The Gold Coast Football Club will officially join the competition in 2011 after the AFL Commission granted them the 17th team licence today on the agreement of funding for the redevelopment of Carrara Stadium.
The news has been boosted by the announcement that the Queensland Government had agreed to contribute $60 million towards the redevelopment of the stadium, while the Gold Coast City Council will contribute $20 million, as well as transfer the land ownership for the stadium redevelopment to the Queensland Government. This will be added to the AFL’s $10 million contribution.
The commission made their decision after a careful deliberation and but are happy with the push for AFL into the northern states.
“It is not a decision that the Commission has made lightly and it has been made after a long period of investment in Queensland and a rigorous process over the past two years in which the Gold Coast football, business and wider communities have made clear their support for and ability to sustain an AFL team,” said AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick.
AFL boss Andrew Demetriou said the stadium redevelopment would help benefit the community greatly by creating around 350 construction jobs, while the Gold Coast Football Club would create approximately 440 jobs.
In other Gold Coast news, the club has unveiled its first ever guernsey (pictured). The team will wear the bright yellow guernsey under the bright lights at Gold Coast Stadium when they take on TAC Cup side the Eastern Ranges on Saturday night.
