Gold Coast Football Club | ||
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Names | ||
Full name | Gold Coast Football Club | |
Nickname(s) | Suns | |
2016 season | ||
After finals | 15th | |
Leading goalkicker | Tom Lynch (66 goals) | |
Best and fairest | Tom Lynch | |
Club details | ||
Founded | 2009 | |
Colours | Red Gold | |
Competition | Australian Football League | |
Chairman | Tony Cochrane | |
Coach | Rodney Eade | |
Captain(s) | Tom Lynch, Steven May | |
Premierships | Nil | |
Ground(s) | Metricon Stadium (capacity: 25,000) | |
Former ground(s) | The Gabba (2011) | |
Training ground(s) | Metricon Stadium | |
Uniforms | ||
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Other information | ||
Official website | goldcoastfc.com.au |
Location |
Nerang–Broadbeach Road, Carrara, Queensland, Australia, 4211 |
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Owner | Queensland Government |
Operator | Stadiums Queensland |
Capacity | 25,000 (23,500 seats) |
Field size | 171 x 144 metres |
Construction | |
Opened | 1987 |
Renovated | 2010–11 |
Architect | Populous (2010) |
The Gold Coast Football Club, nicknamed the Suns, is an Australian rules football club based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, which began playing in the Australian Football League (AFL) competition for the first time in 2011. The club played its first game as a part of the AFL in the pre-season NAB Cup competition in February 2011 before beginning the season proper in April 2011.
The club is the product of a sole consortium, formerly known as "GC17", tendering against established criteria for a licence to be the 17th club in the AFL competition. On 31 March 2009 the club was granted a provisional licence to join the AFL competition and the AFL proposed that the new club would enter the national competition in the 2011 season. The following year, during a press conference on 22 July, the club announced its new nickname, logo, club song and three new home, away and clash guernseys.
In January 2008, it was reported that the AFL officially registered the name Gold Coast Football Club Ltd with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). The registration was effective from 24 December 2007. In March 2008, the AFL won the support of the league's 16 club presidents to establish a side on the Gold Coast and an 18th side in Western Sydney.
AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou announced in early 2008 that the club could debut in the Queensland State League in 2009 as it recruits players and prepares for its debut season in the AFL. Amongst the first players targeted by the Gold Coast were current St Kilda captain and Gold Coast junior Nick Riewoldt,Hawthorn forward and 2008 Coleman Medallist Lance Franklin and Adelaide forward Kurt Tippett. They did not end up with any of them.