Gold Coast Suns FC (AFL)

What Gold Coast Suns FC (AFL) does

Gold Coast Football Club Limited, trading as Gold Coast Suns (and historically GC17), is a privately held professional Australian rules football club founded in 2009 and domiciled in Queensland, Australia, operating under licence from the Australian Football League (AFL). The club fields five competitive teams — men's AFL, women's AFLW, men's VFL, a wheelchair team, and the StreetSmarts SUNS Academy (U13–U18) — and plays its home matches at People First Stadium in Carrara. It is governed and ultimately owned through the AFL rather than by private shareholders, in line with the broader 18-club league structure.

The club's commercial offering comprises an annual membership program across AFL, AFLW, and VFL tiers (AFLW entry-level from $50 to $70 for 2024), match-day ticketing via Ticketek, corporate hospitality packages at People First Stadium, the SUNS Lunch annual corporate fundraiser, the SUNS Footy Fan Fest season-launch event, and an official merchandise storefront (online and match-day). Distribution extends to a physical retail partnership with Harbour Town Premium Outlets, and fan/engagement channels span a Telstra-built official website, official iOS and Android apps, and active presence on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Community programs — SUNS in Schools, Junior Draft, Wadeye, and the My Story. Our Story campaign — function as both social impact initiatives and downstream membership/participation funnels.

Operationally, the club has recorded five consecutive years of membership growth (26,157 members in 2024), reported 45,000+ community volunteering hours over nine years and an average $38M annual contribution to the local economy, and is in the midst of its strongest on-field period since founding, including a maiden AFL finals berth, a club-record 95-point win, and a second Brownlow Medallist in 2025. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the AFL central revenue model, membership, hospitality, merchandise, and ticketing are the implied primary revenue lines.

Name

Gold Coast Suns FC (AFL)

Legal name

Gold Coast Football Club Limited

Website

https://goldcoastfc.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Gold Coast Suns is a privately held AFL club operating men's AFL, AFLW, VFL, wheelchair, and academy teams from People First Stadium in Queensland, Australia, generating revenue through memberships, ticketing, corporate hospitality, and merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gold Coast

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gold Coast Suns FC is a professional Australian rules football club that fields elite men's AFL, women's AFLW, men's VFL, and wheelchair football teams, and runs a junior talent development academy. The club monetises its teams and brand through annual memberships, match-day ticketing via Ticketek, corporate hospitality packages at People First Stadium, official merchandise sales, and community engagement programs. It operates as a member club of the AFL and is governed and effectively owned by the AFL and its peer clubs.

Product overview

Gold Coast Suns FC operates as a multi-team AFL club offering elite football across men's AFL, women's AFLW, men's VFL, wheelchair football, and a talent development academy. The club's product portfolio centers on its competitive football teams (AFL, AFLW, VFL, Wheelchair) and the StreetSmarts SUNS Academy for junior player development. Revenue-generating offerings include membership programs with tiered access, corporate hospitality packages at People First Stadium, official merchandise through the SUNS Shop, and community programs. The club also hosts signature events like SUNS Lunch (corporate luncheon) and SUNS Footy Fan Fest (season launch event) that engage fans and generate commercial returns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SUNS Academy: The club's talent identification and development academy for young footballers from the Gold Coast region, including U13, U14, U15, and U18 squads.
• SUNS AFLW
• SUNS VFL
• SUNS Wheelchair
• People First Stadium

Products and services

• Gold Coast SUNS AFL Team
• Gold Coast SUNS AFLW Team
• Gold Coast SUNS VFL Team
• StreetSmarts SUNS Academy
• SUNS Wheelchair Team
• Membership Programs
• Corporate Hospitality
• SUNS Merchandise
• SUNS Lunch
• SUNS Footy Fan Fest

Quantifiable outcome

• 26,157 members in 2024 - fifth consecutive record year
• +5 more outcomes

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Western Bulldogs: AFL club of similar commercial scale competing in the same premiership; useful benchmark for membership growth trajectories in a competitive Melbourne-adjacent market.
• GWS Giants: The other AFL expansion club with a near-identical profile: non-Victorian, AFL-owned, building membership and commercial base in a newer market, with academy-driven talent development.
• Port Adelaide Power: South Australian AFL club operating outside the Victorian heartland, providing a comparable model for non-Victorian membership economics, sponsorship, and stadium-based match-day revenue.
• Carlton Blues: Foundation AFL club with large traditional membership base and significant commercial partnerships; comparable operating model and revenue mix in the same competition.
• Sydney Swans: Non-Victorian AFL club that successfully built a major-market presence outside Melbourne; relevant benchmark for how the Suns can scale commercial revenue in a non-traditional AFL geography.
• North Melbourne Kangaroos: AFL club operating in a constrained market footprint with AFL-aligned governance inputs; comparable to Suns in terms of structural commercial limitations and reliance on league distributions.
• Essendon Bombers: Established Victorian AFL club directly comparable across team operations, AFL/AFLW fielding, academy structures, and corporate hospitality revenue streams.
• Richmond Tigers: AFL premiership club from which Damien Hardwick departed after winning three flags; the most directly comparable benchmark for what sustained on-field success under the same coach could deliver to the Suns.
• Hawthorn Hawks: Established Melbourne AFL club where Hardwick won his first premiership as coach; provides a benchmark for AFL club scale, membership economics, and commercial maturity the Suns aspires to.
• Brisbane Lions: Queensland-based AFL club competing in the same premiership season; the most direct geographic and competitive peer for the Suns, sharing the Queensland market for members, sponsors, and corporate hospitality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/goldcoastsuns
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GoldCoastFC
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoldCoastFC
• Instagraminstagram.com/gcsuns
• TikToktiktok.com/@gcsuns

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gold Coast Suns FC (AFL)