Coast’s Titans are winning the gold

(By Benjamin Strick and Nick McTague – Bond University Journalism Students)

Varsity Lakes neighbouring National Rugby League (NRL) team, the Gold Coast Titans, plan to increase their community involvement ahead of next year’s anticipated rugby season.

Titans chairman and co-founder Paul Broughton said he hoped the club would do well both on and off the field next year.

Mr Broughton said it was important the team gave back to the community because it was a source for a football club’s success and popularity.

“We are still considered a regional team, but our spectatorship grows each year as more people move to the areas surrounding the Titans’ home turf at Skilled Stadium such as Robina and Varsity Lakes,” he said.

“With the fan count we have at the moment we are ranked in the middle of the range of the 16 clubs, which isn’t bad for a regional team.

“But we have to keep working on this image because we are only new in the NRL scene so for the season coming up we have a few things hidden up our sleeve that will enhance the way we operate as a club and as a team.”

Mr Broughton said the club had new players, training facilities, uniforms, workshops and development presentations to help engage the community.

“You just can’t drop a team in a community and think the fans are all going to come - there’s a certain period of waiting that needs to happen,” he said.

Mr Broughton said community involvement was where the Titans had been most successful and hoped to continue to build their fan base.