Expansion How to fix the Suns

[Kirkswan]

I have lived there since the turn of the century, and I was there for only a short time, but imo the strip is transient, the suburbs behind it are not. The suburbs are the people who come to games, support clubs, raise families. The strip used to run from tweed through to Main or Southport. The rest is suburbia.

That post came out really wrong... the first sentence should read:

"I have not lived there since..."

Apologies for the unintended misinformation. I will edit the post.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

As far as gold coast v sunshine coast for location, I think that's really splitting hairs given their proximity. Hazard a guess less than 50 clicks? If so I don't think that's going to impact "planted supporters" which won't be coming for years and decades yet - not in large numbers anyway.

I think you ought to stop talking about Queensland since you evidently know next to nothing about the place.

 

[Carringbush2010]

I think you ought to stop talking about Queensland since you evidently know next to nothing about the place.

GC is a QLD team right? So by extension QLD is going to come up in conversation, what I know about QLD in a geographical sense is of minor relevance to the thread.

I think you ought to stop getting your nose out of joint.

 

[kreglze]

I have not lived there since the turn of the century, and I was there for only a short time, but imo the strip is transient, the suburbs behind it are not. The suburbs are the people who come to games, support clubs, raise families. The strip used to run from tweed through to Main or Southport. The rest is suburbia.

EDITED: Added the underline not... sorry

I think people outside of the GC must all assume locals live in high rises and anything about 300m in from the beach is wasteland where no man dare tread.

 

[kid_a]

GC is a QLD team right? So by extension QLD is going to come up in conversation, what I know about QLD in a geographical sense is of minor relevance to the thread.

I think you ought to stop getting your nose out of joint.

sunny coast and gold coast are way further than 50 clicks away from each other

 

[Tbone McGraw]

At least Gil appears ok with the Suns.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/af...h/news-story/4641d1dd133d34c2242536354682cd61

 

[Kirkswan]

Ablett went there ....because he was paid a million year by the afl as an ambassador...he left

It’s not a football Mecca ...it has no footy history

A kid growing up in our game wants to play on the mcg or now Optus

He’s hardly going to go ....gee send me to Metricon please.

You still here? Still boring as batshit with your 'it's not fair, it should have been Tassie' routine!

Mate, the decision was made and the club started years ago and it wasn't made on BF; carrying on like a spoilt 8 yro now isn't going to change that.

Start a Tassie needs a team thread... pick a Victorian team you want to move there... But stop hijacking this thread to your own purposes!

 

[footyfan1978]

That post came out really wrong... the first sentence should read:

"I have not lived there since..."

Apologies for the unintended misinformation. I will edit the post.

Ha ha. Did confuse the * out of me when I read you lived in Sydney for years somewhere else.

 

[footyfan1978]

sunny coast and gold coast are way further than 50 clicks away from each other

For those of you that never been there. Both take about same amount of time to travel there from Brisbane as it takes to get from Melbourne to Geelong. Although freeways to Gold Coast pretty easy ride when get on it.

 

[footyfan1978]

Re-develop Central Park, Caloundra to have 30,000 stadium and re-locate them there as Sunshine Coast Suns. I know it ain't going to happen but a man can dream.

 

[Tandy]

Re-develop Central Park, Caloundra to have 30,000 stadium and re-locate them there as Sunshine Coast Suns. I know it ain't going to happen but a man can dream.

Maybe do the redevelopment of Central Park and GC play some home games in Caloundra. Similar to what a Tassie team would do between the two cities. A nice re-brand to S.E QLD Suns. New logo, Guernsey design. So they don't lose the supporters they have but can potentially gain 10,000 (guess, no idea)

 

[Kirkswan]

Re-develop Central Park, Caloundra to have 30,000 stadium and re-locate them there as Sunshine Coast Suns. I know it ain't going to happen but a man can dream.

Mate, it's what 2 and half hours? Harden up and travel down for the game...

Is there a local league up there? If not, do you know if they're trying to raise support for one?

I would have thought there would already be enough support a league from Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast... just not sure on where to look for it...

 

[Knox Harrington]

Gold Coast have still not recovered from the great Kyle reimers kicking 8 against them.
That was the nail in the coffin.
Seriously they should move the club to Tasmania and cut their losses.

 

[footyfan1978]

Mate, it's what 2 and half hours? Harden up and travel down for the game...

Is there a local league up there? If not, do you know if they're trying to raise support for one?

I follow Carlton, already got my team. They do have a local league up there. Caloundra play in a final on weekend. I just reckon it a better spot for the Suns longer term.

 

[footyfan1978]

Maybe do the redevelopment of Central Park and GC play some home games in Caloundra. Similar to what a Tissue team would do between the two cities. A nice re-brand to S.E QLD Suns. New logo, Guernsey design. So they don't lose the supporters they have but can potentially gain 10,000 (guess, no idea)

A worthy idea to explore. Population on Sunshine Coast around 350,000. But add on the people from outer-northern suburbs of Brisbane there a fair chunk of people up that way and plenty of ex-pat Vic type families too. Maybe just South Eastern Suns or even just East Coast Suns.

 

[kid_a]

Sunshine Coast definitely couldn't support a team.
It has half the amount of people as the Gold coast over a more spread out area.
League is by far and away more popular up there except in maybe Caloundra where it's 50/50 Footy and league.
Noosa, Maroochydore, Caloundra and Nambour are all very different towns with thier own 'vibes'.
Plus it's actually slightly further away from Brisbane than the Gold Coast is.
The Gold Coast wants to be an amalgamated City that is a tourist hotspot with all the glitslz and glam, but the vast majority of people on the sunshine coast (particularly Noosa) want to keep the region as idyllic and away from what the Gold Coast is as possible.
I lived there for six years and I certainly couldn't see any AFL club being based there as a viable option.

 

[Billy ray]

 

[TheSunGod]

Sunshine Coast definitely couldn't support a team.
It has half the amount of people as the Gold coast over a more spread out area.
League is by far and away more popular up there except in maybe Caloundra where it's 50/50 Footy and league.
Noosa, Maroochydore, Caloundra and Nambour are all very different towns with thier own 'vibes'.
Plus it's actually slightly further away from Brisbane than the Gold Coast is.
The Gold Coast wants to be an amalgamated City that is a tourist hotspot with all the glitslz and glam, but the vast majority of people on the sunshine coast (particularly Noosa) want to keep the region as idyllic and away from what the Gold Coast is as possible.
I lived there for six years and I certainly couldn't see any AFL club being based there as a viable option.

Spot on. After living at the Gold Coast, Brisbane and visiting the Sunshine Coast to stay with friends and surf many times over the past 40 years, the Gold Coast is a much more compacted city and growing to the extent that it will merge into Brisbane through Logan forming a mini-megalopolis down into northern NSW. The Sunshine Coast is so spread out that all the beach areas do seem like separate little towns. Add to that the public transport on the Sunshine Coast is worse than the Gold Coast. Letting the Suns take the Gold Coast / Northern NSW, and the Lions keep Brisbane / Sunshine Coast makes far greater sense.

 

[Tap Tap Tapperoo]

We really need to see a period of relative success, even if that is just a few years in finals, to really see if the locals will get behind it in any great numbers. It was always going to be a tough market to crack, let alone a team that has been rooted near enough to the bottom of the ladder since their inception. They don't have generations of supporters that will stick fat through lean times that other clubs have.

Unfortunately, it is hard to see that happening for a little while at least.

 

[footyfan1978]

Sunshine Coast definitely couldn't support a team.
It has half the amount of people as the Gold coast over a more spread out area.
League is by far and away more popular up there except in maybe Caloundra where it's 50/50 Footy and league.
Noosa, Maroochydore, Caloundra and Nambour are all very different towns with thier own 'vibes'.
Plus it's actually slightly further away from Brisbane than the Gold Coast is.
The Gold Coast wants to be an amalgamated City that is a tourist hotspot with all the glitslz and glam, but the vast majority of people on the sunshine coast (particularly Noosa) want to keep the region as idyllic and away from what the Gold Coast is as possible.
I lived there for six years and I certainly couldn't see any AFL club being based there as a viable option.

Good input. The actual point of wanting to be different to Gold Coast glitzy tourism vibe is one of the appeals for a club to find an actual community base first and foremost. Just thought that more chance in Sunshine Coast than Gold coast where I feel it lost as just some other theme park type feel. I would only be concerned if the finances are viable for doing it. But good to hear from someone that lived there for a bit and your thoughts.

 

[footyfan1978]

Spot on. After living at the Gold Coast, Brisbane and visiting the Sunshine Coast to stay with friends and surf many times over the past 40 years, the Gold Coast is a much more compacted city and growing to the extent that it will merge into Brisbane through Logan forming a mini-megalopolis down into northern NSW. The Sunshine Coast is so spread out that all the beach areas do seem like separate little towns. Add to that the public transport on the Sunshine Coast is worse than the Gold Coast. Letting the Suns take the Gold Coast / Northern NSW, and the Lions keep Brisbane / Sunshine Coast makes far greater sense.

Do people in Tweed Heads and places a little more south into NSW embrace Gold Coast as a club ? If not, would a change in name from Gold Coast Suns to East Coast Suns make it more appealing as a club for both the Gold Coast regions and even north-eastern NSW near the coast ?

 

[TheSunGod]

Do people in Tweed Heads and places a little more south into NSW embrace Gold Coast as a club ? If not, would a change in name from Gold Coast Suns to East Coast Suns make it more appealing as a club for both the Gold Coast regions and even north-eastern NSW near the coast ?

Worth consideration. Not sure if necessary though.The Suns visit schools and conduct clinics over the border as part of their community work.

https://m.northernstar.com.au/news/photos-gold-coast-suns-visit-northern-rivers-fans/3286999/#/0

 

[footyfan1978]

Worth consideration. Not sure if necessary though.The Suns visit schools and conduct clinics over the border as part of their community work.

I am sure they do, but my question is do people over the border feel like it can be their club too?
I suspect when it seen as only a Queensland club and Gold Coast the appeal would be less but if they dropped the Gold Coast in the name and marketed their club as for that whole East Coast region as East Coast Suns, you might get people even as far down as Coffs Harbour wanting to adopt them as their club. But if they just seen as a Queensland club I reckon the appeal is far less for those over the border.

 

[TheSunGod]

I am sure they do, but my question is do people over the border feel like it can be their club too?
I suspect when it seen as only a Queensland club and Gold Coast the appeal would be less but if they dropped the Gold Coast in the name and marketed their club as for that whole East Coast region as East Coast Suns, you might get people even as far down as Coffs Harbour wanting to adopt them as their club. But if they just seen as a Queensland club I reckon the appeal is far less for those over the border.

Possibly. Depends how far south you want to go. I’ve got friends in Byron who don’t consider the Gold Coast to be foreign territory at all. I think the Queensland/NSW rivalry is much more a rugby league thing than AFL because of the success of SOO. If the people want a local AFL team to follow, the Suns are their only choice.

 

[footyfan1978]

Possibly. Depends how far south you want to go. I’ve got friends in Byron who don’t consider the Gold Coast to be foreign territory at all. I think the Queensland/NSW rivalry is much more a rugby league thing than AFL because of the success of SOO. If the people want a local AFL team to follow, the Suns are their only choice.

Add the East Coast to the name, and even more inclusive an appeal to more....

East Coast Suns