GCFC has honoured a firm commitment to listen to its members by holding a Members Forum at Southport Sharks during Footy Week.

The event, the first of its kind at the club, saw CEO Travis Auld, Football Manager Marcus Ashcroft and List Development Manager Scott Clayton speak to a passionate and vocal audience of around 100 inaugural members.

Auld left attendees in no two minds about their importance in the grander scheme of things.

‘This is your club,’ he said. ‘It’s certainly not my club. I’m only here on your behalf. We’re a member-based organisation. Members own and control the club. That’s particularly special for you guys, I think. Because you here today can look back and say you’ve been here from day one.’

‘Footy may have changed a lot. The way it’s played. The way we market it. The way we administrate it. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the role that members play in supporting their club. And our success on the Gold Coast will ultimately be measured by the local support we can get.’

He went on to outline an ambitious membership target and asked members to dig deep to help make the goal a reality.

‘We now have 3250 members. We are looking to reach a target of 10,000 members by July. It’s a bold target, but we want to stretch ourselves. We want to do things the way the Gold Coast does things. We want aim for the sky, then see what happens. And all the while we’ll back the people of the Gold Coast to support us. We need you to tell your families and tell your friends about what it feels like to be part of a football club from the very beginning. Let’s rally together for the cause.’

Football Manager Marcus Ashcroft spoke at length about what it takes to cultivate a culture of success.

‘We aim for perfection,’ he said. ‘And if we do that, we’ll achieve excellence on a daily basis.’

Ashcroft also spoke of the club’s duty to help achieve its player’s ambitions both on and off the field.

‘The average career length for a listed AFL player is just over five years, and for a listed player who plays one senior game or more, the figure drops to down to three. So not only do we have an obligation to ensure that they are prepared physically as best they can be, but we also have an obligation to ensure that they are upstanding community members and that they have a chance to achieve their off-field ambitions.’

Scott Clayton gave a speech that was well and truly in keeping with his reputation as a doyen of AFL playing list development. He took members on a step-by-step journey of the methodical planning that has gone into shoring up GCFC’s long term on-field success.

‘If you look at our 2011 list it would be quite misleading. But if you look at how methodical we have been in terms of ensuring that our on field future is secure, I think you’ll be pretty excited by what 2012, 2013 and 2014 can offer.’

He also allayed the fears of the more parochial Queenslanders in the audience by speaking out in favour of local talent.

‘We are a vehicle for Queensland. We know that. Moreover, though, we respect the Queensland talent at our disposal.’

With the formalities complete, Auld, Ashcroft and Clayton engaged fully and frankly with members about a range of topics including the club’s name and colours, the effectiveness of existing marketing campaigns, club volunteering, Karmichael Hunt, the effect of GCFC on local grassroots footy, and the extent and effectiveness of its community involvement schemes were all discussed in some detail.

Speaking after the forum, Travis Auld said the forum offered up plenty of food for thought.

‘Clubs are built on the back of passion and even in early in the piece it’s clear that there’s plenty of it there amongst our members. That’s extremely encouraging. We’ll take away plenty of good feedback from the forum as we prepare for 2011.’

Click here to read some member vox-pops taken at on the night.