FOOTBALL ‘UTOPIA’
FOOTBALL Gold Coast will forge ahead with plans to build an administrative and training “utopia” at Emerald Lakes, regardless of the result of Saturday’s federal election.
A dream years in the making moved a step closer to fruition on Saturday after a key funding pledge.
FOOTBALL Gold Coast will forge ahead with plans to build an administrative and training “utopia” at Emerald Lakes, regardless of the result of Saturday’s federal election.
A dream half a decade in the making moved a step closer to fruition on Saturday when Labor pledged $550,000 of federal funding – if Bill Shorten is elected to power – towards a multimillion-dollar development that would give FGC a permanent home.
The 13.79ha site on NerangBroadbeach Rd at Carrara, which has been granted to the governing body by Gold Coast City Council, would be house an administration headquarters, at least one full-sized field and up to six synthetic five-a-side fields.
FGC, which leases offices at Nerang, will also contribute $450,000 of its own money to stage one of the project.
FGC general manager Damien Bresic (pictured) said making the plan a reality would cost “in the vicinity of $10 million” but the finished product would depend on funding from various parties.
Either way, the development will come to life.
“I don’t think (Labor losing the election) would put an end to it, I just think the scale of what we do in stage one is downsized, that’s all. If the Liberals retain power we will go to them and say: ‘Labor have made this promise to us, are you prepared to do the same thing?’,” Bresic said.
“We approached both parties (previously), one came to the fore and one didn’t. This $550,000 helps a lot more (but) if I don’t have it, my admin building all of a sudden becomes a little bit smaller and maybe you just top-dress the field and don’t have lights.
“In an ideal world, that field could host our finals or our bigger games, like these FFA Cup games (coming up). We could have a clubhouse/conference rooms along the lines of a Southport Sharks.
“I’d like to envisage we would be in there in the next 18 months to two years. In our current office we’ve got a twoyear lease, which we’re five months into, so I’m hoping I won’t be signing a new lease.”
Bresic said the five-a-side facilities would help establish a “second income stream” for FGC, while an Emerald Lakes steering committee has also been set up for the project.
“Ninety per cent of our income comes from registration fees so if we want to do something extra, our fees have to go up. But if we’ve got our own venue which we can lease out or hire out … it’s actually benefiting the clubs,” he said.