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Gold Coast Football Club

Names
Full name	Gold Coast Football Club
Club Details
Founded	2008
Colours	Red,      White,      Gold &      Blue
Competition	2010: Victorian Football League 2011+: Australian Football League
Chairman	John Witheriff
Coach	Guy McKenna
Ground(s)	Carrara Stadium (Capacity: 25,000)
Other information
Official website	Gold Coast FC
Guernsey:

Gold Coast Football Club is an Australian rules football club based on the Gold Coast, currently playing in the VFL. The club is the product of a sole consortium, known as GC17, tendering against established criteria for a licence to be the 17th club in the Australian Football League competition.

On 31 March 2009 the club was granted a provisional licence to join the AFL competition^[1] and the AFL has proposed that the new club enter the national competition for the 2011 season.^[2]

Team Name

On 4 September 2008 the club announced that they would be known as the "Gold Coast Football Club", and would not have a nickname. This departure from recent professional sporting team tradition was chosen because each of the options they had to choose from were equally liked by the Gold Coast public. They also revealed the club's colours and mascot. The colours of red, yellow, blue and white and the mascot of an iconic lifesaver named GC reflect the beach culture of the region. ^[3][4][5]

Previously they had ruled out using the Sharks nickname despite it being the early favourite. GC17 manager Scott Munn said that there would be possible legal complications with trademark rights of other franchises, including the local Southport Sharks in the Queensland State League competition and the Cronulla Sharks in the NRL. "Cougars", "Dolphins" and "Pirates" were also ruled out. Nicknames presented to fans to vote for included "Guards", "Ironmen", "Rays", "Stingrays" and "Marlins".^[6]

Recruitment

In the leadup to the 2009 AFL Draft, the AFL has allowed the Gold Coast to recruit twelve players born between January and April 1992, with all other AFL clubs being restricted to players born in 1991 or earlier.

Karmichael Hunt, a former professional rugby league player with the Brisbane Broncos, now currently playing rugby union for Biarritz Olympique in France's Top 14 has been signed to play for the Gold Coast from 2010.^[7]

Other significant signings to the current junior team that is playing in the VFL include

• Stanis Susuve, a members of Papua New Guinea's International Cup winning team
• Brandon Matera, whose father Wally Matera and uncles Peter and Phil all played senior AFL football with the West Coast Eagles.^[8]

At the end of 2010 season the club has been given the following concessions ^[9]

• The ability to sign one uncontracted player from each of the 16 AFL clubs.
• Zoned access to five queensland players prior to the AFL draft.
• The first pick in every round plus additional first round picks 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 and 15 of the AFL draft.
• The first 10 selections in the Pre-Season Draft.
• The first 5 selections of the Rookie Draft.
• An expanded list of 57 players.

2011 AFL Squad

Players that have signed to at least 2011 and will be part of the inaugral AFL squad ^[10]

2010 VFL Squad

Players who have signed only for the 2010 VFL season ^[18]

History

In January 2008, it was reported that the AFL officially registered the name Gold Coast Football Club Ltd with ASIC.^[23]. The registration was effective from 24 December 2007.^[24] The registration was of a Public company limited by guarantees rather than by shares, the corporate personality common to 15 of 16 of the current AFL teams, the exception being the Fremantle Football Club.^[25] In March 2008, the AFL won the support of the league's 16 club presidents to establish a side on the Gold Coast and an 18th side in Western Sydney. North Melbourne saw out the contract to play three games on the Gold Coast in 2008 however the games in 2009 will not go ahead if they and the AFL can agree on compensation for termination of the contract.^[26]

Establishment

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou announced in early 2008 that the club could debut in the Queensland State League in 2009, as it recruits players and prepares for its debut season in the AFL, possibly 2011. At one stage it was rumored that Michael Voss would coach the Gold Coast Team and that he had been offered a 6-year contract.^[27] However, these rumours were proven false when Voss was appointed coach of the Brisbane Lions from the beginning of the 2009 season.^[28]

In June 2008 it was announced that the new team would play in the TAC Cup in 2009 ^[29] before being promoted to play in the VFL in 2010.

Guy McKenna was appointed coach in August 2008.^[30] In early 2009, the Host Plus superannuation fund was named as the club's major sponsor.^[31] On 15 May 2009, it was announced that highly respected Essendon administrator Travis Auld would be the CEO of "GC17".^[32][33] Former Brisbane Lions Shaun Hart and Gold Coaster Marcus Ashcroft were also appointed to the coaching panel. On 1 October 2009, the club announced it had signed Guy McKenna as head coach until 2012.^[34]

Not all has gone smoothly, however: due to a contract between the AFL and Queensland state government regarding expansions to the Gabba, any Queensland-based club would have been required to play all its home games at the Brisbane ground until 2016, although the government indicated that a good compromise might have been 5 games a year at the Gabba until 2020. The Queensland state government where unwilling to pay the total costs of expansions to Carrara Stadium or build a new stadium on the Gold Coast, having already spent a great deal of money on the new Skilled Park, Robina (the home of Gold Coast Titans) and adding secondary home rooms to the Gabba.^[35]

In early 2009, the Queensland Government announced that it would contribute enough money to the redevelopment of Carrara for it to go ahead. It is anticipated that the capacity of the stadium will be 23,000 - 25,000 when the club debuts in 2011. All home matches other than the games verses Brisbane Lions will be played at the new Gold Coast Stadium.

TAC Cup

The club's junior squad competed in the 2009 TAC Cup under 18 competition winning a number of games, eventually finishing in 5th place. They defeated the Northern Knights in the elimination final but then lost their semi final to the Geelong Falcons.

Club Administration

A three-man committee of former Brisbane Lions chairman Graham Downie, Southport Sharks director Allan McKenzie and lawyer and community leader John Witheriff will establish the club's administration.^[23] As part of the AFL bid criteria, the GC17 consortium required a commitment from 20,000 locals to become football club members, a $5 million net asset base and 111 sponsors (at least one major, 10 secondary level and 100 tertiary) by mid-October 2008.^[35]

2009 season

These are the results and fixture for the Gold Coast Football Club's 2009 season, where they compete in the TAC Cup.

^[36]

^[37]

2010 season

These are the results and fixture for the Gold Coast Football Club's 2010 season, where they compete in the VFL.^[38]

References

External links

• Gold Coast Football Club site
• Southport Sharks