With the Southport Sharks snaring thirteen premierships since its inception in 1961 there’s no doubt that the club’s home ground at Fankhauser Reserve has seen its fair share of high quality football over the years.
But watching two AFLQ sides slug it out on a Saturday afternoon is one thing. When two AFL powerhouses roll into town, it’s something altogether different.
And that’s exactly what will happen on Friday night when Fankhauser Reserve plays host to Hawthorn and the Brisbane Lions and in a NAB Challenge game.
Preparations are well underway to cope with what is expected to be a bumper influx of football-starved Gold Coasters, particularly after the March 5 NAB Challenge match between Geelong and the Lions was washed out.
But if you think it’s all about stacking a few extra pies in the warmer or ensuring the beer tent doesn’t run dry, guess again.
According to Southport Shark’s CEO Dean Bowtell, hosting an AFL game is quite the technical exercise in logistics and planning.
‘Apart from managing the playing surface and preparing the ground to meet AFL standards, the club needs to consider a range of issues from licensing permits, evacuation and emergency management plans, regulating traffic flow within the property, and ensuring we have adequate security procedures in place and above all having enough staff rostered on the day.’
There’s also the small matter of the modern day needs of the players and each club’s coaching staff. Temporary coach’s boxes will be specially installed for the match, and the players will have the benefit of two huge freezer trucks at the ready to help them keep cool in the likely event of thick, sapping humidity.
This isn’t the first time Fankhauser Reserve has seen AFL action.
‘I think it was 1999 or 2000 when Geelong and Melbourne played up here,’ Bowtell says. ‘Around 9000 people packed in to the ground. Some of the staff worked twenty hour days to get things ready. I remember the game being really entertaining. A fast-flowing game held on a typically hot Gold Coast afternoon. In the end the Cats snuck home in the last quarter.’
He says Southport Sharks members and staff are all excited about the game.
‘The Southport Sharks family – the club, the staff and the membership - are really itching to see the Hawks and Lions play,’ he says. ‘And for the fans and supporters of our game it offers a great opportunity to watch some fantastic footy up close and personal as opposed to typically seeing a game from the grandstands.
He says games like Friday’s NAB Challenge clash are vital in the lead up to GCFC’s introduction to next year’s AFL competition.
‘Taking the games to local grounds demonstrates how committed the GCFC is in engaging with the Gold Coast community, and I think the people of the Gold Coast will appreciate the opportunity by flocking to all the scheduled AFL and VFL this year.’
GCFC Members and kids under 12 get in free - click here to purchase GCFC membership.
Click here to purchase tickets to the game or call Ticketmaster on 1300 136 122.
