Gold Coast United are urging fans to turn up to their final two homes games of the season as the club fights for its Hyundai A-League future.
Gold Coast United are urging fans to turn up to their final two homes games of the season as the club fights for its Hyundai A-League future.
The removal of owner Clive Palmer’s licence by Football Federation Australia last Wednesday has left the club’s future – and those of the staff and players – in jeopardy once the current season comes to an end.
Coach Mike Mulvey hopes the realisation that A-League football may not be played on the coast next season will spur fans into action and reverse the poor attendances at Skilled Park.
Gold Coast have an away trip to Newcastle this Friday followed by home matches against Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar.
“We’ve played two games in the last couple of years where gates were free and there were 12,000 people there,” said Mulvey.
“Obviously it’s not going to be free admission but the point is the people of the Gold Coast have now got an opportunity to show whether they want a team on the Gold Coast or not.
“We’ve got three games left, two of them at home and the answer will be I think in the way that they turn out to support those games.”
Mulvey believes the talent is there to make Gold Coast a success again and highlighted the valuable experience his young players got in their 2-0 loss to a Wellington Phoenix side stacked with experience.
“It’s a test because the team is bottom of the table but we’ve got a fresh start basically in the last three weeks,” Mulvey said.
“If you can get the performance we got there but add a little bit more quality to it, the future is very bright.
“I’ve been involved with a lot of these kids, bringing them through for about the last five years. If you think of the experience they get for coming and playing here (against Wellington), if you get that and bottle it and you can keep it together there is a future.
“If you give that up (by losing the club) and they just go off to all parts of the globe it’s lost. They’ve got to start that again somewhere else.
He continued: “There is something special here, now, that needs to be nurtured. It needs to be added too with one or two experienced players.”
“I’m telling you this team can go places. There is no doubt about that in my mind. The Gold Coast deserves a club.
“The fans on the Gold Coast might not come out in their numbers at the moment but I’m telling you they are there.”
