The Gold Coast: a city of sporting failures

Makes eminent sense, especially the last sentence; at times seems to be a cut-and-paste of a previous story, particularly with the reference to a certain Mr Demetriou. Brand for next franchise: GC Fools’ Gold.

Amazing how many oversights there are in this feeble story. The Gold Coast has a huge Victorian population and major sponsor Virgin encourages huge numbers of interstate fans to fly to the Coast to support their team every weekend, which they do. Suns games are drawing 15,000+ despite the team sitting on the bottom of the ladder which, if you've followed AFL at all in the last 15 years you'll know is where every expansion team starts their climb from. In a few years time, when the Suns' staggeringly talented list develops and they're making the eight, expect crowds to grow further. "Sporting teams won’t succeed on the holiday strip because that’s exactly what it is: a holiday strip." The Gold Coast is Australia's sixth largest city, ahead of Geelong (reigning AFL premiers), Newcastle (countless NRL premierships), Canberra (ditto), the list goes on. Clearly a great point. The problem with the Titans is that they are an NRL club who don't have pokies to fund their empty stadium as many other league clubs do. When it comes to GC United, as Nathan Tinkler has just shown us in Newcastle, any megalomaniac with money can sink any team in the country. Clive Palmer and his mob have nothing to do with the Coast, so again you're off the mark. And before you say I'm a clueless GC hick, I'm from Perth, know a thing or two about successful sporting teams having grown up around the Eagles, the Wildcats and the Warriors, and feel no great affiliation to this place. Although, having been to games at every major stadium in the country I do have to say Metricon is one of the best on almost every level, and the hundreds of Gold Coast kids playing Little League at halftime on Saturday night seemed to agree.

I have to correct you there, The Barry. The Gold Coast Chargers did not fail. They made a profit during their last season. The ARL and News Ltd agreed to reduce the number od clubs from 22 to 14 by 2000. Having culled a few Sydney clubs, the ARL felt it would have been too risky to get rid of another one, so they took out the Chargers. The Gold Coast-Tweed Giants were based in northern NSW weren't they? The Gold Coast Seagulls were based in Tweed Heads. The Seagulls Leagues club fell over when the Queensland Labor Party legalised pokies. The oldies from the Gold Coast used to travel over the border to gamble at Seagulls Leagues when there weren't any pokies in Queensland. Of course that changed once pokies were introduced closer to home. That's the only reason Seagulls Leagues fell over. THe same would probably happen to a few Sydney clubs if their pokies were taken away. So the way I see it, no club on the Gold Coast has failed.The Titans' woes are based around the Centre of Excellence. The first mob that was contracted to build it either went bust or stuffed up the work. It cost the Titans millions of dollars. Do I need to remind you of the failed experiment with the Northern Eagles in Gosford?

I'm talking about the Queensland Cup, which, falls under the jurisdiction of the Queensland Rugby League. The Burleigh Bears are a successful club that has played in the Queensland Cup since 1997. I see no evidence to suggest the region cannot support a second or third Queensland Cup side.

You obviously didn't read my post Tony.

The suns will survive all the while the AFL pump millions in to the cllub, but how long can they afford to do that combined with the millions that are pumping into GWS. The NRL can sell the rights to show their compitition overseas as Rugby League is an international game. The AFL can't do that as its appeal is limited to Australia.

That's right QGIRL...clearly what the Gold Coast needs is 2 teams!

MGB The AFL is not merely "pumping money into" the Suns, like the NRL have done to prop up the Titans. They have put things in place to ensure the Suns are self-sustainable in the LONG term. For example, the AFL actually contributes its own money to finance new stadiums (Skoda, SACA, Metricon, the new Perth 70,000 seater and of course, Etihad). In the case of Metricon, it was a tick over $10M. The Suns also have the management rights, which means that revenue from games and other events (such as last year's Foo Fighter's concert) goes straight into their pocket...and enabled them to make a profit in their first year. Add to that, the fact they have over 10,000 paid up members (less than half of the NRL clubs have that much) and they are well placed to slowly grow in the medium to long term. The idea that you can plonk a millionaire at the helm of a club, watch him build a COE (which is just embarrassing), see the crowds fall each year, and then supply him with bailouts whilst he contracts star player for millions...is frankly bizarre.

Heard Andrew D interviewed on a radio program Friday morning, claiming the GC Suns turned a healthy profit last year. Will be interesting to find out how much...

Maximus.No I am no 100% sure of the Titan's position,even my own shifts from time to time.And i say that as a supporter of a club,that lives week to week, hand to mouth. All I am stating and I have mentioned the intertwinging factor of debt ( I just wish at times people would read my point),that @ the club has been active and successful in including the community with the likes of Preston campbell and M Rogers and has a strong junior league and b)The club has been affected by the COE development but one suggests the list of sponsors ,coupled with the grants has made the football club, repeat football club viable else they would not have continued to receive the assistance the nRL (which you have also conceded the club received last year). The NRL under the ARLC I doubt will turn a blind eye to this issue.The debt is too horrendous to ignore,thus any attemot to lure Cronk would be dicey and even Tayor is wavering.. Crystal balling: Searle will be responsible for cleaning up the mess.A new club will arise from the ashes,unless other private investors want to form a new club retaining the Tirtans name and colours. One thing is sure and cerain there will be an NRL club on the GC.

Its only a matter of time that the Suns like all football codes on the GC fail. Even the AFL will realise that pumping millions into a football code on the GC is a waste of money.

Crosscoder, You seem very sure of the titans finacial position- Searle says the football club is not linked on the property arm yet gallop is quoted as saying they are. The NRL were extremely helpful to the Titans in the draw last year and maybe about to turn a blind eye to salary cap issues if Idris, taylor and Cronk all turn up there. So the NRL wouldnt be too pleased they keep signing players......

Billionaires in charge? I would think that the A-League experience would serve as a warning against that. What if the billionaire goes broke (a la Con Constantine in Newcastle, who ran out of cash and only had asset wealth, leaving him unable to pay salaries), or worse, rogue (Clive Palmer)?

I thought all prices for general admission was set by the AFL - not the club ?

And you can thank pokies for that commo.It is an entertainment venue first and foremost.There are also people who attend who are not AFL supporters,just tourists after a reasonable feed.I happened to have been one on one occasion. I don't see where anyone suggested, there was no grass roots support for the AFL there.

And Southport is only one of several very competitive Australian football clubs on the Gold Coast, albeit the biggest financially. Labrador & Broadbeach are other local clubs in the NEAFL - the Gold Coast field four of the nine NEAFL clubs in Queensland. Grassroots footy is strong and growing on the Coast.

Judging from this biased, disconnected-from-reality reply, you do live on the Gold Coast. I dont, but this is a well-written article making compelling points; you proceeded to ignore all of them and make highly dubious claims with no evidence to back them up: "The suns will succeed." Really? Yes, the AFL is pumping money into them but there's absolutely no evidence to suggest that they will succeed. You are living in hope. Not exactly convincing. "The Gold Coast Blaze are going strong." Yes, in the NBL, the SIXTH most popular league in the country behind the 4 footy codes, cricket and soccer. Who cares? You say the soccer club didn't engage the community and you may be right but the fact is that the A-League administrators decided to dump them, and they must have had good reason. The Gold Coast IS a holiday strip. It may also have a community but for you to dismiss that reality shows whose head is up their posterior, or more accurately buried in ten feet of sand.

Good question about ticket prices, I just had a look. In most categories Suns tickets appear to be more expensive. Only the lowest category tickets are cheaper at the Suns than the Titans, and that only appears to be 5-10% of the ground.

Southport Football Club is one of the richest football clubs outside of the AFL. Not bad for an area that supposedly has no grass root AFL support.

Lachlan. The Titans whilst being dragged down, with the now stupid idea of the COE and its associated debt,have done a remarkable job within the local community and the GC and surrounds has an exceedingly large junior rugby league.Your knowledge in that respect appears a bit lacking. The club has a very strong sponsorship roster which obviously helps their bottom line ,and the crowds were down for 2011 because they were down the end of the ladder(which doesn't help after previous semi appearance) and they have played so far this year two 5-30pm sat games, which also doesnt help on the sun strip.Having the debt hanging around the club would aslo be playing on the players'minds. The Suns may well have had 14,000 members last year.The first year is always a novelty ,its the second year syndrome that counts and if they are down t'he ladder again,well it will take a strong stomach.The Titans average 20,000 in the first year.Thus I would not use first year as the basis for forward projections.The Titans did not have the luxury of head office money to prop up and promote,the suns did,biig difference. Rest assured whatever happens,therewill be an NRL club on the GC,what form it will take time will tell.They will not surrender an area with a strong junior rl system,community involvement,and many senior rl clubs around, to let AFL play with the lollies in the sweetshop.It is too importqant for the 8 game Tv contract,and the SEQ presence.