GCU target 20,000 supporters

You may well have heard that Gold Coast United owner Clive Palmer has finally reached out to the community and offered free entry to a one-off game, this Sunday 19th against Central Coast Mariners. What you may not be aware is how successful the event is turning out to be.

Five days before the clash, just over 11 000 tickets have already been allocated for the clash [edit. 14 500 as at 1pm, 15/12/10]. Categories 1 and 2 are sold out.

The Gold Coast United Supporters Club have gone on the offensive, and are targeting over 20k fans come kick-off at 4pm on Sunday.

The Twitter hash-tag of #GoGCUtarget20000 is being used to generate awareness of the match, and their Facebook group is also encouraging everyone to support the club by securing their free tickets.

This rallying behind the club is reminiscent of North Queensland Fury's push last year for the local community to sign a petition to Save the Fury. It worked to boost support in Townsville, with crowd numbers improving on last season. The Gold Coast campaign, like it's Fury equivalent has discovered as the season wares on, cannot rest on it's laurels, and there will need to be a continued push so that the club can reap the benefits of the goodwill created from this free event.

There must be a membership drive on the day, and there should be great discounts for those that sign up on the spot.

Gold Coast Supporters Group Secretary Terry Hands, is of a similar opinion.

"Support will only continue if real change occurs because of the free ticket interest. I support the stunt but want quality follow up initiatives to entice repeat business.

"The hype is great and has stirred an ailing supporter base" said Hands.

Tickets are available at the gate, assuming the 27,400 capacity of Skilled Park is not reached. However, to avoid the possibility of getting stuck in large queues at Robina, pre-book your tickets online via Ticketek.