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Joined October 2009
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It is that time of year again, when Australia and Ireland clash in the International Rules Series, yet if the pessimists and cynics are…
[caption id="attachment_14199" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Gold Coast United club chairman Clive Palmer (right) and head coach Miron Bleiberg speak at a press conference at Skilled…
For all the talk about the new Greater Western Sydney AFL club, no one has really commented on the club's potential to grow Australian…
One of the world's most curious of sports, International Rules Football, is set for a return to our TV screens in a few days…
[caption id="attachment_34444" caption="Carlton\'s Shaun Grigg after their defeat during the AFL Round 18 match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Carlton Blues at the…
Round 20 has just passed in the AFL Premiership Season, and whilst there were a couple of cracking games, there were also ones which…
Long regarded as the prominent organisation in the Australian sports pecking chain, the AFL faces a crucial period of expansion and potential growth in…
If a foreigner judged Australian sports fans unity and diversity by viewing comments on The Roar alone, they would get the unfortunate impression that…
The months of October and November are a sobering reminder to the AFL just how much they trail in global stature to sports like…
With a crucial expansion period just months away at AFL Headquarters, it is never too early to think of the future, and just what…
Far from this article intending to dissect and discuss A-League crowds, it instead deals with an even more important issue for Version 5 of…
That wasnt my intention. The Titans are the #1 football club on the Coast, and it will stay that way forever. I just meant that United were gifted a golden opporunity, coming in ahead of the Suns and having a chance to rival the Titans. United have only themselves to blame, not the Suns or Titans.
Gold Coast United are dying a painful death
I suppose the Bligh Government’s decision not to financially contribute to pro association football in Queensland was justified. With crowds averaging under 2,000 for GCU and around 10,000 for the Roar, not to mention the perilous state of the Fury…yeah.
The investment in the new Cararra was justified. As well as attracting Victorian tourists to see their team play and giving QLD sport fans an opporunity to see world class entertainment in a world class sporting facility; the venue is also the main precinct for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games bid (which they will surely win), primarily for athletics, badminton, gymnastics and basketball . Clearly, all that is a worthwhile investment.
And it matters little about stadium deals. If the Galaxy had been given the licence and if they had entrenched themselves in the community and attracted fans to its games, then the stadium deal would have taken care of itself!
Gold Coast United are dying a painful death
AF:
I never said Clive Palmer was an irresponsible owner, but I did say he was arrogant by just assuming that United would thrive on the Coast and the Suns would be dead by 2014. I don’t confess to know every minute detail regarding the Galaxy bid, but I daresay they would have done a better job drawing crowds and promoting themselves than United have done.
Gold Coast United are dying a painful death
AF:
Some light research I have undertaken indicates to me that the Gold Coast Galaxy bid was led by local real estate agent Fred Taplin, and was well backed by a variety of people. Indeed there was talk at one stage that the club could partner with LA Galaxy and have David Beckham turn out for a pre season match. It appears as if this Gold Coast Galaxy bid had more community support than what United currently has! Unfortunatley, the Galaxy bid was considered by the FFA some years ago, but they delayed expansion in the 08-09 Season to wait for the following one. This gave time for Clive Palmer to come along and offer a far more rushed, vile, but financially superior bid. Taplin dropped out of the race, and the Galaxy was no more.
I’m not sure if they had members signed up, but clearly they were a club and a bid that was generating signifcant community support. There is only one reason why Palmer won the bid…money. Clearly a terrific decision made by the FFA!
Gold Coast United are dying a painful death
neither here nor there jimbo.
Good luck FFA for December 2! Cant wait for Friday morning!
World Cup is bigger than Ben Hur
“And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.”
You must have read my GWS article!
World Cup is bigger than Ben Hur
Im amazed at the level of debate this article has inspired. Kudos to you all!
GWS Giants just the tip of the iceberg
Well, it depends on your definition of “superior.” I’ll always believe AFL is a better live spectacle than Rugby League and fans get their money’s worth at just about every AFL game, but if it does fail than I’ll admit Rugby League is “superior” to AFL in Western Sydney.
Dont think GWS will fail though!
GWS Giants just the tip of the iceberg
Melbourne’s population is only some 450 odd thousand less than Sydney’s, but completley smashes it in overall attendance figures for every major sporting code and sporting events! AND we have just as much, if not more to choose from than Sydney (ie: think Grand Prix, Australian Open Tennis). Sydney is not a sports city!
Maybe GWS Giants can make it one…
GWS Giants just the tip of the iceberg
There has been a significant presence for Soccer, Rugby Union and Rugby League in Sydney’s west, with the latter having a handful of NRL clubs to support, week in week out. Yes of course Aussie Rules has been in West Sydney for a long time, but not in the way it is now. The game is changing, suck it up mate!
GWS Giants just the tip of the iceberg
Precisely. This is a huge opportunity for the AFL, and a chance to show once and for all, which code is superior.
GWS Giants just the tip of the iceberg
wonderful pics Mister Football. Field dimensions look a bit smaller than in the past though!
International Rules Series will be a cracker
Cant help but agree with this article unfortunately. St.Kilda’s resilience throughout the year has been evident for all to see, as it was in last week’s second half. Goddard and Hayes only need a similar performance, and if Riewoldt breaks the shackles, then we (Collingwood) will find it hard going. We need a fast start, Cloke on the board early and the likes of Pendlebury, Swan and Didak being damaging with the ball.
If the Saints just choke us up and play that in tight brand of football, then they’ll only need a brief flurry in the 3rd or last quarter to win by 4 or 5 goals. My heart says the Pies, head says Saints. Can’t wait for the game though!
Saints have the mental edge for the decider
AF:
I applaud your dedication. Any club would love to have supporters such as yourself. But you are one of a very, very small group of people. I mean, no outdoor pro sports team can even think of future success (on or off the field) when their crowd averages are as poor as a dwindling NBL side.
Keep persisting though!
The Suns and Titans are set to go to war
Look AF:
I dont want to stick the knife in the stomach, but surely even you realise Gold Coast United are a total embarrassment. 5K crowd cap, barley over 2,000 people attending their last 2 home games…an arrogant pr*ck of an Owner, all this from a club that boasted “record attendances” and “Championship success” just before its first season.
The only logical option is to put this sham of a club back in the cereal box it came from, let the dust settle for a year or two, and start from scratch! And yes… the Gold Coast Suns do have 10,000 foundation members… http://goldcoastfc.com.au/news-and-media/news/10000-gc-suns-inaugural-members/page-3/
The Suns and Titans are set to go to war
What, if any, indicators have you received that point to Gold Coast United being a sustainable club?
For the Suns – they have yet to put a foot on the pitch but they already seem to be doing things the right way.
The Suns and Titans are set to go to war
The Suns have got a total members amount of 10,000. United have never even achieved a bigger crowd at their home ground during the A-League.
Face it…their days are numbered. The Suns will be the final knockout blow!
The Suns and Titans are set to go to war
Fussball: Do you take some sort of personal pleasure out of knocking AFL?
The game was an absolute cracker, two evenly matched teams and an unbelievable last quarter. Personally, Im happy because there’s another week of Footy!! I heard that the FFA are postponing the Victory V Heart match next saturday because of a clash with the AFL Grand Final Replay.
You can say whatever you want, knock AFL as much as possible, promote Soccer through various means; but at the end of the day…Aussie Rules remains king of professional sport in this country. That Grand Final showed us why.
We’ll be back next week: Pies and Saints draw
Im not particulary interested in other code’s rulings on drawn finals, but I will go to bat here for AFL and say that a rematch is the fairest result. Overtime in this match would hardly be a fair indicator of who the best team was. The fact was, after 120 minutes of football, neither side could pip the other. Aussie Rules is a momentum game, if one side grabbed just a little momentum in 5 minutes of footy and stole victory in such a short space of allocated time, it would make the previous 120 minutes seem pretty hollow.
I really dont think the argument of “other sports have overtime in their grand finals” should have any relevance to the AFL policy. BTW – Go Pies!!!
We’ll be back next week: Pies and Saints draw
Fact: Soccer is the world’s most popular/recognized sports
Fact: 715 million may have watched this year’s WC Final, doesn’t mean every one of those 715 million actually think it is the best sport you can watch or play. And if 500 million of those ppl actually think that, well then, they just haven’t had the privilege of being at the MCG on a Saturday afternoon, for another Geelong-Hawthorn or Collingwood-Carlton classic!
Can Aussie Rules really rule the world?
hmmm…. The 2004 AFL Grand Final was played at the MCG, which was, at the time, under construction for the Commonwealth Games, with a restricted capacity of 78,000. What was the crowd figure for the 04 GF again… ah yes… 77,671. So just about 100% capacity for a non victorian AFL Grand Final! Gold Coast can play the Sydney Swans at the MCG in the Grand Final, and there will still be a capacity crowd in attendance.
As for a GF in Lisbon… now there’s an idea!
Can Aussie Rules really rule the world?
difference is the product on display. The poorest organization in the world may run a sport that the rest of the world thinks is sensational! In terms of what Aussie Rules offers to the live spectator, i believe it is unrivaled. Alas, that argument is for another time…
EDIT: Reply not working. this comment meant for reply to LukeW’s a few up from here!
Can Aussie Rules really rule the world?
No, I just cant take that comment: “The only thing is AFL are trying to play catch up in order for self prmotion rather then quality players.”
Do you really think the AFL would run these global programs (FootyWild in RSA) and recruit International athletes for headlines only. The dont create much headlines in Victoria or any other AFL dominated states, and the northern states only seem to snide and snigger when they hear of these happenings.
No, AFL recruit International athletes to provide a new dimension to the game, and hopefully provide an advantage to the clubs willing to give these kids a go! Their motives are pure…believe it or not.
Can Aussie Rules really rule the world?
Could you provide av. crowd attendances for the Indian I-League? I have tried, but been unsuccessful. Soccer probably is the dominant football code in India, but is there any other one attempting to penetrate this nation (ie: Union or League?)
Can Aussie Rules really rule the world?
Oh sir you are very wrong.
I have been to 6 Melbourne Victory home games this year, including the absolute thriller at AAMI against the Roar on Friday. Of course AFL is my number 1 sport, but I have enjoyed watching and playing association football for the past 16 months now. Now I confess, I only know of 3 or 4 GC United players (Djite, Culina, Pantelidis…) but I don’t need to worship the game to understand that the Gold Coast United Football Club. I am sick to death of hearing soccer fans label others who don’t follow the sport with a number 1 priority as just “an(other) AFL-fan, who thinks he is qualified to give his opinion on football and football issues and couldn’t resist the temptation to stick the boot into GCU.”
That is exactly the sort of arrogance and snobbish attitude that makes millions of potential football fans stay away from the game in this country. I was at Etihad for the Victory’s game against GCU last month and was watching the 3-0 win against the Heart on Sunday. So I do feel pretty qualified to give my two cents worth about the state of the Gold Coast United Football Club.
But if that is the sort of sh*t an AFL/Soccer fan gets on The Roar for stepping outside the comfort zone, I’ll happily return to writing the occasional AFL article and not bother with Association Football.
Gold Coast United are dying a painful death