The Gold Coast A-League bid is a venture by Gold Coast City FC to enter a team, representing the Gold Coast and Tweed Heads area, into the top tier of Australian football after the failure of Gold Coast United. The bid is an entirely separate venture to the previous A-League team.
Contents
Gold Coast United
Gold Coast United FC was the Gold Coast's previous A-League team. The club was formed in mid-2008 by Queensland's richest man Clive Palmer. Palmer beat off a consortium bid led by real estate magnate Fred Taplin who had attempted to create "Gold Coast Galaxy FC", a club that would have had ties with MLS team LA Galaxy.
The club played during the 2009–10 A-League season playing out of Robina Stadium. Notable players included Socceroo Jason Culina and New Zealand international Shane Smeltz. Palmer's management of the club meant there was disruption within the club's administration as well as with the club's fans. The club lasted three seasons with Palmer's A-League licence being revoked before the end of the 2011–12 season.
The club had an average attendance of only 3,300 people in its final season. The club achieved moderate success, finishing third and fourth in its first two seasons. During its final season the club finished last, only winning four games.
Gold Coast City FC
Gold Coast City FC was formed in November 2015 to represent the Gold Coast region in the Queensland National Premier League competition. The club was formed by Palm Beach SC who had previously competed in the NPL. The club had struggled to recruit top level Gold Coast players due to the club also participating in community football leagues. The new Gold Coast City club was designed to allow these players to compete for a top level club with no obvious attachment to its former name and brand.
The club currently competes in the Queensland National Premier League competition as well as the FFA Cup.
A-League Bid
As part of the club's creation, the club started to establish potential framework for a potential A-League bid. Former Brisane Roar CEO Eugenie Buckley had been working on an A-League bid with Gold Coast City Council. Her plan involved having a second Gold Coast NPL club that could feed to a potential A-League Gold Coast side. This bid was separate to the current bid but the current bid shares similar goals.
The half a million population on the Gold Coast falls short of FFA CEO David Gallop’s population desire of one million but the club’s catchment goes as far south as Coffs Harbour and encompasses Logan to the north. This could swell the numbers to almost one million. Brisbane Roar is currently in the process of building its base in Logan, which is also the home of Football Queensland. This rivalry with Brisbane could work in Gold Coasts favour as the A-League has expressed a desire to see more derby matches in the A-League following the success of the Sydney Derby and Melbourne Derby.
The club is wanting to step away from its Palm Beach SC brand and could have a complete re-brand of the new club’s current logo and colours for it’s A-League bid.
The club has said it is ready to go when the FFA opens the next expansion window which could happen within the next two years.
The club has held discussions with Emma Highwood and David Gallop to establish a National Youth League and W-League team although the club didn’t want to restrict its current NPL team. Typically, National Youth League teams play in their appropriate National Premier Leagues. This could require their National Premier League side to consist only of under 20’s players which the club is hesitant to do.
Community Engagement
Gold Coast City FC's bid involves building a model of community engagement to bring in a strong fan base similar to the Western Sydney Wanderers. Gold Coast City have previously discussed this community engagement model with Wanderer's CEO John Tsatsimas.
The club wants to build an academy style structure, utilising the existing community clubs in the Gold Coast region. The club is holding talks with 27 different clubs in order to build a strong community around the club, something the previous franchise failed to do.
Stadium
Whilst Robina Stadium – where the previous Gold Coast franchise played – could be a potential venue, the price and size of the stadium could be too large. A plan is being created for a 5,000–10,000 seat stadium for the Gold Coast region.
A stadium precinct could be created around Robina Stadium with three elite football pitches, one of which could feature a small boutique stadium. The stadium structure is being negotiated around the current NPL side, rather than a potential A-League side. Larger games or derby games could be playing inside Robina stadium. The Gold Coast City Council is reportedly also keen to bring other A-League teams to the city in the meantime.