Drastic restructure to Coast’s Premier League

FOOTBALL Gold Coast is set to confirm the local Premier League next year will grow to include two more teams.

After a survey of all FGC member clubs it was decided to ditch the eight-team structure that has run for a dozen years.

The winners and runnersup of Coast League 1 (second tier) will automatically be promoted and there will be a playoff between the bottom PL side and third-placed CL1 for the 10th and final spot.

There had been a strong push to create a super leaguetype competition, open to clubs willing to fork out $3000 each, but that will not happen.

FGC clubs were asked to give preferences over three options – stick with the eightteam format; go with the Super League; or expand to 10 teams.

Nine clubs put Super League as No.1 option but three others put it third.

It is understood that of the eight current PL clubs, three did not want Super League but five from CL1 did.

“There is a view that only clubs that could afford the $3000 entry would play Super League at the expense of the poorer clubs,” one critic said.

The one winner from the restructure could be Coomera, set to finish with the Premier League wooden spoon.

That would mean automatic relegation under the current system but now the Colts have a chance of survival by winning a divisional playoff.

“We’re doing this because the eight-team competition has been in for eight or so years and Coast League 1 is now at a point where it is extremely competitive,” FGC general manage Damien Bresic said.

If current Coast League 1 standings were used the clubs to be automatically promoted would be Tweed United (55 points) and Mudgeeraba (54), with the promotion playoff fought out between Runaway Bay (45), Southport (44), Nerang (44) and Merrimac (43).