunter. Such a management strategy would build some momentum.
Of course, it does require Sunday’s product to be entertaining and that’ll be an important factor. But third-placed United and fourth-placed Central Coast Mariners are two good teams who should offer a decent spectacle, especially with players like the taken-for-granted Jason Culina on show.
And with a big crowd in a 27,000-capacity stadium, the atmosphere could easily enhance the product too.
Sunday represents a critical junction for Gold Coast United and they should recognise it as an opportunity to re-launch, start again and show they’ve learned from their mistakes. But the work only begins now and there’s plenty to do.
Sunday’s game and attendance won’t be the judge, it’s just the beginning.
But the local community won’t accept being burnt twice, so this is a critical opportunity for United to re-launch and show they can make a club on the Gold Coast work.
United management will never have a better opportunity to win the public over so they have got to capitalise on it. If they don’t, the long-term sustainability of this club is very, very questionable.
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