Gold Coast United chairman Danny Maher says Knights partnership could deliver Championship entry

GOLD Coast United chairman Danny Maher believes a partnership with NPL rivals Gold Coast Knights could pave the way for the city’s national second division dream to become a reality.

GOLD Coast United chairman Danny Maher believes a partnership with NPL rivals Gold Coast Knights could pave the way for the city’s national second division dream to become a reality.

As the Association of Australian Football Clubs edges towards the creation of an A-League second tier – dubbed The Championship – the Knights and United have expressed their interest in entering the inaugural season, likely in 2021.

While both clubs are exploring their options independently, Maher said joining forces could build an irresistible case for inclusion.

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“I’m certainly happy to be working together with (the Knights). If I take a step back from Gold Coast United - of course I want Gold Coast United to go as high as possible – and look at football overall and try not to consider individual clubs, a northern and a southern NPL both feeding into a high-level entity with equal representation on the board would be fantastic,” Maher said.

Gold Coast United chairman Danny Maher. Picture: Mike Batterham

“Sports Gold Coast wrote a football plan for the city and one of the first steps was to have two NPL clubs, which we now have. That was always seen as necessary before you return to the A-League or the B-League (The Championship).

“I think football is in a pretty good place at the moment and we’re ready to step it up another level.”

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Knights chief executive Adrian Puljich this month expressed his concerns over the financial viability of a national second-tier competition, but did not rule out working together with United to bring an elite-level team back to the Coast.

“Obviously it makes sense for the NPL clubs to be a feeder club to something bigger but we’ve got a business plan in place that looks at how we can grow our brand through our junior base,” Puljich said.

“We don’t share the opinion that having too many cooks in the kitchen does impact on the quality and the plan. So for us, we have to look at the commercial terms and the commerciality of what the B-League represents.

“The Gold Coast is a very transient market. You just have to look to the Suns and the Titans to see the battles they face.

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“Football doesn’t have the luxury where the AFL house can pump millions of dollars into us while we find our feet. So if we go into it, the margin for error is very slim.”

The championship could feature up to 16 teams and will ultimately offer a promotion-relegation pathway with the A-League.