The Gold Coast SUNS have set a new membership record of 21,422 members in 2022.

It is the third-year straight the club has eclipsed its membership record, with 84% growth since 2017.

SUNS Chief Executive Mark Evans spoke of the impact the club was having in its local community.

“To be the first sporting franchise on the Gold Coast to eclipse 20,000 members is a fantastic achievement for our club,” Evans said.

“We’ve made it our mission to inspire people on the Gold Coast to become a part of our extraordinary journey, and believe the best is yet to come as we rise and contend in both the AFL and AFLW competitions.

“We have had record-breaking participation numbers in Queensland and that is reflected in the continued growth in our membership base in recent years.

“We have an extremely passionate group of Gold Coast SUNS members and it’s important we thank them for their support to our club in 2022.”

The SUNS breached the 20,000 membership mark for the first time in August this year, after recording membership totals of 19,460 in 2021 and 16,236 in 2020.

The announcement comes after Queensland has enjoyed unprecedented numbers in community football this year, with over 55,000 people involved in the game.