City at home in Broady

GOLD Coast City will move into Dolphin territory and play home games at Nikiforides Family Park in Broadbeach if they are part of the 2018 NPL Queensland competition.

The future of City continuing on in the NPLQ will be known within a fortnight as Football Queensland decide between two local consortiums vying to take up the licence surrendered last month by Palm Beach Soccer Club. FQ chief executive officer Geoff Foster confirmed that licence application forms had been sent to two Coast interests – one to the Gold Coast Knights, the other to a group comprising people who have had an association with the Palm Beach Soccer Club.

Both parties replied to the licence applications yesterday and now FQ, through Foster and new operations manager Richard Griffiths, will sift through the bids before making a recommendation. But if City are successful they will be based at the home ground of Coast Premier League powers Broadbeach United, one block from the ocean.

The Knights, reigning Coast premier League champions, plan to play out of the Croatian Sports Centre at Carrara.

Spokesman Jason Buchanan (pictured), formerly City’s technical director, said an agreement had been struck with Broadbeach United to use their ground next season.

“There is no financial backing from Broadbeach but we have an agreement to play home games there,” Buchanan said.

Given that Palm Beach forfeited their NPLQ licence after five years – which included the 2014 premiership-grand final double and two Westfield FFA Cup quarter-final appearances – doubts linger over the ability of the City group to bankroll the operation moving forward. “We’ve been working hard behind the scenes and have already secured a significant amount of sponsorships – and we’re hoping for more,” Buchanan said.

“We are in advanced talks with a major investor.”

FQ could well pull a rabbit out of the hat by handing both the Knights and City consortiums licences to join Gold Coast United in the NPLQ.

Or the governing body could have one or both in the second-tier Queensland Premier League. Meanwhile, both the Knights and City have sounded out Grae Piddick for the head coaching role.

Piddick, who is waiting for the dust to settle on the licence race, is favourite to land the role at either club given his incredible success with City over the years.