The Southport Sharks and Gold Coast SUNS yesterday celebrated the fifth year of their Patron Partnership as the Gold Coast SUNS officially launched their third AFL premiership season at Southport Sharks headquarters.

Speaking at Saturday’s Season Launch, Southport Sharks CEO Dean Bowtell said creating player pathways and providing career opportunities was central to the patron partnership agreement.

“Our local football juniors are now starting to see a clear pathway to the AFL with the addition of the GC SUNS to the national competition.”

“With Southeast Queensland now home to two AFL teams, we’re certainly starting to see an increased level in performance across our AFL Senior Leagues,” said Bowtell.

With the support of the Sharks, the GC SUNS will continue to play an integral role in the development of the code across Southeast Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

“What the AFL brings to our community is pride, passion and spirit, and we’re grateful that the GC SUNS are leading the campaign.”

With the GC SUNS completing more than 10,000 hours of community service during their first two years in the AFL, Bowtell is confident the SUNS will continue to gain the community support required to achieve their 20-ONE-3 strategic vision of 20,000 members and one AFL premiership in the next three years.

"The SUNS have achieved great community momentum through the development of a number of meaningful programs and community initiatives and there has been a noticeable increase in support for their work on and off the field," Bowtell said.