We reveal the Gold Coast’s top 10 sports clubs of 2024
From threepeats to shattering longstanding premiership droughts and producing generation next, plenty of Gold Coast sports clubs stood tall in 2024. See the best of the best here.
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Sporting clubs across various codes achieved the remarkable in 2024, from the Gold Knights women winning an astounding five trophies in a single season to Burleigh Bombers junior graduates going inside the top 10 in both the AFL and AFLW drafts.
We’ve down our best to nail down a selection of the 10 best clubs from countless success stories.
See the full list below.
Southport Sharks (Senior Aussie rules)
Southport Sharks had a year to savour on the women’s side of their footy program, with a historic maiden QAFLW senior premiership matched with the QAFLW reserves crown too. They were a flying Wylie Buzza mark away from completing an unthinkable trio of flags with a historic VFL premiership, but ultimately fell to fellow stand-alone Werribee by six points in a heartstopping decider.
The loss marked the Sharks second VFL grand final loss in three years, but for the only Queensland-based stand-alone club to reach that point twice was a truly incredible achievement.
Broadbeach Cats and Burleigh Bombers (Junior Aussie rules)
After equally dominant campaigns, the junior Broadbeach and Burleigh were difficult to split so have shared the honours.
Broadbeach can stake a claim in producing Levi Ashcroft, the highly touted prospect who went at pick five in the draft.
Additionally, the club took home two junior flags – U13 Mixed Division 1 and U15 Boys Division 3 – from four grand final appearances.
Meanwhile, Burleigh, the junior club of highly touted Suns academy products Leo Lombard and Havana Harris – who both went inside the top 10 in their respective national drafts – also featured in four junior grand finals.
While the Bombers fell short in three, but brought home a flag in the U15 Girls Division 1.
Gold Coast Knights (Football)
Gold Coast Knights women’s season was truly something to behold this year after they completed an incredible quintuple.
Yes, five trophies in a single season.
The FQPL Champions League, Kappa Pro Series Cup, Kappa Queensland Cup, and the FQPL1 championship and premiership were all added to the club’s packed trophy cabinet this season.
It’s a feat so rare it had never been achieved before and may well never be achieved again, given to do so the club had to be in the second tier FQPL1 yet manage to knock off a string of top flight NPL sides en route to the Queensland Cup.
The women’s program will debut in the NPL next season just three years after being established.
The Knights men also enjoyed a strong campaign under the guidance of former Socceroo Scott McDonald, finishing the NPL Queensland season with an astounding 19-1-2 record to top the table and secure the premiership, but they failed to complete the double after falling to Queensland City 1-0 in the semi-final.
Tugun Seahawks (Senior Rugby League)
Tugun enjoyed a historic campaign, taking out both the Rugby League Gold Coast reserve and A-grade premierships on home turf at Boyd St in an emphatic day.
Two droughts tumbled in the process, and A-grade captain-coach Will Johnstone reflected on the club’s steady climb from the testing Covid years where they had as a little as six players warming up for senior fixtures to be routinely belted by 50 or more points.
The win also capped a special season for former Gold Coast Titans player Kane Elgey, who gave the game away in his prime to find happiness, and is now content with his life where he works as a termite inspector.
Mudgeeraba Nerang and Districts (Cricket)
Impossible to look past after a stunning 2023/24 season saw the club walk away having reached all four possible first and second grade grand finals in the 2023/24 season.
They would win one of two flags in both, and also reach the fifth grade and open division 1 junior grand final.
This year, the club has made another strong start in first grade, hot on the heels of the undefeated Queens club with just one loss.
Honourable mention to Palm Beach who also enjoyed a strong 2023/24 campaign with plenty of flags and grand final appearances across the junior and senior grades.
Gold Coast Titans (Netball)
The Gold Coast Titans Netball franchise continued to make steps in 2024 towards its long-term goal of obtaining a Suncorp Super Netball licence.
In just the club’s third season of Netball Queensland’s HART Sapphire and Ruby Series, the Titans reached grand finals in both divisions.
While their seasons didn’t end with gold in-hand, the club inched closer to its SSN goal – which CEO Steve Mitchell has already thrown his support behind.
Titans Blue were victorious in the Elite Premier League competition, with the Titans Yellow team reaching the semi-final despite an average age of just 16 in an Opens division.
Away from high performance environment, the club launched its schools competition which kickstarted with an incredible 600+ athletes from more than 40 schools in April.
Labrador Tigerstix (Hockey)
There is no fairytale quite like the Labrador Tigerstix’ 2024 Gold Coast Hockey Association 2024 season.
The club not only appeared in every possible junior grand final – of which they took home gold in each – but featured in 10 of a possible 13 grand finals across both junior and senior divisions.
The club made history when they boasted two teams in three junior age groups: U12 Mixed, U14 Girls and U14 Boys. Guaranteed gold sounds pretty special.
The season was a true testament to the work Labrador has put into its junior development.
Nerang Bulls (Rugby Union)
Talent at the Nerang Bulls Rugby Union club reached an all-time high in 2024, with the club shining in both juniors and seniors.
The club were recognised by Gold Coast District Rugby Union to have achieved the largest growth in junior participation with a commendable 64 per cent increase from 2023.
They were also voted tied-third in this masthead’s search for the Best Junior Football Club.
In senior ranks, the Bulls broke an 18-year drought when they claimed the GCDRU first grade premiership on home soil.
That was only the surface however, doing so undefeated for the first time since 1997.
And while that would be enough for most, the club made sure of a clean sweep by taking out the third and second grade premierships as well.
Pimpama Pelicans (Basketball)
On top of the North Gold Coast Seahawks taking out the QSL Men’s Division 2 competition and placing runners-up in the QSL Womens Division 2, basketball success seeped through to one particular club: the Pelicans.
For a third straight year, the Pimpama Pelicans took home a trifecta of titles including Overall Girls, Overall Boys and Overall Combined club.
They were additionally the only club to place on the podium of all three tallies.
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