Controversial Gold Coast United owner Clive Palmer has revealed that the club will be providing free entry to all fans for the fixture against the Central Coast Mariners on Sunday December 19.
The move comes after the club received record low crowds over the past few home games, on occasions struggling to reach the two thousand figure mark.
These attendances are not only embarrassing; they are detrimental to the image of the A-League and further illustrate the growing concern amongst the football public.
Nevertheless, it is great to see a proactive approach in an attempt to win over the Gold Coast public and redeem some credibility back towards the fledgling club.
The Gold Coast United supporters club is optimistic about Clive Palmer’s endorsement and are massive advocates of this marketing strategy.
“This is our last chance to prove to Clive and the entire A-League that the Gold Coast is worthy of having an A-League team,” said the supporters club.
After Jason Culina recently voiced his concerns regarding the crowd nightmare, Palmer considered that it is now or never for the embattled club.
The billionaire owner is optimistic that there is a potential market for football on the Gold Coast and is eager to test out the region.
“It will show us how many football people are out there and it’s our gift to the Gold Coast community. We just want them to come along and watch a team which I believe will win the championship this season.
“It’s also a great way for the public to enjoy some free entertainment. For this game I’m happy to take the cap off the crowds and see what we get there,” Palmer said.
Palmer also feels that opening the gates to the public is the least he could do for all the exceptional, committed and vigorous work Frank Lowy has done towards the unsuccessful 2022 World Cup bid.
“I felt it was something we should do to highlight the fact that while Frank was unsuccessful, he has put so much into the game and the game goes on.
“Frank put a great effort in and he certainly brought our game to an international arena and audience and he deserves some appreciation. It’s a way of showing gratitude to a great Australian,” Palmer said.
It’s a fantastic initiative by the club, paying their respects to a man who has done so much for football in this country. If it weren’t for Frank Lowy and his admirable passion for the game, the existence of the A-League would be questionable.
Although Palmer’s idea seems fantastic, the major problem with the Gold Coast marketing philosophy is letting people know when the games are on.
It’s great having free entry to the game, however if the Gold Coast consumers aren’t aware of this proposal by the club, then it is rather meaningless. The club needs to take a proactive approach and promote this marketing opportunity within their relevant geographic region.
Print media outlets like the Gold Coast Bulletin must be utilised, television advertisements, internet advertising on the goldcoast.com.au website for instance and other various media channels need to be consumed. Once consumers are well aware of the club’s proposal, we should start to see an impact on the crowd figures.
It is known that the free entry scheme is said to cost Palmer around $100,000. Hopefully this is a wake up call and helps the club realise that an attendance average of 2812 fans is vastly unacceptable in a national competition.
One would imagine that a crowd of 10,000-15,000 would be the minimum requirement, given entry is free. If the club cannot achieve this, then Gold Coast United may become a club of the past.
Hopefully Clive Palmer’s arrogance hasn’t deterred away too many potential supporters. Capping crowds to 5000 and demonstrating a distant emotional connection towards the local community will never encourage potential fans to support the club.
Amid the growing controversy surrounding the troubled club, December 19 is set to be a pivotal day in the history of Gold Coast United. It’s great to have a club with an abundance of money; conversely without a solid fan base existence in a saturated market place seems rather impulsive.
Let’s hope football on the Gold Coast is here to stay.
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