Opinion Should we merge with the Southport Sharks?

Should we merge with the Southport Sharks?


  • Total voters
    33

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
May 27, 2013
6,521
8,036
AFL Club
Gold Coast
I've seen this old chestnut come up a few times over the last week so I figured I'd put it to our fanbase to see how everyone feels.

What are the pros and cons associated with a merger between the Gold Coast Football Club and the most successful club in Queensland football history - Southport Australian Rules Football Club?

The most obvious benefit would clearly be the successful history the Sharks have put together since they were established in 1961. We would be able to place 'Est. 1961' on the back of our jumper in the same way Port Adelaide does and give the fanbase a real sense of history. When Port Adelaide entered the competition they were split into two seperate legal entities (Power in the AFL, Magpies in the SANFL) and a merger between us and the Sharks could be seen the same way. There's also the highly profitable Sharks social club which could serve as a 'traditional home' (it already holds our B&F every year anyway) as well as rebranding opportunities with the 'Sharks' moniker and chevron guernsey but I won't go into too much as I'm more interested in everyone else's opinions on this.

What do you think?
 
Nov 17, 2009
10,327
15,237
Gold Coast
AFL Club
Gold Coast
I always thought it was the way to go initially but my understanding was that there was huge pushback from the other Clubs in the QAFL or something?
I don't think it really matters now
Not sure it changes the fanbase and other than poker machines which I oppose Southport doesn't bring much else to the table
 

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
May 27, 2013
6,521
8,036
AFL Club
Gold Coast
I always thought it was the way to go initially but my understanding was that there was huge pushback from the other Clubs in the QAFL or something?
I don't think it really matters now
Not sure it changes the fanbase and other than poker machines which I oppose Southport doesn't bring much else to the table
The argument was always that Southport was essentially Queensland's/Gold Coast's version of Collingwood in that footy people up here either loved them or hated them and a large portion of locals would be given a reason to not get behind them if they entered the AFL. I played local footy for a club not named Southport over 10 years ago and I can tell you there was some hatred there because they were seen as having all the advantages due to their money while other GC clubs didn't have access to those kinds of funds and looked on with jealousy to be quite honest. These days the other GC clubs don't even compete against the Sharks anymore so there probably wouldn't be anywhere near as much resistance to a 'Gold Coast Sharks' club.

Is it beneficial for us to merge with them though? If so, what are the benefits in your mind?
 

GC2015

Norm Smith Medallist
May 27, 2013
6,521
8,036
AFL Club
Gold Coast
I don’t see any really
If Southport had 40,000 members maybe
they have over 50k members. although their membership costs $7 and is mostly used to get cheap food at the buffet haha
Surely a merged club would continue to offer social club memberships for that amount of money and pocket the revenue? We're talking about close to $500,000 gross revenue.
 

Sunraysia

Club Legend
Mar 16, 2015
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You'd only be merging for their money - which they already seem to be providing via the current GC SUNS Patron Partnership.
Southport would also be lost to the NEAFL - making it an even weaker comp....
 

Peel67skin

Norm Smith Medallist
May 21, 2017
8,387
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Just call Darwin, the zone forever belong to GC.
 

Yojimbo

Cancelled
10k Posts
Nov 14, 2012
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The "Elephant" in the room.
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
The AFL approached the Southport Sharks over a merger with a Victorian club in 2006 years before the Gold
Coast Suns even existed, it never went ahead. So the question is should they have been you in the first
place not whether to merge with you.
 
Jul 21, 2010
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Gold Coast
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The AFL approached the Southport Sharks over a merger with a Victorian club in 2006 years before the Gold
Coast Suns even existed, it never went ahead. So the question is should they have been you in the first
place not whether to merge with you.
but like you said, it never went ahead. so the question is still whether to merge with the sharks, since your little narrative doesn't apply in 2019.
 

Yojimbo

Cancelled
10k Posts
Nov 14, 2012
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The "Elephant" in the room.
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
but like you said, it never went ahead. so the question is still whether to merge with the sharks, since your little narrative doesn't apply in 2019.
The initial AFL buzz around the Southport Sharks was for a merger with a Victorian club lets call them for example
the Southport Kangaroos this was before the Gold Coast idea was even broached, I have not heard of any other
mergers although I believe Suns members do have reciprocal rights with Southport. Good luck landing Brad Crouch
and Hugh Greenwood from Adelaide would be nice additions along with Brandon Ellis.
 
Sep 30, 2010
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Katherine, NT
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Gold Coast
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The initial AFL buzz around the Southport Sharks was for a merger with a Victorian club lets call them for example
the Southport Kangaroos this was before the Gold Coast idea was even broached, I have not heard of any other
mergers although I believe Suns members do have reciprocal rights with Southport. Good luck landing Brad Crouch
and Hugh Greenwood from Adelaide would be nice additions along with Brandon Ellis.

Wrong. The initial buzz around the Sharks would have been when they first put a bid in for an AFL licence to be included. This was way back in about 1995/96.

The proposed merger bid wasn't until many years later
 

Yojimbo

Cancelled
10k Posts
Nov 14, 2012
10,914
9,834
The "Elephant" in the room.
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Wrong. The initial buzz around the Sharks would have been when they first put a bid in for an AFL licence to be included. This was way back in about 1995/96.

The proposed merger bid wasn't until many years later
" The club has been involved in AFL licence bids since 1996 to date none of the bids has been granted. The AFL
began taking interest in 2006 with pushes to merge Southport with a Melbourne based AFL club"

In 1996 the AFL granted the licence to Port Adelaide from the SANFL, all I am saying is there was no merger
or proposed merger with the Suns it was a Melbourne based club.
 
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