Gold Coast FC (AFL)

Gold Coast is an existing club that plays in the Australian Football League, and has previously played in the Victorian Football League and the TAC Cup. The club was formed in 2008 and has not won any premierships.
== Formation ==
In March 2008, the sixteen existing club presidents approved an expansion of the AFL to include a club from the Gold Coast. There is no exact date of the club's formation, but it was nursed into existence through the recruitment of junior players to allow for it's first season in Victoria's TAC Cup in 2009 before progressing to the Victorian Football League in 2010 and finally to the AFL for 2011. This effort was made after no club was willing to move it's operations to the Gold Coast with North Melbourne in particular mooted as the team to move.
== First season ==
The Suns played their first game in the TAC Cup on April 4, 2009 at Carrara, and they were defeated by the Eastern Ranges by 38 points. They won their first game the next week against the Western Jets at Williamstown easily by 134 points. At the end of the season Gold Coast had won 10 games with one draw, and made the final eight finishing fifth. They won their first final at Princes Park, defeating the Northern Knights by 14 points before being eliminated in the semi final again at Princes Park by the Geelong Falcons by 41 points.
== VFL ==
In order to gain senior experience, the Suns opted for the VFL in it's second season. The Suns played most of their home games at Fankhauser Reserve, the home ground of Southport as Carrara was being prepared for the AFL debut. Other venues used were Kombumerri Park (Broadbeach's home ground) and Cooke Murphy Oval (Labrador's home ground) as well as a game in Cairns. The first game was at Southport against Port Melbourne with Gold Coast being defeated by 12 points. It wasn't until Round 6 at Southport that the Suns won ther first senior game - defeating Geelong's reserves by 28 points. This was despite a heartbreaking draw with Werribee a couple of rounds earlier at Chirnside Park. The Suns would go on to win only four more games to finish 10th.
== First AFL season ==
Despite the less than impressive effort in the VFL, the Suns were elevated to the AFL in 2011. A pre season win over Sydney provided some hope although it was in a shortened lightning premiership format. Gold Coast's introduction enforced a weekly bye for the AFL and the Suns were the first team to get it before making their AFL debut against Carlton at the Gabba. The Suns were thrashed by 119 points. But it wouldn't take long for the new club to annex it's first win - in round five at Football Park, Gold Coast upset Port Adelaide by 3 points after trailing by as much as 40 points late in the third quarter. The second win came just two rounds later in the first ever Q Clash against Brisbane at the Gabba - a Suns home game. Finally, Gold Coast played its first game at Carrara in round ten against Geelong. The Cats won by 66 points. The Suns would only win one more game for the season, over Richmond up in Cairns in round seventeen. They would stay in sixteenth place - until the last round when Port Adelaide knocked off Melbourne to deposit Gold Coast there instead for the wooden spoon in their debut season.
== 2012-2019 ==
The remainder of the decade was a strugle for the new club. In it's second season the Suns only avoided the wooden spoon because of West Sydney's admission to the competition and some form late in the season when they were heading for their second wooden spoon in a row. Things improved in 2013, especially when Gold Coast were within range of the finals in August thanks in part to Essendon being banned from the finals. But they ended up finishing fourteenth.
The form guide seemed to indicate an even better 2014 and maybe even a finals berth. Near the half way point of the season it seemed possible with a record of 7 wins and two losses, but then they stumbled to finish twelfth. That led to a coaching change that would end up harming the Suns. In 2015 they slumped to sixteenth and then in 2016 they finished 15th. In 2017 and 2018 they finished seventeenth before claiming an unwanted second wooden spoon in 2019.
== 2020 ==
A loss to Port Adelaide in the opening round before no fans didn't auger well for Gold Coast as it put them on the bottom of the ladder at the start. The season was suspended until June and then the Suns suddenly rattled off three wins on the trot to leap into the eight. But the Suns would only win two more games for the season as well as play a draw with Essendon. They finished the season in fourteenth place though - their best return since 2014.
== 2021 ==
After round two of the new season the Suns were in the eight thanks to a strong win over North Melbourne, but three losses in a row had them down the ladder. Two wins were followed by another three losses, including a thumping in Q Clash. A good win over Hawthorn led into the bye, but more losses and not enough wins had Gold Coast fumbling between fourteenth and sixteenth for the rest of the season, finishing sixteenth with a couple of beltings at the hands of Essendon and Sydney.
== 2022 ==
There was something about the Suns early in the season with two wins and two losses in the first four rounds, but the second win was over an in form Carlton. But three losses in a row had Gold Coast in familiar territory in the lower half of the ladder. A huge win over Fremantle just two weeks before they upset Melbourne again showed promise as did three wins around the mid season bye put them in eleventh place. But they fumbled between there and twelfth for the rest of the season, finishing twelfth in their equal best finish to date with 2014.
== 2023 ==
The new season began poorly with four losses in the first five games. Things did improve with five wins from the next seven games going into the mid season bye - and the Suns were in eleventh spot. After the bye however there were big losses to top sides over the next six games with only two wins. Then came an out of the box performance - a massive 41 point win in the Q Clash over the finals bound Brisbane. That however would be their last win for the season as four straight losses including a final round loss to North Melbourne left Gold Coast in fifteenth spot.
== Reserves ==
Upon it's elevation to the AFL, the Suns needed an arrangement for it's players that didn't make the senior team. The North East AFL happened to form this season, making for the ideal location. From then until 2019 the team didn't win a premiership, with it's best result being a preliminary final defeat in 2017. The team didn't play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Category:Australian FL clubs
Category:North East AFL clubs