The Gold Coast AFL consortium has welcomed Labor’s Queensland election victory, which paves the way for them to be granted a licence to enter the competition in 2011.
The poll result guarantees a $60 million state government grant towards redeveloping Carrara stadium, a pledge which had not been matched by the opposition Liberal National Party.
Financing to turn the stadium into a 25,000-capacity venue had been the major hurdle the AFL needed to clear before giving the expansion club the final go-ahead.
The AFL Commission is now expected to make an announcement on the club’s licence this week, after postponing a decision at its meeting last Friday.
“The Labor government were very supportive of the AFL program and have worked closely with them over a long period of time and from our perspective it was certainly a positive result,” the Gold Coast’s chief operating officer Scott Munn said on Sunday.
He said the club was now waiting to hear from the AFL.
“I’m not really 100 per cent sure of the movements of what the AFL will do this week and the Commission, they’ve announced that they will make some sort of announcement at some stage during the week,” Munn told Melbourne’s SEN radio.
“Once that happens we will be briefed and deal with it as it comes through.”
Munn said despite the difficult economic climate, the club’s commercial position was solid and they had updated the AFL on that at last Friday’s meeting.
“We’re very confident, irrespective of what’s going on economically, that we’ve managed to hold our position with sponsors,” he said.
“We’re really hopeful, we’re confident and once everything is finalised the Commission hopefully will give us the go-ahead.”
Ronnie from Hobart
Guest
Boy has this raised the ire of a number of NRL journos ... Roy Masters http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/codes-sweat-on-outcome-of-election/2009/03/20/1237526327650.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 Rebecca Willson http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25216364-5017479,00.html Plenty of holes in both arguments. Just as there were holes in a number of Jeff's argument on "Offsiders". I guess the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. So, 1 code now gets a public-funded stadium on the Gold Coast. 3 codes get a public-funded stadium in Melbourne. It's almost as if balance has been restored to the Australian football cosmos. AND AT LAST, it's so good to see that ANZAC day commemorations will go beyond the traditional Essendon v. Collingwood (Aussie Rules) and Australia v. New Zealand (League) fixtures to finally include Turkey's participation ... http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/99453,ffa-tap-into-anzac-spirit.aspx It's long overdues and at least it's a start. Hopefully one day the national teams will play one another on a regular basis on April 25th.
Michael C
Guest
AR - a delicious irony. But, he still brought things back to Beyond Blue. That's his most respectable 'platform' at present. BigAl - ah, you've noticed. Jeff Kennett has actually a history with soccer: Some suggest : Soccer is the liberals (no surprise Howard Govt pushing the Crawford report and restructure etc) AFL is labor (apparent make up of the Commission over the years has been 'ALP' oriented) that's how it was seen during the Howard years. btw - Big Al in Oct '94 "Jeff Kennett becomes No.1 ticket holder at South Melbourne, two weeks after accepting the Victorian Soccer Federation's invitation to become the federation's Honorary Executive President " Aug 95 "2 - David Hill goes public with threats to form a breakaway league, while Jeff Kennett announces an ambitious plan to upgrade Olympic Park to a 45,000 all-seater stadium. " So, by 2003 he'd said a few more things, and might have angered a few, he also spoke out back around the time of the Stewart report and probably angered a few then too, anyway, he was highly supportive of the Crawford report. Kennett has 'soccer form'.
Redb
Guest
This is what Jeff Kennet said on the Offsiders: "BARRIE CASSIDY: You've already had your view on the expansion, you say the AFL should ignore the downturn and drive a stake through the competing codes. It's really about that, is it? JEFF KENNETT: No, not only, but it is reinforcing the philosophy that if you stand still, other codes, competition will take over. Whether it's in business or sport you have to keep reinventing yourself."
Redb
Guest
If there is one thing you can say about Jeff Kennet its that he doesn't pull his punches. Sam, it is every goal of every football code to drive a stake through the other, it's a competitive market for the hearts and minds and ALL codes have a strategic goal to be number one and expand.- if they are successful it will obviously be at the expense of other codes. Frank Lowy's trying to do it for futbol with Fed Govt funding things like the bid for the World Cup, O'Neill would dearly love to drive stake through rugby league's heart and leave it as the only rugby code still standing, likewise the ARL is not moving SOO between NSW and QLD to Victoria, nor spending on junior development programs in Melbourne for the fun of it. Redb
BigAl
Guest
Jeff has also over the years been quite ...'bullish' about soccer. Even now he talks about how 'everybody' should get behind a World Cup bid when/if it comes here. I also seem to recal l him mouthing off big time about 'criminal incompetence' in the admin. of soccer in the days just before the A-league was set up - not sure what brought it on ?
Redb
Guest
Pip, It's strange even for him. Not that long ago he as all doom and gloom. No doubt he's still basking in premership success, that will end about 10:30pm on Friday night when Geelong belt the Hawks by 30 points. Redb
Pippinu
Roar Guru
redb Kennett was extremely bullish! embarassingly so.
Redb
Guest
AR, I missed the Offsiders unfortunately was Jeffrey Kennett in attendance? He's become quite bullish about the AFL of late. I'm pretty sure Springborg would have come around if the LNP had won anyway. I think he had to go the contrarion to provide a contrast, a choice. The same rationale for State Gov't funding would have existed for LNP particularly jobs, tourism,etc. The GC will get considerable benefit from travelling members of Victorian AFL clubs who will take advantage of long weekend short breaks,etc to see their team and get some sun in winter. They can also look froward to international cricket for the first time. Redb
Albert Ross
Guest
Watching Mad Jeff's delight at the ALP win on Offsiders was pretty cool.
Redb
Guest
Brick by brick the Gold Coast club is coming together nicely the licence appears a formality now. The new stadium will not only be utilised by the AFL, but cricket which s set to feature prominently on the GC as well athletics with a Commonwealth games bid in the wings. Redb