PAIN AND GAIN

Exclusive: Stick to it where Suns don’t shine... Shanghai

Gold Coast Suns chairman Tony Cochrane admits the club is weighing up staying involved in the AFL’s annual Chinese adventure. But he vows huge exposure for the city from the match in Shanghai will be a key factor when the board makes its final call. The Gold Coast lost the weekend clash with Port Adelaide but the offfield performance is being hailed.

THE Gold Coast Suns boss vows the huge exposure for the city from its annual clash in China will be a key factor as the club weighs up staying in that game.

The Suns lost 82-42 to the Port Adelaide Power in a fixture in Shanghai at the weekend but the city’s offfield performance is being hailed by Coast leaders.

Gold Coast Tourism bosses, Study Gold Coast and Federal Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Steve Ciobo were in a delegation leveraging the footy to boost city profile.

Suns chairman Tony Cochrane, speaking from Shanghai yesterday, said the club board’s next meeting in June would weigh up deciding to stay involved.

“We won’t make a decision on returning to China until then,” he said.

The match is preceded by days of build-up events and broadcast to 10-20 million thanks to AFL deals with Shanghai TV, Shaing TV and Guangzhou TV.

The Suns also reportedly earn a $300,000-$400,000 payday from playing the China match, selling off what is a home game.

But the club has to consider the impact on players from the long-haul trip and loss of a Metricon Stadium home game as it continues to build its fan base.

“It’s a huge effort to move 100-plus people over for it, 18 hours flying the playing group out of their normal environment – there is a lot more to consider than just dollars and cents,” Mr Cochrane said.

The outcome of negotiations with State Government on the club’s expensive long-term lease of Metricon would play a key role in the final call, he added: “It’s a showcase opportunity for the Gold Coast and that weighs heavily in our decision making because sometimes you have to do those things to cement your place in the community,” he said.

“But it is a very successful trip financially. It’s so costly to run home games at our stadium so it’s very beneficial to sell off games.”

AFL head of expansion into China and India David Stevenson has committed to giving the Suns and Power first option of continuing their international rivalry after the latter won the first China clash at Shanghai’s Jiangwan Stadium last year. But Victorian footy clubs are gagging to be involved.

Suns CEO Mark Evans last week said the club needed to make sure all its partners saw value in the offshore game to continue.

Mr Cochrane said Port Adelaide took on any financial risk and the Suns were paid a healthy fee for giving up a home game.

The Suns’ China payday contrasts with understood losses of several hundred thousand for each home game due to its expensive stadium hiring agreement.

Mr Ciobo said the fixture was a top showcase for the city, Queensland and Australia: “It provides an entree for discussion, business links and promotes the destination. The parochial side of me would love it to remain with Gold Coast.”

Gold Coast Tourism chair Paul Donovan said it “wasn’t just a football game – I’ve had the best engagement on this trip than in my whole time coming here.”

Gold Coast Tourism CEO Martin Winter: “Opportunities to make cutthrough in China are so difficult given it is such a huge market. Anything we can do to get broader coverage is highly valuable.”