In a stunning PR coup, club owner Clive Palmer offered free tickets to all fans for Sunday’s top six clash between United and in-form Central Coast.

As of this morning, just over 14,000 expressions of interest have been registered. And with three full days to go, there now appears every chance the club will hit the magic 20,000 figure.

Sunday’s clash could even sell-out which is why Gold Coast United CEO Clive Mensink is urging all prospective fans to secure their seat.

“If the planets are aligned it’s always possible [for a sell-out] but we’ve got to be realistic," said Mensink. "Originally we thought we’d get 10,000, now 20,000 is a real target.

“Football is strong on the Gold Coast so it’s just a matter of getting them there to support the team.”

Mensink denied the game was a defining moment in the history of the club – a turning point as some have suggested.

“It’s just a moment to show  our appreciation to Frank Lowy and his World Cup bid team," he insisted.

"And it’s an opportunity to provide the Gold Coast community who have been doing it tough with an early Christmas present.”

For a club whose crowds started out at modest numbers last season – their first in the A-League - and have since slumped to alarming lows (under 2000 for last weekend’s turgid encounter with Phoenix) , it represents a stunning turnaround.

However, the key is how to retain a large number of these fans. Fortunately the club has confirmed they will put in place a promotional offer for upcoming games.

And there will be surveys on Sunday to better understand what the Gold Coast fanbase want from their A-League franchise.

“It is important,” he said of the survey. “We hear about ticket prices but they were dropped last year and there were no changes at all to crowd numbers.

"We just have to find out the real reason other than the weather which has been pretty foul in south-east Queensland.”

If you want a free ticket to enter the stadium, head to Gold Coast United’s official club website which has a link to Ticketek, or just head to a Ticketek office.