Aussie Analysis: Gold Coast United - Money Doesn't Buy Happiness

If ever there was a football club that embodied the cliché 'Money doesn’t buy happiness' then Gold Coast United would be it.

Perhaps 'Money is the root of all evil' would be a step too far though for Clive Palmer’s suddenly embattled franchise, though it is clear that finance has been at the heart of the problems engulfing the new-boys.

It’s not that the Gold Coast don’t have money – they are, after all, backed by one of the richest men in Australia.

The problem instead appears to be that Palmer sees football as a business rather than a passion, an avenue through which he can increase his already sizeable wealth rather than satisfy some boyhood dream or romance with the sport.

He has admitted as much with the decision to cap crowds at 5,000 at Skilled Park in an attempt to save around $100,000 a game; a savvy business move perhaps but hardly the actions of a man motivated by a passion for the sport.

It is a situation not uncommon to even the world’s biggest football clubs.

Finding the balance between financial weight and genuine feeling within football’s powerbrokers is a fine line, one that has most recently been tread unsuccessfully by Liverpool and which will become more prevalent as clubs around the world seek to build empires overnight.

The A-League is no longer an exception to this rule; unfortunately for the competition’s latest victim of the global trend, the balance has not been struck.

One can excuse Palmer for not having fallen in love with the game within a matter of months; it is no secret that he had never previously shown a passion for the sport or contributed to its development.

This was a new frontier for the billionaire and perhaps it was expected that he would take time to find his feet in running a football club.

In order to do that though, he needed to in fact attempt to run it like a football club.

In many respects the line between football clubs and corporate entities have been blurred in recent years with the ridiculous amounts of money flowing into the sport but at their heart, even Chelsea and Manchester City must operate on a foundation of community relationships and programs.

Given the relative youth of the Gold Coast that task is made all the more difficult, given that club culture and identity must be built from scratch – it is a challenge though, that is faced by all A-League clubs.

After all, no matter how much is invested in players and private jets, it is the fans who will provide a return on the investment, whether they are considered as consumers of the club or its lifeblood.



In this respect, Palmer has failed in both a business and football sense.

Having spent a few weeks in the Gold Coast at the beginning of the year on holiday, the lack of advertising and engagement with the local community was, upon reflection, conspicuous.

The term arrogance has been widely used by analysts and fans regarding the attitude of the club’s hierarchy, who appear to have simply relied upon the return of Jason Culina and grandiose pre-season claims to build a fan-base.

Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that Culina is nowhere near a big enough name to attract such an interest on his own, particularly in a non-traditional football area.

Nor is the average fan discerning enough to distinguish between football styles and tactics, which would serve to explain the relative lack of interest despite the success of the side and the aesthetics of their play.

The battle for hearts and minds must be won off the field.

Arrogance is not the word to describe the actions and attitudes of the Gold Coast hierarchy, who clear expected the mere success and star value of the eleven men on the park to build a loyal fan-base.

Inexperience is a far more appropriate one.

Where in the business world the quality of a product might be enough to entice consumers to become loyal to a company, it is simply not the case in football.

It appears as though Palmer has simply failed to identify the ingredients required to build a club, namely the establishment of identity and community.

The decision to cap crowds if anything is an attempt to shift the blame onto locals for failing to follow the club.

What is required is an admittance of a lack of knowledge about the sport and the intricacies of fan-club relationships.

From there Palmer must surround himself with football people; those with experience in the game both on and off the pitch to lend their advice.

As it currently stands, there seems to be an absence of such influence at United.

It is only a matter of time before the same lack of experience in dealing with fans begins to translate its way into the dressing room, where there are already whispers about dissatisfaction at the club’s actions amongst the playing staff.

Chris Paraskevas, Goal.com

Get all the Australian football coverage you need on the Goal.com Australia homepage!