Gold Coast SUNS Chairman Tony Cochrane today announced the appointment of Mark Evans to the positon of Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Evans has been General Manager, Football Operations at the AFL since 2013 and prior to that he held the positon of General Manger – Football Operations of the Hawthorn Football Club since 2004.

“On behalf of the Club and our members, I am incredibly thrilled to announce that AFL GM of Football Operations, Mark Evans, will be joining the Gold Coast SUNS as our Chief Executive Officer,” Mr. Cochrane said.

“Mark is universally respected across the AFL industry, and his strong record in football administration and management speaks for itself.

“He will bring valuable senior executive experience from his time at the AFL and clubs to our young Gold Coast SUNS, and it is a great boost of confidence in the future of our club and its place in our community.

“This is clearly a very significant day for the Gold Coast SUNS and we are delighted to welcome Mark and his wife Lynne to the Coast.”

Mr. Evans confirmed he had been thinking of going back to lead a Club for some time.

“I am very excited by the challenges and opportunities on the Gold Coast and in Queensland, and it was a compelling offer by the Club that was impossible to resist.

"This is a young team and a young business with a great stadium, and fantastic new training and administration base, and incredible growth potential.

“I know the challenges the Gold Coast SUNS face but the opportunities and the importance of this club to the national competition can’t be overstated. The health of the whole competition depends on growing the footprint of our game in Queensland – and the Gold Coast SUNS are absolutely the front line.

“Having lead the development of the next generation academies, I can’t wait to get my hands dirty making the most of the promise to grow into new areas, and new fans.”

Mr. Evans said that he had many people to thank for the 4 years at the AFL as GM Football Operations.

“Many people would say I have had the best job in football, and it has been an absolute privilege to have run the football operations on behalf of the game that I love so much. I will certainly miss the team that I led, the projects I worked on, the people I dealt with at clubs, and the passion of the role.

“But it is a great time to move on, and I am very excited about leading the Suns,” Mr. Evans said.

Mr. Evans has stepped down from the AFL effective today, and will commence at the Club on Monday 6th March.