A few days ago Football Federation Australia revoked Gold Coast United’s A-League license mainly due to Clive Palmer’s mismanagement of the club. All we’ve heard about is the battle between Frank Lowy and Palmer. But what about the fans?
There have been many jokes made this year about Gold Coast United’s fan base, and as we all know it’s pretty bad.
Their average crowd of 3,858 this season is by far and away the worst. Nonetheless, they still have some of the most loyal fans in the A-League.
A similar sort of comparison could be made with Fitzroy in the AFL in 1996. Sure, the two sides are at opposite ends money wise, but in terms of crowds and performances they’re much the same.
The AFL also won’t admit to this, but it’s quite clear they wanted Fitzroy out of the league, the same as the A-League and Gold Coast.
How would you feel if you lost your football club? It certainly won’t be easy for Gold Coast diehards to just trade their allegiances to Brisbane, despite the Roar’s good position on the table.
It will be harder for those who switched from the Roar. How much ribbing would they get from their mates if they switched back?
What Clive Palmer needs to realise is that the club was not just about him. What the FFA needs to realise is that the club was not just about Clive Palmer. A club is made up of the players, staff and fans.
The fans are an integral part of the club and ultimately, due to Palmer’s wrong-doing when he locked one of the stands a few years ago, they broke the club by not turning up.
Just like the loss of the North Queensland Fury last year, the A-League will lose some more fans. It’s fair to say the A-League expansion is a failure, with the exception of Melbourne Heart, which continues to grow.
It’s also expected that with the growth of New Zealand football the Wellington Phoenix may exit the league soon.
There is talk of a Canberra team entering the competition to fill Gold Coast’s position, and I think this is a good thing. Their W-League team has had good crowds and won the premiership this year.
But with Canberra as the exception, I don’t think the A-League should expand for many years yet. If they do and that team fails, the FFA could do football a lot of damage in this country. They just can’t afford that.
Chuq
Roar Pro
Perhaps there needs to be a proposal.. "do you support the GCU without Clive Palmer? If so, boycott all the home games except for the final game" send a message to the FFA what sort of support there is when Clive is shooting the club in the foot.
Qantas supports Australian Football
Guest
They won't come out because they have been lied to by the FFA and are now totally disillusioned. I had made the decision to not go to the remaining matches but have since decided that our kids need to know they are not alone---even tho they have swallowed the promises of the FFA that there is a chance of them continuing next year. I'm only going now because they have decided to play and need someone in the stands to cheer them on, but don't expect the vast majority of those who were hard core supporters to turn out just because Clive has been striped of the licence.
Chuq
Roar Pro
What about their fans? What about them - there is another team 1 hour up the road! What about the North Queensland and Tasmanian fans?
John Dillon
Guest
Millsy29 makes a lot of good points but would add that a big part of the soccer fan base on the Gold Coast were disenchanted from day 1 by Clive Palmer's arrogance and lack of understanding of what is needed to create a club following. Titans had done a good job but Clive appears not the type to seek out guidance . The Suns have also done a good job but has Clive sought to learn from that .From inception Clive has made one poor decision after another gradually alienating an increasing number of those that were supporting GCU and giving no reason for anybody to start supporting GCU . There is a significant GC Soccer base that would support and get fully behind a properly structured Gold Coast Team . Soccer on the Gold Coast has the most participants at every level compared to all football codes including Juniors , Seniors , Women and Masters . We are grateful to Clive for kicking it off but wish he would have sought the proper counsel and heeded it .
pete4
Guest
You have covered I number of things here. I must say it's the first time I have heard the Phoenix will exit soon The biggest issue with the A-League is it didn't wait until the new TV deal before expanding. Relying on private investment always carries a big risk. The FFA doesn't have finance to keep these teams going until new investors is a big problem for the game in general with the current TV deal. That said I do agree 10 teams is the bare minimum our competition needs because there is lots of talent around not getting a look in I hope the GCU fans (as tough as it been) now the club is minus Palmer come out in good numbers for their last 2 home games and give FFA something to think about