THIS week I got in touch with a couple of senior executives at Gold Coast United.

As I write, the core GCU office team is in the process of moving into their new administration HQ near the Gold Coast City Council chambers in Bundall. I am told the views of nearby Surfers Paradise are superb and "very Gold Coast" (see the pic link below if you do not know the area).

I first had a chat with Andrew Doak, who is GC United's Marketing and Membership Manager. It was reassuring to hear his thoughts about what the team will mean to ordinary people in this part of the world.

He spoke about how much the Gold Coast has changed in recent years, and said that a round ball team will help people abandon old stereotypes that still inform public perceptions of the region. Doak said "promoting parochialism" was a great way to get people feeling good about where they come from, and thereby build a dynamic sense of community. I've never heard the word "parochialism" used in such a positive sense – the man obviously understands football!

I also had an email chat with Neil Favager, the GCU Media and Communications Manager. Understandably, Neil was cautious about releasing too much information at this stage. But the professionalism with which he responded to my enquiries speaks volumes for the team Clive Palmer is assembling. For example, here's Neil talking about the upcoming wave of public relations exercises:

"Timelines have been drafted for release of all significant information like logo, colours, etc. The important consideration for us is strategic timing as these announcements have to work in conjunction with other activity and produce maximum impact. We fully understand that our fans and the general public are hungry for information about the club, but if we were to make all those announcements now we would seriously impinge our potential cut-through when we need it most. It is vital to build our publicity and marketing strategically and that means a coordinated approach with a continual string of announcements, each one underpinning the previous one and building excitement. An ad hoc approach simply doesn't work and will not provide the traction we need."

North Queensland staffers, please take note! This is how you run a real, modern, successful, top-level soccer team! And yet while Gold Coast United are clearly focussed on building the local team, they are also conscious of building a brand both nationally and internationally:

"Qualification for the Asian Champions League is high on our agenda and this will further broaden the horizons of sport on the Coast and deliver another aspect to traditional football support for fans and sport lovers alike. That global appeal and access is one of the major points of difference we can provide to sport in the region and our aim is to capitalize on that."

Exactly! Forget the Titans! Forget GC17! This is the world game, this is the beautiful game, and a successful Gold Coast team can not only pull in a whole new local demographic, but also reach out to a global audience, including people who might be enticed to visit the Gold Coast just to watch a game. Plus you can generate lucrative local business support from people who see the broader advantages of association with your team. The business plan is rock solid.

But that doesn't mean the local community is forgotten. Neil says GC Utd will be interacting with grass-roots clubs on the Coast to evaluate their needs, and providing some much-needed impetus to juniors as the pinnacle of the local football pyramid. But it's early days yet, and Clive Palmer won't be throwing his money around. The aim is to "assist local clubs and raise standards across the board". Again, you can hear echoes of Clive Palmer's more personalized statements here:

"We will be working closely with both Football Queensland and Gold Coast Soccer to establish a role for each organization within a framework that will provide sustainable growth for the code on the Gold Coast... We are a new club and cannot do everything right away, but again rest assured that we take our responsibility in that area very seriously."

Neil confirmed that a reported deal to use The Southport School as a training venue should soon be finalised. TSS (as it's known up here) is perhaps the most prestigious private school on the Coast, occupying some prime waterfront real estate just a few minutes from Surfers (to the east) and the new GCU administration offices (to the south). They have excellent training facilities, including a heated 12 lane Olympic size swimming pool, three indoor basketball courts, physiotherapy rooms and medical facilities (the pic link below shows an aerial view).

Finally, I hit Neil with a question about what the new Gold Coast team would mean to locals. His answer was very much in line with his colleagues' thoughts:

"Mr Palmer has repeatedly said that the Gold Coast is more than a great place to visit and is in fact a fantastic place to live and prosper. He's right of course and part of our aim is to drive that message home. Having another professional sporting club, and one that is able to take the appeal of the Gold Coast to all corners of the world, will give local people an entity they can attach to emotionally and hopefully be proud of – something they can call their own rather than having to adopt teams from other areas or cities. A successful sporting image will most definitely help to reshape both internal and external perceptions of the Gold Coast and generate an additional layer of local pride."

Local pride? Sounds good to me. And so does the confident, professional attitude of these key local players. Go Gold Coast 2009!

NOTES:

1. For interested non-locals, here's a good pic of The Southport School grounds where GCU will be training, with Surfers in the background and Bundall off to the right.

2. GCU currently have managers in place for Commercial, Media, Marketing, Finance, Ticketing & Membership. There's not much in the way of junior staff just yet – various Clive Palmer employees are providing added support as needed till more people come on board next year.

3. Marketing agencies have already been contracted for the launch and rollout. More public activity is scheduled from January onwards next year.

4. For those who might be wondering, yes - Mr Palmer The Billionaire does supply his staff with free coffee. It's necessary for the late nights.

5. In other news, Smeltz will miss the opening game against Beijing Guoan FC if he is away in South Africa with New Zealand at the Confederations Cup. And Bleiberg next week jets off to Brazil, England and Holland to watch players, including Joel Porter at Hartlepool. I'm sure he'll find time for a chat with Culina while he's there. He might even have a contract to sign!