The FFA took control of the side to nurse them through to their final match of the 2011/12 season – when they were beaten 2-1 by local rivals Brisbane Roar at Gold Coast’s Robina Stadium home ground.

Plagued by tiny crowds and their renegade mining tycoon owner over its three year existence, they went from finishing third on the ladder in their debut season to the wooden spoon in their final year.

It was a sad end for a club which launched with a star-studded squad full of promise.

Here are the players who started that day and what has happened to them since.

Jerrad Tyson

Goalkeeper Jerrad Tyson made his professional debut for Gold Coast United in a 2-1 defeat to North Queensland Fury halfway through the 2010/11 season.

The following year Tyson became United’s first choice keeper, replacing New Zealander Glen Moss between the sticks midway through the campaign.

Tyson made 14 appearances for United in the 2011/12 campaign but he couldn’t prevent his side from finishing bottom of the A-League, in a year where the club’s off field troubles overshadowed performances on the pitch. 

When United’s licence was revoked by Football Federation Australia in 2012, ending their existence, Tyson joined Western Sydney Wanderers where he made just one appearance in two years.

His chances were also limited at Perth Glory, where Tyson failed to make a single appearance in the 2015/16 season.

Tyson re-joined the Wanderers in 2016 and appeared to be nailing down a first team place. However, he has since lost the number one goalkeeper’s jersey to Croatian veteran Vedran Janjetović.

Dylan McGowan

Born into a Scottish family in Adelaide, McGowan started his career at SPL side Hearts where he made 56 appearances.

The versatile defender joined Gold Coast United on a season-long loan in the 2011/12 season before making his debut in a 1-1 against Wellington Phoenix.

McGowan went on to play 18 times for United in the club’s final season and was involved in all four of their victories that campaign.

In 2014 McGowan returned to the place of his birth when he joined Adelaide United on a two-year deal. 

Since then McGowan has become a key player for The Reds, who surprisingly lifted the A-League title last year. 

Zac Anderson

The giant defender joined the Gold Coast United youth set-up in 2009 and made his professional debut the same year in a 1-1 draw with Adelaide United.

Anderson played 12 times for United in their terminal season, in which he scored his only goal for the club against Perth Glory on March 18, 2012.

Later that year Anderson signed for the Central Coast Mariners, where he enjoyed the best spell of his career, making 67 appearances over three years. 

Anderson’s wasn’t so successful at his next club Sydney FC, however, after joining The Sky Blues in 2015.

He made just four appearances under Graham Arnold and has since moved on to Malaysian Super League side Kedah. Still only 25, who knows if he’ll return to the A-League.

Daniel Bowles

Not known for his goal-scoring abilities, defender Daniel Bowles will forever hold the bragging rights to Gold Coast United’s last ever goal. 

The Australian right-back opened the scoring with an accomplished finish to give his side the lead against Brisbane Roar on the final day of the regular season in 2012. United still went on to lose that game, however, after a last minute winner from Brisbane’s George Lambadaridis.

Bowles then moved to Adelaide, where he spent two years, before joining Roar at the start of the 2014/15 season.

On his debut, Bowles helped Brisbane record a resounding 4-0 victory over Newcastle Jets and he quickly became an important member of the first team squad.

However, a serious knee injury sustained against Melbourne City last month has ruled the defender out for the rest of the season and it’s unclear when he’ll return. 

Michael Thwaite

Former Australian international Michael Thwaite is currently without a club after making 183 A-League appearances over an eight year period.

Born in Brisbane, Thwaite made his A-League debut for Melbourne Victory at the age of 25, after signing for the Australian side on a season-long loan from Norwegian outfit SK Brann.

Thwaite signed permanently for Gold Coast United in 2009 and instantly became a pivotal defensive figure, as United recorded back-to-back top four finishes in the league.

Both times Thwaite was named Gold Coast’s player of the season and his performances earned him 13 caps for the national side - the last of which came in 2013.

After Gold Coast’s disappearance, Thwaite spent four successful years at Perth Glory before signing for Chinese Super League side Liaoning FC in 2016.

He was released earlier this year along with Australian compatriot Dario Vidošić.

Adama Traoré

The pacey wide man is currently on course for his third successive league title with Swiss powerhouses Basel.

Traore played 67 times for Gold Coast United between 2009 and 2012 after arriving from his native country Ivory Coast - who he has five international caps for.

He stayed in Australia after Gold Coast’s demise, spending two fruitful years at Melbourne Victory, where he was awarded the club’s player of the year after the 2013/14 campaign.

That wasn’t enough to keep Traoré at Victory, though, as the Ivorian was quickly snapped up by Vitória de Guimarães in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

Now 27, Traore has continued to improve at Basel, who he joined in 2015. The Swiss giants are 16 points clear at the top of the league and are comfortably on track for their eighth consecutive title – Traore’s third. 

Peter Jungschläger

Dutch midfielder Peter Jungschläger spent just one year in Australia, making 22 appearances for Gold Coast United in the club’s final year.

Often deployed as a holding midfielder, Jungschläger came though the youth academy at Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag before making the step up to the first team in 2005.

Jungschläger stayed in the Netherlands for the next six years, with his best spell coming at De Graafschap where he played 83 times.

In 2011 he joined Gold Coast on a permanent deal, though his stay in the A-League didn’t last long.

While at Gold Coast, Jungschläger did score two rare goals in a three games spell against Melbourne Heart and Melbourne Victory. Unfortunately, United still lost both games.

Jungschläger moved back to the Netherlands at the end of the 2011/12 season, signing for RKC Waalwijk. He is currently playing for SVV Scheveningen in the Dutch fourth tier.

Josh Brillante

Midfield workhorse Josh Brillante has emerged as a pivotal player for table-topping Sydney FC this season. Yet, just five years ago he was scrapping at the bottom of the A-League with a side on the brink of extinction.

Brillante made his debut for Gold Coast United at the age of 17 in a 2-1 defeat to North Queensland Fury.

In United’s final season, the Aussie enforcer featured just 12 times and was only involved in one of the team’s four victories that campaign.

In 2012 Brillante joined the Newcastle Jets where he was awarded the club’s player of the year award for the 2013/14 season. Brillante also earned a call-up to the Socceroos’ provisional 2014 World Cup squad.

The Aussie battler then made the switch to Italy, but his opportunities at Serie A giants Fiorentina were limited.

That prompted a move back to Australia at the start of this season. Since then Brillante has missed just two league games for Sydney and has rapidly become one of the Sky Blues’ most important players.

Jake Barker-Daish

Once a promising youngster, the career of midfielder Jake Barker-Daish appears to have stalled a little over the last few years.

After two seasons in the A-League with Gold Coast United and Adelaide United, Barker-Daish took a step down to the National Premier Leagues Victoria, signing for South Melbourne FC before switching to Richmond Soccer Club a year later. 

Following Richmond’s relegation from the National Premier League, Barker-Danish joined Melbourne Knights FC at the start of this year.

Still only 23, the midfielder has time to make it back to the top and his performances in the next few years will determine how far he goes.

James Brown

After a career blighted by injuries, 27-year-old James Brown is now plying his trade in Division 2 of the National Premier League Victoria, with new club Nunawading City.

Brown signed for Gold Coast United in December 2008 but had to wait almost a year to make his debut after breaking his right fibula in training.

He gradually worked his way into the first team and was one of Gold Coast’s standout players in their forgettable 2011/12 campaign - in which Brown made 17 appearances and scored six goals.

The attacking player-maker then moved to Newcastle Jets where, despite more spells on the treatment table, he featured 28 times.

Brown was handed another lifeline when he was signed by Melbourne City at the start of the 2014/15 season. He made an immediate impact, scoring an 81st minute winner in City’s 1-0 away win at Sydney FC in March 2015.

However, a serious foot injury weeks later kept Brown sidelined for the next 11 months. When he returned to action he made just one league appearance for City from the bench.

Maceo Rigters

Striker Maceo Rigters scored just four goals in 22 games in his only season at Gold Coast United. Maybe that explains why they finished bottom of the table with the second lowest goals tally.  

Gold Coast was Rigters last professional club after fruitless spells with Heerenveen and NAC Breda in the Dutch Eredivisie.

In 2007 the forward tried his luck in England with Blackburn Rovers, however he played just 14 minutes in the Premier League despite spending four years at the club.

Rigters failed to score on loan at Norwich City or Barnsley in the English Championship before he moved to Gold Coast in 2011.

He finished his career at amatuer side ZSGO in the Netherlands before retiring in 2014.

Mike Mulvey (Manager)

Well-travelled coach Mike Mulvey is currently managing Malaysia Premier League side Terengganu.

The Englishman began his managerial career at Gold Coast United, stepping up from assistant to caretaker manager at the end of the 2011/12 season when Head Coach Miron Bleiberg left the club.

Mulvey guided Brisbane Roar to the A-League title in 2014 but a slow start to the following campaign cost him his job.

A few months later Mulvey was appointed head coach at Malaysian side Sabah FA, however he stayed for just one season.

Mulvey was then named assistant manager at Terengganu in 2016 but has since been promoted to first team manager after the club put head coach Ahmad Yusof “on leave.”

Clive Palmer (former owner)

Palmer ran United when the mining industry was at its peak and was also the main shirt sponsor of fellow expansion club North Queensland Fury.

He launched the club in a blaze of glory, promising to win the title in their debut season with a star-studden squad.

But despite a promising start which saw them finish third, his patience with the sport soon ran out when it tested his wallet and crowds continued to stay away.

To cut costs he famously closed half the stadium and sparked his ongoing dispute with the FFA which ultimately led to him losing his licence.

During the fallout, he insisted then coach Miron Bleiberg appoint 17 year old Mitch Cooper as club captain...which subsequently led to Bleiberg's exit from the club.

When he tried to team up with fellow mining tycoon and then-Newcastle Jets boss Nathan Tinkler against the FFA, it proved the final straw for and the FFA soon reclaimed ownership of the side.

Since then Palmer was elected to Parliament...only to see his party crumble around him. Likewise his mining concerns have dwindled during the resources crash, including the closure of his Queensland Nickel company in controversial circumstances.

He now mainly writes odd poetry on Twitter.