In a week where Tasmania’s true believers are celebrating their long-awaited acceptance by the AFL, an opportunity presents for the Gold Coast Suns to take a significant stand.
More than a decade of below-par performance has made the Suns a subject of derision, with critics often linking the Gold Coast’s struggles to the previous snubbing of Tasmania.
The refrain was as repetitive as it was insular: how dare the AFL ignore a traditional heartland while spending tens of millions on the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney gamble. No flags for either club and the Suns are yet to play a final. Surely it’s time for the AFL to admit they got it wrong on the Gold Coast. Fold them up and boot them down to Tassie!
With Tasmania granted the 19th licence, that suggestion is now as redundant as it was fanciful. The next likely step for the AFL will be deciding who gets the 20th – not the relocation of an existing club.
But a Tasmanian team will not dampen the disparagement directed north until the Suns and Giants regularly succeed on the field and draw decent crowds.
The Gold Coast’s clash against second-placed Melbourne at Heritage Bank Stadium on Saturday shapes as a test of their hopes of playing finals for the first time.
The Suns have won two on the trot. Ben King, who stands as a beacon of hope, is back kicking goals after knee surgery and declared this week he is sticking with the Suns. They have lost 10 in succession to Melbourne but will square the win-loss ledger this season if they snap the streak. A win would keep them in the hunt for a top eight spot.
Just as rejuvenating the health of footy across Tasmania will be a task for the new licensee, broadening the Suns’ appeal and spreading the gospel of the AFL remains important in the north.
The Gold Coast chief executive, Mark Evans, is adamant there is ample evidence to show the Suns are succeeding on that front while building a burgeoning base for the future.
On the eve of the clash against the Demons, a legion of toddlers who represent the future of the Suns will file into a recently opened facility Evans believes is the envy of the competition.
The unique childcare centre next to their home base is among long-term investments he is confident will bolster a membership that has already doubled over the last six years to nearly 23,500.
As the children drop their backpacks in lockers named after players including King, captain Jarrod Witts and key forward Mabior Chol, the Gold Coast theme song will be playing.
Suns players will regularly drop across to the centre, which took six years to build due to various challenges, to read in rooms decked out in the club’s yellow and red.
And during breaks, the toddlers will play on a miniature footy field complete with goalposts. In a non-traditional footy state, the Suns have had to be innovative with their indoctrination.
“If you’re born in a traditional football state, you might get that through your family,” Evans says.
“You might get the Collingwood jumper at birth, or an Essendon jumper for your birthday, and your grandad might take you to a Carlton game.
“This is certainly taking it to an extreme, but it should be pretty impactful. I can’t find another childcare centre like this in the world.
“And I think some sporting franchises around the world will look at this and say, ‘that’s smart.’ I know those kids will become lifelong supporters of the Suns.”
Similar centres are being developed in other Queensland regions such as Mackay.
The Suns, whose average attendance of just over 12,000 is more than 6,000 lower than the crowds they drew when newcomers in 2011, are seeking other growth opportunities.
The club is eyeing with eagerness the pending release of a new tract of land, similar in size to Central Park in New York, which runs from near their Carrara base to Robina.
More than 55,000 Queenslanders played footy last year, with over 1200 junior and 300 senior teams stretching from the Gold Coast to the state’s west and far-north Queensland.
Catering to the growing demand is a challenge in the south and Evans is hopeful AFLQ can secure up to 20 ovals in the land release. The Suns are also looking at partnering with a local surf club or social club.
But nothing beats winning. It is the core business of every footy club and Evans is not diminishing the importance of the Suns’ on-field performance.
“You will be able to correlate success to an uptick in attendance straight away and also the sale of some of those corporate products,” he says.
As the first expansion club introduced since Port Adelaide in 1997, the Suns have made mistakes and struggled to fulfil expectations. Evans has endeavoured to find new ways to strengthen the club in his tenure.
Tasmania has the luxury of a five-year lead-in and a traditional heartland to build a strong list and fanbase from. And it has the benefit of being able to learn from the history of its northern counterparts when marking out its territory in the Apple Isle.
