Why the Gold Coast Suns have already won with an AFLW team before the season begins

Opinion: The Gold Coast Suns AFLW team has already won and they haven’t even played a game yet. Why the presence of a professional women’s team on the Glitter Strip changes everything.

THE Gold Coast Suns AFLW team has already won and they haven’t even played a game yet.

The Suns will make history when they play their first AFLW fixture against GWS on Saturday, completing a journey that started with just one person – football manager Fiona McLarty – in 2017.

For all the praise that comes with winning and all the criticism that comes with losing, football at the highest level has proven to be far greater than results on the Gold Coast.

There is no questioning the role Gold Coast’s AFL team has had on participation numbers, with an influx of talent from the city making it to the league.

So where does women’s football currently sit and where can it go?

Leah Kaslar talks to the Gold Coast Suns AFLW playing group.

The latest statistics from the AFL have females accounting for 39.2 per cent of all participation on the Gold Coast. That means nearly half of 38,154 who played were female.

The community engagement has already been massive for the Suns AFLW team who could bring a new wave of fans through the gates of Metricon Stadium, galvanise ones they already have and get footballs into the hands of young girls around the Gold Coast and in their academy hubs in North Queensland.

There are established stars of the game like co-captain Leah Kaslar for young fans to idolise and 17 untried talents who will test their mettle in the league.

Queensland football officials believe the state’s decision to invest in female football via competition pathways and development systems has them firmly of the belief that the state has the second best football talent behind Victoria.

It is a remarkable feat given how far back Queensland has traditionally been in the men’s game and it’s allowed the Suns to have a list filled mostly of homegrown talent.

That means more Gold Coast success stories for young players to follow, more connection to the club and better retention.

It’s a recipe for long-term success so no matter what happens on the field in the 2020 season, Gold Coast are set up to get an AFLW premiership in the coming years.