Gold Coast SUNS Chairman Tony Cochrane has issued the following statement.

“The Gold Coast SUNS treat the role we play throughout our community extremely seriously. 

Over the last eight years our Club and our players have committed to more than 40,000 community volunteering hours with a strong focus on key social projects tackling domestic violence, youth homelessness, indigenous sport and regional needs. It isn’t tick-a-box community. It is authentic engagement with our community that has backed us, it is giving back to a community that supports us.

We have worked hard to promote the growth of AFL, with participation in junior football, the women’s game and Auskick programs up 82% overall. And we maintain strong community engagement to promote diversity, indigenous programs and multiculturalism.

Let me make it clear, we are going nowhere. The Gold Coast SUNS are entrenched on the Coast and we are here for the long term. Every day we are strengthening our relationship with the Gold Coast community which enables more people to fall in love with our game.

Comments made by the Sports Minister in the Courier Mail yesterday were harmful and disrespectful to both the Gold Coast SUNS and our community.

Our community values sport, this was on show for everyone to see during the Commonwealth Games and highlights these comments are at odds with how this community feels about sport, and its contribution to our Australian way of life. 

Most people in government understand that investment in community activities such as sport have wide ranging social and economic benefits. We are certain that the Minister wasn’t suggesting only “current winners” are funded

All sports are saying the stadium costs facing teams in Queensland are an issue and we are pleased that the Premier has called for change.

We have a number of solutions to these issues, most at zero cost to the Government and it’s disappointing that after three and a half years and many reviews we are still in this position with no clear resolution from Stadiums Queensland.

We look forward to working with the Government in a bid to ease the burden of stadium costs for sports in Queensland, particularly in regional Australia.”