AFTER a record low crowd of just 4,209 against the Nix, the issue of poor attendance at Gold Coast United home games has become impossible to ignore.

But there's still no reason to panic. The quality of games being played at Skilled Park remains far more important than the crowds they attract.

While general concerns about the growth of the A-League are justified, people need to understand that Gold Coast's situation with respect to crowds is unique. Clive Palmer is a billionaire who can afford to lose tens of thousands hand over fist every week. Whether he is happy to do so is another question entirely, but so far the big guy's enthusiasm for his "new toy" shows no sign of abating.

In fact, he seems like a bloke who would cheerfully underwrite financial losses till the day he dies, rather than accept defeat on a business venture. Obviously, accepting losses on the pitch doesn't go down too well with him either!

Palmer's own company is the club's major sponsor, so there's no worry about losing revenue there. In fact, bringing in another big sponsor could arguably be an option for new revenue growth, if desired. And by the way, never mind the rest of the stadium, there do seem to be quite a few bums on seats in those corporate boxes at Robina.

Selling players would be another viable option for financial returns, given that most of Miron Bleiberg's squad have seen their market value increase since signing contracts. But again, there's no indication that Clive is ready to let anyone go. In short, the lack of home crowds clearly does not threaten any kind of financial disaster for the club.

More importantly, disappointing Gold Coast crowds do not pose a financial threat to the FFA either. The new franchise is still a money-maker as far as the FFA is concerned, and clearly a hit with football-loving fans around the nation.

The lack of home support has been subsidized by the interest Miron's new, star-studded squad attract whenever they play away. While United have only averaged 5,936 fans at home, their away average is 11,276. That's a total average of 8,606, which is not too shabby considering (a) Gold Coast still haven't played in Sydney or Melbourne, and (b) all clubs have been battling the NRL and AFL for media attention to date.

Locally, both the Titans and the Broncos made the NRL finals this year, while a new AFL team (ridiculously called "Gold Coast Football Club") has also been making waves around Surfers. So barring another drastic plummeting of the global economy, crowds at Skilled Park should begin picking up steadily from now on.

But in any case, disappointing crowds are just a short-to-medium-term problem. The more important long-term issue at Skilled Park today is not the attendance figures but the quality of play. Gold Coast United have been marketed as the new "Bling" team and they need to live up to that hype if they are going to build a lasting and committed fan-base in the region.

A potential fan who forks out good money to watch a boring A-League game will not be rushing back next week. A sports fan who wastes 90 minutes of his life watching a drab A-League game will flick channels next time he sees a game being broadcast. As Miron and Clive insisted at the team's official launch way back in February, there's no point focusing on building crowds if you do not have a product worth selling.

Miron has put together a fantastic squad, and Clive has bankrolled it. Now it's up to the players to do the business on the pitch. If Culina, Smeltz, Porter and company can produce quality football week after week, win, lose or draw, the crowds that do come will keep coming back.

As Kevin Costner might say, "if you build it, they will come". Keep the dream alive, boys.