SA Footy

Gold Coast granted AFL licence
Chris Barrett
March 31, 2009 - 11:57AM

The Gold Coast is officially the AFL's 17th club.

After a protracted application period the chief executive of the AFL, Andrew Demetriou, has given the green light for the club's entry into the competition in 2011.

He granted the licence at an eye-catching launch on the glitter strip today.

"This is an historic day for the Gold Coast and an historic day for the AFL," Demetriou said.

The final nod was given to the GC17 bid yesterday after the Gold Coast City Council handed over ownership of the 25,000-seat Carrara stadium ownership to the Queensland Government.

Demetriou said the licence would not be binding though until contracts with the State Government and Gold Coast City Council over the governance of the club were signed.

The State Government has agreed to support the redevelopment of the stadium with $60 million, with the council chipping in $20 million.

The new club, to be coached by former West Coast Eagles champion Guy McKenna, will enter the second tier VFL in 2010 before graduating to the top grade the year after.

The club will makes its debut this weekend in the under-18 TAC Cup against Eastern Ranges.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/afl/gold-coast-granted-afl-licence-20090331-9hqh.html



Well there you have it, the AFL's 17th club.
Will the current senate hearing into Tassie's submission for a licence make any difference to future decisions (the 18th club) ?
Probably not, Demetriou didn't even bother going to Canberra -they have no authority to make the AFL's decisions.

No doubt Tasmania would certainly be sentimental favourite amongst the football public, but what took them so long to get their act together?
Their only real hope would be the relocation of a Melbourne club IMO.

going to be a funny draw....?

16, 24 or 32 game season...?

Well they have to plan an even amount of games each, ie 17 teams cant play 17 or 19 or 21 games etc evenly.
If there are more than 16 games each then each team will have to have at least 2 byes.

I think the AFL will want to keep at least 176 games a year, so that means they will need 22 games minimum each.
My guess is 24 games over a 26 week season. Any less and it would be too hard to work out all the rivalry games for collingwood.

Alternatively, drop/merge a team. bet that'll come into play.
Or play extra games midweek. But that would mean bigger squads for sure, won't happen in the short term.

It's going to be a long year with the bye...?

2 divisions coming up...?

2015...

Wow .. GC granted a licence ... what a surprise

How much did the Gold Coast pay for said license ?

This Footy club is getting more help then the other 16 clubs combined.....

The AFL do need to expand if they are going to be representative of Australia and I feel that having a side in the Gold Coast is a step forward for the competition, it would have been better if an existing side had moved up there, yet adminstrations of the various clubs run the clubs as they see fit to and if no one wants to make a move then starting a new side is a better idea, at least then when they win the Premiership supporters of the moved club cant take the credit for it!

The Gold Coast is a good place for Aussie Rules Football, there are no shortage of people from the Traditional Foofball states that live there and they have a strong cashed up local competition to support it from the ground up. For people that travel to watch their side play footy, there are few places better in Australia to holiday than the Gold Coast and that has to be a bonus!

The Gold Coast side will do well, the Western Suburbs of Sydney side will be a dismal failure IMO. The best outcome would be a side in Tasmania, yet I think that the real reason that Diemetriou does not want Tasmania given a license is that he is well aware that one of the existing sides in the AFL will no doubt be under pressure to move there to keep them from bankruptcy, dont be surprised to see what happened with Fitzroy and the AFL suddenly stepping back from offering cash to keep clubs going in the hope of seeing one fold, I think that is very much on the cards despite what they may say otherwise!

i think we could have more rounds but maybe 7 games a round here and there to give everyone the same amount of games played.

Reakon the AFL is over-expanding with 17 teams.

Never mind 18...

Go the Gold Coast Tampons!

regards,

REB

I wonder if Dimwitreou is fully supported in this move by all at AFL House? Would anyone dare challenge his clear cut view that the AFL must expand?

He gives me the impression that his views would quickly become yours if you know what is good for you. Be interesting to find out from an insider if he is a good listener and if anyone has suggested that in this current economic climat the expansion of the competition be held over, even for a year or two.

Booney wrote:I wonder if Dimwitreou is fully supported in this move by all at AFL House? Would anyone dare challenge his clear cut view that the AFL must expand?

He gives me the impression that his views would quickly become yours if you know what is good for you. Be interesting to find out from an insider if he is a good listener and if anyone has suggested that in this current economic climat the expansion of the competition be held over, even for a year or two.

Pity you missed one fact Booney, its not Demetriou's decision....

AFL Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, in a message to the GC17 board said “This is an historic decision of the AFL Commission and it is only the sixth time since the AFL Commission was established that a licence has been awarded to a new club.

“It is not a decision that the Commission has made lightly and it has been made after a long period of investment in Queensland and a rigorous process over the past two years in which the Gold Coast football, business and wider communities have made clear their support for and ability to sustain an AFL team.

Who gives directives to the Commish?

Booney wrote:Who gives directives to the Commish?

No idea....

but to think that one person makes all the decisions in the AFL is a bit foolish

He is the front man....and has to make sure it works, but does not make the decision

Dutchy wrote:

Booney wrote:Who gives directives to the Commish?

No idea....

but to think that one person makes all the decisions in the AFL is a bit foolish

He is the front man....and has to make sure it works, but does not make the decision

Considering that so much foolishness eminates from AFL House perhaps Booney isn't as far off the mark as you might think Dutchy.

regards,

REB

Ask Mrs.Boon, I'm a master of foolishness....( at the moment anyway )

Yeah Carrara Is a shit oval to get to and park. Its on the side of a slight hill. Alot of people up here dont realise that it is. If your looking at the ground from the north a short distance away it looks lower on the eastern side of the ground then the western side. Unless the Grandstands are sinking .

Bulldog wrote:Yeah Carrara Is a s***t oval to get to and park. Its on the side of a slight hill. Alot of people up here dont realise that it is. If your looking at the ground from the north a short distance away it looks lower on the eastern side of the ground then the western side. Unless the Grandstands are sinking .

Yeah, it's not one of the seven wonders of the modern world, that's for sure.

Hopefully with all the money that will be thrown at it in coming years, the situation improves.

How will they do a NAB cup/challenge with 17 teams? I'm sure all clubs will want the same amount of practice games each.

Sheer idiocy driven by Telstra/Foxtel who want a game in every major state, every weekend, for their own benefit selling subscriptions.
When it fails they can walk away leaving the problem of an unwieldy competion to the AFL.