The Australian Football League today formally invited a group of Gold Coast business and community representatives to form a board to participate in a 6-month process to demonstrate an AFL licence for a new team based on the Gold Coast had all the foundations for long-term success.

The process establishes the structural elements and framework that the Gold Coast group will have to deliver before a licence is granted.

The bid group will be led by Minter Ellison Gold Coast managing partner John Witheriff, ex-Brisbane Lions president Graeme Downie and Southport Football Club president Alan “Doc” Mackenzie.

AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou said the group would have six months to demonstrate the Gold Coast’s united support for a 17th team by meeting a series of financial and community milestones established by the AFL.

“We believe the Gold Coast is ready. All the work and research we have done over the past two years – along with the work of the Gold Coast Advisory group chaired by John - provides a very strong economic, social and football case in support of a Gold Coast team in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions. But we have a responsibility to ensure the Gold Coast community is committed to building the right framework for its own team to be successful,” Mr Demetriou said.

Mr. Demetriou said the AFL Commission and the 16 AFL clubs had told the AFL to be bold in its bid to expand the competition into the Gold Coast and Western Sydney.

But he said it was now up to the team led by John Witheriff to unite the business, football and the local people of the Gold Coast into whole-of-community support for a new community-based club.

“The AFL Commission and the 16 AFL clubs have strongly supported expansion. We understand the responsibility to our 16 AFL clubs, football supporters and the people of the Gold Coast to get this right and ensure any new club has the strong foundations and the structural elements needed to thrive in a national competition,” Mr Demetriou said.

“Part of our due diligence is making sure that the vocal support from the Gold Coast community is transformed into active support. That the football, business and wider community will unite to build the foundations required to ensure long-term viability and success of an AFL team,” Mr Demetriou said.

“The AFL’s job is to ensure that all the pillars are there for the 17th licence to be granted, and we look forward to continuing to support the local group in order to deliver the right environment for launching a new team.”

Mr Demetriou said the AFL was committed to assisting the local Gold Coast group to achieve their goals and had agreed to a request by the bid group to second a senior AFL manager, Scott Munn, to help manage the project. 

The Gold Coast group will also form an alliance with AFL Queensland to help in the development of the football side of the business and the creation of a team to play in a second tier competition in 2009.

“There is a compelling argument for an AFL team to be here. We know this is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, we know there is a great sporting tradition on the Gold Coast and there is a great sense of community excitement and community pride,” he said.

“John has a strong background of supporting initiatives that provide sporting, business and social opportunities for the wider Gold Coast community. Now people and businesses on the Gold Coast have the opportunity to get behind John and his team and become active participants in the establishment of a strong, successful Gold Coast AFL club.”

The AFL will assess the process against the following criteria:

  1. The ability to generate sufficient revenues to compete in the AFL through:
    • Membership support
    • Build broad support and public interest
    • Develop prospects for committed membership base with at least 20,000 engaged supporters and potential club members.
    • Proven capacity to engage supporters in shaping their club
    • Business support
    • Deliver required levels of corporate sponsorship, including delivering a naming rights sponsor, 10 second tier sponsors and 100 business supporters.
    • Build relationships with key business partners and major brands
    • Develop a long-term sponsorship program
    • Other revenue sources such as fundraising, merchandising and non-football business.
  2. The capacity to establish a positive net asset base.
  3. The ability to deliver first-class training and administration facilities
  4. The development of a brand identity for the new club that reflects the Gold Coast community.
    • Conduct a public campaign to identify the values, brand, name and colours of the new club
  5. The ability to build community support that engages the whole Gold Coast community.
    • Define agenda for social and community programs on the Gold Coast.
    • Proven capacity to represent entire Gold Coast
    • Establish local football community engagement
    • Build community alliances and partnerships
    • Build N/NSW and South/West Brisbane connections
  6. The capacity to build the Football Team (in partnership with AFL Queensland)
    • Deliver strategy for building the list, club culture, player and team development, support service.
    • Be ready to compete in a second tier competition in 2009.
    • Build the capacity of a high performance, elite sports team
  7. The ability to build a strong organisation on appropriate governance and business principles.
    • Appoint a high-quality Board
    • Develop governance model for a community-based club.
    • Develop Corporate Governance processes and structures, in line with AFL corporate standards.
  8. Preparation of business plans for 2008-2010 and 2011-2015.


The AFL will work on the following:

  1. Stadium: The AFL is committed to explore all options for appropriate stadium facilities.
  2. Football List Development: The AFL will establish the player access rules by which the team will build its list. AFLQ will resource the incubation period.
  3. Broadcast Commitments: The AFL will look to prescribe a base level of FTA exposure, nationally and in Queensland to provide the club with the capacity to promote itself and its sponsors.
  4. AFL Funding: the AFL will decide the level of financial support to be made available to the club.
  5. Market support: The AFL will define the investment it will make in growing the broader region (marketing and promotion, game development, community and events.)