Gold Coast A-League bid chairman Danny Maher declares region ‘front and centre’ for expansion

From club funding to the support of a new boutique stadium, everything has been put in place for the Gold Coast to return to the national football stage. Now they just need the powers that be to approve them.

Gold Coast A-League bid chairman Danny Maher has declared the region is “absolutely front and centre” of Australian football’s expansion plans, confirming the Glitter Strip’s push came equipped with a war chest of funds to cover club fees and even a boutique stadium.

The Australian Professional Leagues’ announced this week the national competition would grow to 16 teams in the next two years, with Canberra and Auckland to join the fore in the 2024-25 season.

Maher, the former Gold Coast United boss, revealed to NewsCorp last year the bid team had joined forces with investment firm Benevolent Capital — who have stakes across the football world including with American club Phoenix Rising FC and English side Ipswich Town.

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It is believed the Gold Coast is well on the radar for the second round of additions to join the league in 2025-26, along with another Brisbane outfit, Tasmania, Adelaide and Wollongong.

Gold Coast A-League bid chairman Danny Maher. Picture Mike Batterham

Maher said when he and his team first put forward their desire to make a national landscape comeback they were not initially in consideration due to the “misconception” Gold Coast United financially folded, as opposed to Football Federation Australia revoking their a license.

He said between the location, population, talent catchment and funding for both the venture and new stadium he expected the region to be the leading contender for an A-League berth.

“We certainly have funding to build it the (boutique stadium) with the right permissions around that and we know the council has a desire to build it,” Maher said.

“The fact of the matter is you can’t put a club in the A-League and have 20,000 as an average crowd, that’s not the future. The next generation they watch games together from their lounge rooms with their headsets on, so you shouldn’t be choosing location where you necessarily have the biggest crowd there.

“You need to pick locations for other attractive reasons. If you’re an international investor, the first place you think is Sydney, the second is Melbourne and then it’s probably the Gold Coast. It’s beaches, it’s iconic Australia.

“Unless you put a team on the Barrier Reef or Ayres Rock this is iconic Australia and it’s a really attractive place to have a team. But if you play out of Cbus (Super Stadium) you’re probably going to lose one-and-a-half million dollars a year.

“Out of a boutique stadium it’s more self-sustaining.”

Small crowds were regular when Gold Coast United took to Cbus Super Stadium, highlighting the need for a boutique stadium to come with a success return bid.

The Gold Coast’s population has grown exponentially in recent years; its more than 700,000 residents making it the sixth largest centre in Australia.

But despite its population and grassroots football growth — approximately 9000 registered players last year — United’s last season in 2011/12 included three home fixtures which failed to reach 2000 spectators.

Discussions have been in the works for a new boutique stadium to be built for sometime, with plans for a 10,000-12,000 seat facility in Bundall floated in 2021.

In addition, Maher said investors had not only been impressed with the location, but the presence of high performance academies for developing talents; such as the Gold Coast Academy of Sport.

While the initial bid was focused on a men’s team joining the fore before a women’s outfit followed, he said the intention now was to establish both sides simultaneously.

“We’ve been making a point that this is the largest area in Australia without an A-League club and it’s the fastest growing area of Australia,” Maher said.

“It’s a very attractive area commercially. The question comes up of financial viability of sporting teams on the Gold Coast, but there’s reason the AFL and NRL are investing in this area.

A League soccer match between Gold Coast United and Wellington Phoenix.

“This is the future, and the A-League needs to be here now and we’re actually not asking for money, we’re asking for permission to put money in.

“A lot of the viability is determined by the investors and financial structure of the club. They seek a mix of local and international investors which we have.

“We’re ready to go, we’ve got everything in place. We’re not asking for money, we’re asking for permission to invest and it needs to happen now or we’ll lose generations of fans.

“It’s time for the Gold Coast to re-join the A-League.”

Originally published as Gold Coast A-League bid chairman Danny Maher declares region ‘front and centre’ for expansion