And so a mighty empire crumbles, like a soggy arrowroot. It’s sad to see the Gold Coast Titans struggling with financial woes, reportedly in debt to the tune of $25 million and forced to sell off everything they can, including holiday packages for a romantic weekend getaway in Surfers Paradise with John Cartwright.
It is especially sad for those of us who remember the glory days of Gold Coast rugby league.
Remember the dash and flair of the Gold Coast Giants and/or Seagulls and/or Chargers? The scything open-field running of Clinton Mohr? The ingenious playmaking of Peter Gill? The cheeky bursts of Geoffrey “Geoff” Bagnall? Remember the rock-solid reliability of Brett Horsnell?
No, me either.
In fact, I can barely remember anything about the Giants/Seagulls/Chargers. I didn’t even remember they were ever called the Chargers until I looked it up on Wikipedia. They were probably the least memorable Australian rugby league team since the short-lived Mt Druitt Beagles.
And there’s the rub.
The Coast’s first stab at league went down the tubes, un-mourned. The second is in dire straits. Meanwhile, in the A-League, Gold Coast United is even now in the process of being buried at sea, killed by a combination of the hubris of owner Clive Palmer and the fact that nobody on the face of the earth ever had the slightest interest in them.
The signs are clear: we may have to consider the possibility that sport and the Gold Coast just don’t mix.
Oh, if the Titans go down of course there’ll still be sport up there. The Gold Coast Suns aren’t going anywhere, given Andrew Demetriou’s determination to continue slapping every Australian across the face with hundred-dollar bills until they come round to his way of thinking.
But if they thrive it’ll be down to the AFL’s sheer bloody-mindedness, and possibly the club’s usefulness as a money-laundering operation, not because the populace has suddenly started spontaneously bursting into ‘Up There, Cazaly’.
There’s also apparently a basketball team on the Gold Coast, although like all Australian basketball teams, its existence has yet to be independently confirmed.
No, the fact is, the Gold Coast just isn’t built for sport. It’s temperamentally unsuited to the establishment of professional franchises. People go to the Gold Coast to get away from sport, from the bitter exhaustion and inevitable disappointment of following a team. People go to the Gold Coast to relax, to lie on the beach and eat ice-cream and occasionally slip tranquillisers into schoolgirls’ drinks.
The Gold Coast isn’t like western Sydney, where sport is the only thing distracting the citizenry from the awful fact that they live in western Sydney: on the Gold Coast sport just gets in the way of cooler, less strenuous, more morally questionable activities that don’t require you to buy a scarf.
And the pity is, there are so many other regions in Australia just crying out for an AFL or NRL or A-League team, that get passed over due to the fixation on the Gold Coast. And I don’t just mean Tasmania – I don’t really consider them part of Australia, what with their being a bit of water between there and here – they can please themselves.
I mean good, honest, sports-loving, salt-of-the-earth places. Like Frankston. Frankston is a thriving metropolitan area that produces Australia’s finest hot chips and is rightly considered the nation’s capital of men with ragged beards shuffling around asking people for change. They would take to a major footballing franchise like a duck to water.
With the support of the good people of Frankston, including the catchments of Seaford and Langwarrin, the Frankston Carp would be a powerhouse inside five years, no matter what sport they played.
Or how about Holbrook? Nestled snugly in the Dirt Belt of rural New South Wales, Holbrook, already a major tourist drawcard due to its famous landlocked submarine and ample parking, could spark football fever in the bush if allowed to have a go at hosting a major team.
The local oval would quickly become a fortress, with opposing teams fearing a trip to do battle with the Holbrook depth charges, as the local population flocked in droves to the ground, driven by the fact there is literally nothing else to do in Holbrook.
But really I think the prime location for Australia’s new sporting stronghold is just a little to the north: the Sunshine Coast. The Gold Coast’s little brother is ready to step up and assume the mantle.
Blessed with both a less pretentious name than the Gold Coast, and a refreshing lack of theme parks to draw punters away from the footy, the Sunshine Coast, currently populated by a friendly and slightly confused group of people who spend most of their time milling around trying to remember whether they’re supposed to be servicing the tourist trade or working on a dairy farm, could quickly be transformed into a bunch of rabid footballing nuts that would make the Newcastle Knights fan-base look like the Hunter Mariners’.
So, dear AFL, NRL and A-League, give up on the Gold Coast. It’s a lost cause, too glitzy, too aloof, too drunk. Head up the highway, and let the sun shine in. From Maroochydore to Caboolture, let the whistle blow, let the pigskin soar, and let the merchandise sell.
Or of course we could try Tennant Creek…
Ben Pobjie
Guest
Of course, there's always the option of declaring the Titans a theme park, and letting the first 17 customers each week take the field.
Ben D.
Roar Rookie
"There’s also apparently a basketball team on the Gold Coast, although like all Australian basketball teams, its existence has yet to be independently confirmed." - nice piece of wit. :)
Bearfax
Guest
Why at a 'Holbrook Submarine Membership shop silly. Everyone knows that.
mitchwally
Roar Rookie
So where can I purchase my Holbrook Submarines membership?
Tiger
Guest
Gold coast locals have been able to watch live footy for years, what are you on about? There is a qld team on channel 9 every Friday night, although it is usually the broncos who are massive on the coast, although not quite as popular as the titans. As for grass roots, there is a small but solid afl community but don't kid yourself, it is nowhere near the same level as rugby league or soccer!
The Cattery
Roar Guru
39k for Brisbane on 7Mate is pretty good.
Ted Skinner
Guest
Proof: Last night the TV Ratings in South East Queensland when the games went head-to-head, NRL 305K v AFL 39K. Quote: Mediaweek @MediaweekAU Fri TV #NRL metro 660k (Syd 326k Mel 26k Bri 305k Per 3k) Late game 365k (Syd 207k Mel 20k Bri 131k Per 2k) Nine & GEM Quote: Mediaweek @MediaweekAUS Fri FTA TV ratings #AFL #AFLHawksPies 807k metro (Syd 23k Mel 467k Bri 39k Ade 161k Per 116k) 7 & 7mate
Plotter
Guest
There are plenty of us up here in Queensland that love our footy. Don't lump us in the same boat as NSW - Australian football at the grassroots is just as big as any other game in SEQ. It's rural and northern Queensland that tips the balance to rugby league. I'm a proud Queenslander. I love going to watch the Lions and local footy, and having the Suns playing every second week is a massive bonus for the local footy community. In 2012 we've got footy live on Channel 7 for the first time - the game will boom as more Queenslanders get to watch games on Fridays before midnight and over the remainder of the weekend. Australian football has been here since 1866. It's about to enter it's first local Golden Age.
Queensland's Game is Rugby League
Guest
If the community is angry with Searle and do not like him then he needs to stand down and sell the club, preferrably to some one who'll be able to engage the community. Searle has done some great things. He has also alienated a large section of the club's fanbase. Time for a new leader.
Paul
Guest
The obvious solution for GCT is to just excise the property arm and declare it insolvent. Sunshine Coast would be an even poorer choice for a sporting venue. It's largely populated by retirees who want some piece and quiet, not screaming and yelling at the footy. While much has been said about "Goldy" being a holiday destination, there are other factors at play. GC is not built like a normal city with a CBD surrounded by urban sprawl. Instead much of the activity is along a strip, with suburbs extending inland. This means that travelling across the area can be time consuming. Road planning has left much to be desired and the public transport is a nightmare - I have no idea why the railway line was built to Robina rather than Southport or Surfers Paradise, which is where the activity is. The new light rail doesn't even connect with the railheads or the sporting grounds, making it of somewhat limited use for mass transportation. Thus for the average Gold Coast resident to travel to Robina, it can be somewhat more arduous than for a Brisbanite to make his/her way to Lang Park, or a Melbournian to head to the MCG. The location of the stadium is another matter. It's in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure at some point that it was anticipated growth would occur around the area but the GFC has precluded a lot of new development, with office space and I would also presume residential properties vacant. There's nowhere a fan can go for a drink and a bite to eat before or after the game. Contrast this with the close proximity of Caxton to Lang Park, or Melbourne's CBD to the MCG, Etihad Stadium and AAMI Park. With so much vacant space, there's very little to create an atmosphere. History may yet judge Robina Stadium as a white elephant legacy of the Beattie Government. One more factor that may be helping the Suns and not the TItans is the away support. Suns games don't just attract Suns supporters from the Gold Coast, but also supporters of other clubs. While many of them would be residents of South East Queensland (a legacy of the northern migration perhaps), I'd imagine many would also be resident Victorians, South Australians and Western Australians seeking some respite from the cold southern winter. They can plan their trips up because the AFL releases its schedule prior to the season commencing, enabling holidays to be planned around games at affordable prices. Rugby league supporters don't have this luxury for the second half of the season, as the fixturing is determined later as dictated by the broadcaster. Furthermore, Sydney-based NRL supporters may not be as eager to travel into enemy territory - their unwillingness to go to the SFS and ANZ Stadium may make a Gold Coast trip for footy somewhat unthinkable. Yes it is hard to compete with beaches, tacky shops and attractions and theme parks. But amazingly, many more evident factors have been overlooked. Gold Coast is not a major city. It is a different market and needs to be respected as such. Sport can survive, but it must be provided and presented in a manner considered acceptable to the populace. Sadly, few seem capable of looking into it.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Bravo
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Going with GC over Melbourne would have been certifiably crazy.
Queensland's Game is Rugby League
Guest
Since Redcliffe is located in Moreton Regional Council, I'd call them the Moreton Bay Dolphins. It'll make all people who live in Moreton Bay feel as if the team represents them.
Queensland's Game is Rugby League
Guest
I wish people would get their facts straight before they rubbish the Gold Coast. The Chargers made a profit during their final season in the NRL. The only reason they were thrown out of the comeptition is because the ARL were worried about dropping another Sydney club. So please, stop making out they were a failure. The Titans' football department is, by all accounts, profitable. It's the Centre of Excellence and the timing of the GFC that has stuffed them around. Searle obviously made a dud move when he set up the CoE. He should have offloaded it ASAP when it became evident that property wasn't going to make him any money.
Queensland's Game is Rugby League
Guest
Penrith doesn't seem to draw very large crowds...
Republican
Guest
Crashy and Ian I applaud the banker love in taking place here between you both, but even the most mercenary banker in you must acknowledge that the GC has been a poor business choice. How many elite Australian Footballers have earn't their stripes in Canberra compared to the GC? How many GWS locals are there represented in the current Giants line up compared with Canberra and what is the percentage of membership coming from Canberra, per capita especially, that the AFL and GWS are so dependant on in creating a safety net for their cynical commercial experiment into western Sydney? Are not Tassie, the NT and the ACT Australian Footy heartlands compared to the GC, GWS and more recently Ians sentimental fave NZ? How many Kiwis are there likely to be represented in any AFL folly of commercial illusion i.e. Wellington over the next century - diddly squat! Good night and good luck.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Love your work, Crashy.
oikee
Guest
Time to wind it up when the whole club is telling porky pies. It makes you sick and you would think they would have more sense after seeing what we did to the last pack of liers up here. Get the broom out, time for a complete sweep.
Crashy
Guest
But Republican, if you moved the Gold Coast Suns to Canberra, it wouldn't be a team made up of Canberrans, and thus a sad indictment of sport in today's fickle market. This would mean the team would be doomed to fail as the team has just been implanted on an unforgiving public..............
Republican
Guest
Give Canberra the GC Suns please.