Thinking outside of the box to grow fans

GOLD Coast Suns are looking beyond Queensland borders to try to enlist new fans.

The club have partnered with Melbourne grassroots side the Whitehorse Colts – playing in the Yarra Junior Football League – who will rebrand to the Whitehorse Suns and have their senior women’s team sport the red and gold guernsey this season.

Whitehorse head of women’s football Richard Kann believes the partnership will benefit both clubs.

“We’ve got some mutual friends between the two clubs who have helped develop the relationship,” he said.

“The Gold Coast were looking to broaden their supporter base and try to help grow footy with boys and girls across the country.

“It’s all about giving our kids a chance to aspire to another level by being under the umbrella of the Gold Coast Suns family.”

Kann said that as part of the partnership his junior coaches would have the chance to be mentored by Suns staff when the AFL club was in Melbourne and that their women’s players would be considered by the Suns’ looming AFLW side.

Kann stressed Whitehorse wasn’t receiving any compensation for their alliance and that a lot of the initiatives would be at their own expense.

“We won’t get any financial reward from the Gold Coast,” Kann said.

“Everyone is going to think that Gold Coast is giving us money but it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Kann also hopes to facilitate a cross-city playoff as part of the relationship which would see one of Whitehorse’s junior sides travel to the Gold Coast and play a local team and vice versa.

After being involved in junior football for 16 years, Kann believes the Suns’ commitment to communities around Australia should be the blueprint for other sporting sides.