Titanic task to win over youngsters will pay off
GOLD Coast Titans co-owner Darryl Kelly says committing extra funding to develop the region’s best talent was a nobrainer for the club’s owners.
The Kelly and Frizelle families, who took over ownership from the NRL late last year, are committed to being a community-based club.
That extends to player signings, with Kelly saying the owners wanted to ensure the best talent stayed on the Coast.
“The whole philosophy behind our ownership is to make it a community asset and we can’t see that happening if we’re not engaged with our juniors and developing our junior players,” Kelly said.
“You’re never going to keep all the players developed by the Coast on the Coast unfortunately, it’s just the system we work in where you’ve got to try to pick winners and identify players at a very young age which is not an easy job to do.”
But the increased investment and revamped junior systems will make not only better footballers, but better citizens for the Gold Coast, Kelly said.
“It’s not only concentrating on football skills, our programs are about improving the individual as an individual and hopefully those that don’t make it will be better people for the community.”
And the club wants all junior players on the Coast to want to become a Titan.
“We think it’d be recognition of the efforts we’re putting in if every player that plays on the Coast considers themselves a Titan. That’s certainly what we’re aiming to do.”