Competition "What If" Wednesdays - Time Traveller Sneezes Edition: Week 1 - Gold Coast Seek Merger With Southport Sharks To Survive

[cannavo]

Welcome to the opening week of...


Marty McFly has done himself a mischief and has altered the course of Aussie footy in ways you can't imagine!
Get ready to dive into alternate futures!​

What is “What If” Wednesdays?
"What if" Wednesdays was a competition comprised of real-life football team proposals, merger propositions, former teams and a few hypotheticals brought to life by the FJGD community (eg. If the Melbourne-Hawthorn merger went ahead, if University/Fitzroy/Bris Bears stuck around, if Gold Coasts nickname were the Lifesavers etc.) it became this boards longest running competition (8/9/14 – 29/5/19). It has been revived under a meme cultured spin-off! Time traveller sneezes memes are all about butterfly effects on various things caused by a time traveller altering the past by means of a simple sneeze.


What’s new this time around?
This time or these times around, we will be flung into various timelines where our universes former teams, mergers, relocation proposals never existed or had its outcome altered slightly or severely! The list below is comprised of alternate timelines and the butterfly effect caused by our cheeky time traveller. Your job is to envision this outcome! Each comp will run for 1 week and the poll will run for 3 days. The winner picks the next team from the list below or can use their one-time self-imposed idea where they put forward an idea not listed below.

There are some routes you can go by if you're stuck:

• The chosen team has entered their designated competition in the current year (unless specified) along with the current teams OR
• If a year is not specified, you may design kits at any point in time OR
• Accompany your kits with a backstory on how the team came to be to help better envision the outcome

Bare minimum for an entry is:

• A home kit with the front of the jumper showing
  (Back, shorts, socks are optional)
• OPTIONAL Away kit (Home with white shorts is acceptable)
• OPTIONAL 3rd kit
  • Clash kit
  • Heritage kit
  • Other kit
• OPTIONAL Club Logo (Highly Encouraged!)

Let’s see what has happened this time

Our Timeline: Fitzroy merge with Brisbane to stay alive

Altered Timeline: Gold Coast Suns seek merger with Southport Sharks to stay in the AFL​

Basic Rules (Read Carefully):

1. Kits and Logo must be in 1 picture (Makes polls easier to fit everything in)
2. The kits can consist of just a Jumper (Shorts and socks are encouraged to give a full identity effect)
3. Minimum 1 kit and there's no limit to how many kits you can include after that
   eg. Home and Away and/or Clash and/or Heritage and/or Others
   1. Designing a Home and away/clash kit is highly encouraged for that authentic feel and to develop that alternate universe experience
4. Attempt to stay close to the altered timeline
5. Directly copying current football team kits/logos are not allowed
6. Creating a logo is encouraged but you may take inspiration from and/or alter any existing sports logo to drive home your design.
7. Maximum 2 entries per person
8. Any questions at all, please ask!

Spoiler: SEPARATE CATEGORY RULES PLEASE READ

Mergers Rules:

1. There are no restrictions. You can take any elements from the clubs involved in the merger and create whatever you please
2. Teams involved in a merger that do not exist yet, you can identify them in any way you like (eg. Tasmania can be whatever you like them to be when merging)

Relocations Rules:

1. You are only bound by the location the said team is moving to (eg. South Melbourne’s move to Sydney where they changed their kits more reflect the location)
2. Take inspiration from the location and display that in the kits/logo in as big or as little as you like
3. Unchanged kits, names and logos will not be accepted

League Transfers Rules:

1. The entering team may need to alter their kit and/or logo to not directly copy or closely bear a resemblance to any of the teams in that league
2. Attempt to create a slight variant of the entering club to better visualise that alternative timeline look, whether it’s the addition of a colour or 2, a redesign or a name change

New Teams Rule:

1. There are no restrictions. Well, the only thing I ask is there be no recolours of currently existing kits involving the team (where applicable)
   1. Variants are allowed

Colour Corner Rule:

1. You must stick to the colours/alterations mentioned (eg. for Port Adelaide, you must include Magenta in any way you like, for Adelaide’s hurried kits a minimum of 3 of the 5 colours must be used)

Specials Rules:

• You are bound by the special conditions stated
• If no year is specified, create your kits/logo at any point in time

Alternate timeline categories
Strikethrough - Completed

Mergers

• Melbourne and St Kilda merged - 1995
• Tasmania - Fitzroy Merger
• Sydney - Fitzroy Merger
• Gold Coast Suns seek merger with Sharks to stay alive
• Fitzroy merge with Brisbane to become the Fitzroy Bears
• Tasmania agree to merger with North Melbourne

Relocations

• Saints relocate to NZ
• Essendon relocates to NT to become Alice Springs
• Hawthorn relocates to Canberra
• Fitzroy relocates to Canberra
• Fitzroy move to Brisbane in the 80s (Prior to the Bears existing)
• South Melbourne relocate to Tasmania
• South Melbourne relocate to Canberra
• Fitzroy complete move to North Sydney - 1980
• Footscray relocate to Queensland - 1981

League transfers

• West Coast Eagles enter the SANFL
• Brisbane Bears enter the SANFL
• Fitzroy to the SANFL - 1981
• Footscray to the SANFL - 1981
• Adelaide Uni to the SANFL - 1991 (cannot use only black and white)
• Collingwood to the SANFL - 1997
• East Perth to the VFL - 1980
• Norwood accepted as the 2nd SA team in the AFL
• Launceston apply for the AFL
• Essendon apply for the WAFL

New Teams

• Port Adelaide crows join the AFL - 1991
• Papua New Guinea enter the AFL
• Mount Gambier join the SANFL
• Limestone Coast join the SANFL
• Sydney enter as a separate team (Bloods stay in Vic)
• Darwin join the AFL - 1991
• Public Service Football Club join the VFL
• Gold Coast fold, new North Queensland team take their place - 2030
• NZ enter 90's State of Origin
• Broome become the 2nd WA AFL team
• Gold Coast hijack Brisbane Bears AFL entry - 1986

Colour Corner

• West Coast Eagles VFL kits altered due to Williamstown sharing the same colours
• GWS keep their 'Team GWS' colours
• Port Adelaide retain their Magenta
• Adelaide's hurried concept
  (Adelaide board hastily attain clothes from local sport store and use the 5 colours to design their new AFL team)

Specials

• Hawthorn release Ochre jumper - 2000
• Skittle's sponsor Essendon and release special guernsey
• Heidelberg Warriors align with Collingwood for 1 season - 1996
• Melbourne remain as The Fuchsias
• Melbourne remain as The Invincible Whites
• Collingwood remain as Brittania

 

[BigChippa52]

In the year 2019, long after the reign of Gary Ablett were the last-placed Gold Coast Suns, dwindling in fans, players, and support, the club was on the brink of death, luckily The Southport Sharks heard both the Suns and AFLs pleads for help. A deal was struck where Southport would merge with the Suns to give Southport an AFL side. Conditions were that the blue was to be ditched and replaced by white and a new monogram was to be made more in the style of the Southport monogram, along with this their logo as well, and jersey design, with Gold Coasts Reserves team folding, Southports VFL side would now become the new reserves team, remaining the same in black and white. this merger went on to boost supporter and membership numbers, while it did take until the 2024 season for them to start showing glimpses of a strong side, they have the great young core of Rowell, Anderson, Walter, and many more. The club was now a target destination for older players to continue playing football or start coaching and handing over their experience to these young players. The future looks promising for the young powerhouse now called the Gold Coast Sharks.

(I apologize if I broke the rules by using a monogram on this site or modifying an existing logo)

 

[BigChippa52]

also red is darker and so is the gold for better contrast and a stronger brand, Gold Coasts theme was also slightly changed with sharks and colors mentioned and sky changed to beaches to align with the new brand

 

[lordbeecee]

Long time lurker here. This might be my time to finally contribute to some kind of design competition. This has me quite excited!

 

[BigChippa52]

I just realized how similar it looks to the bears kit, I didn't even intentionally do that but it looks good

 

[cannavo]

I just realized how similar it looks to the bears kit, I didn't even intentionally do that but it looks good

That's fine, at least it's not a 1:1 copy, great start!

 

[cannavo]

It's the end of the 2026 AFL season and the Gold Coast Suns finish with their 3rd straight wooden spoon. The combination of dwindling numbers, sponsors and draft picks requesting trades after one season pressured the GC board to seek ways to keep the club afloat and attain glory and thus lead to seeking a merger with local side Southport Sharks. After months of deliberation, the two parties agreed and entered the 2027 AFL season as the newly formed Gold Coast Sharks. Months leading up to the premiership season, for preseason games, the amalgamated team would wear GC Suns kits at home and Southport Shark kits away. It was a time of unease for the supporters, but the board reassured that both of the clubs histories would remain at the forefront. Taking the Southport Sharks logo with the addition of a new GCS monogram and Gold Coast colour scheme and the striking new Vee design on both the Home and Away kits with the 2 teams respective colours

 

[Daniltchenko You Beauty]

The Suns don't have enough history to care about. Just take the entire Sharks brand - it's great.

Sorry to ruin the comp.

 

[Nickimus Rex]

The Suns don't have enough history to care about. Just take the entire Sharks brand - it's great.

Sorry to ruin the comp.

Well you didn't enter anything and your entry would breach the rules

 

[1990crow]

View attachment 1867246

It's the end of the 2026 AFL season and the Gold Coast Suns finish with their 3rd straight wooden spoon. The combination of dwindling numbers, sponsors and draft picks requesting trades after one season pressured the GC board to seek ways to keep the club afloat and attain glory and thus lead to seeking a merger with local side Southport Sharks. After months of deliberation, the two parties agreed and entered the 2027 AFL season as the newly formed Gold Coast Sharks. Months leading up to the premiership season, for preseason games, the amalgamated team would wear GC Suns kits at home and Southport Shark kits away. It was a time of unease for the supporters, but the board reassured that both of the clubs histories would remain at the forefront. Taking the Southport Sharks logo with the addition of a new GCS monogram and Gold Coast colour scheme and the striking new Vee design on both the Home and Away kits with the 2 teams respective colours

Would look better with Red sleeves imo

 

[1990crow]

View attachment 1866789View attachment 1866790View attachment 1866791View attachment 1866792
In the year 2019, long after the reign of Gary Ablett were the last-placed Gold Coast Suns, dwindling in fans, players, and support, the club was on the brink of death, luckily The Southport Sharks heard both the Suns and AFLs pleads for help. A deal was struck where Southport would merge with the Suns to give Southport an AFL side. Conditions were that the blue was to be ditched and replaced by white and a new monogram was to be made more in the style of the Southport monogram, along with this their logo as well, and jersey design, with Gold Coasts Reserves team folding, Southports VFL side would now become the new reserves team, remaining the same in black and white. this merger went on to boost supporter and membership numbers, while it did take until the 2024 season for them to start showing glimpses of a strong side, they have the great young core of Rowell, Anderson, Walter, and many more. The club was now a target destination for older players to continue playing football or start coaching and handing over their experience to these young players. The future looks promising for the young powerhouse now called the Gold Coast Sharks.

(I apologize if I broke the rules by using a monogram on this site or modifying an existing logo)

It's OK just a bit too Bears.

 

[BigChippa52]

It's OK just a bit too Bears.

I agree, that's the first thing I saw, but it is a merger of both brands, the bears also used to play where the Suns play now back in the 80s, but no team uses this design and the Bears design was great, its a win for sharks and suns fans and bears fans also

 

[Mac Ropod]

 

[Nickimus Rex]

View attachment 1867893

Like the side gills

 

[_Damo_]

 

[dino_67]

View attachment 1868912

Minimal, simple, i guess theyd probaly wear this

 

[The Victorian]

 

[Nickimus Rex]

Dude didn't understand the brief

 

[1990crow]

 

[Cubs2Lions]