Nothing screams passion like a spontaneous all-night drive down the East Coast of Australia. Reason for the journey? To see the Gold Coast SUNS take on the Fremantle Dockers at Metricon Stadium.
Townsville locals Matt and Belinda Beal travelled 14,000 kilometres through the night from Far North Queensland, stopping only once for forty winks before arriving on the Gold Coast some fifteen hours after they set off.
“We only decided on Thursday night to drive here for the game. We left Townsville on Friday afternoon, got to Gladstone at midnight, then got up really early to drive straight here for the game today. We’re surviving on 4 hours sleep, but we’re pumped to see the boys play live.
“The atmosphere here is better than anywhere! We saw Metricon Stadium on TV and decided we HAD to come along,” he said.
The couple adopted the GC SUNS as the league’s newcomers in 2010 and supported from a distance throughout the Club’s inaugural AFL year, but Matt Beale explains how a serious case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) eventually got the better of them.
“I’d say we are passionate supporters. We wear our SUNS gear and watch all the games. Last year we travelled to Cazaly’s Stadium to watch one of the Club’s first wins, against Richmond, which was an amazing experience.”
Joining the team as 2012 members of the Club was the natural progression.
After their monumental drive from North Queensland, the Beals arrived at Metricon Stadium, signed up as members at Membership Services where they were invited on a special first-time members tour of the stadium which took them down into the warm up rooms before the match, they visited the Membership Hub under the videoboard to enjoy a free neck and shoulder massage as well as an opportunity for autographs and to chat with reserves players Jack Hutchins and Alex Sexton (pictured) and all before the bounce!
“Belinda is really new to AFL, but when I took her up to Cazaly’s last year we saw a fantastic win, plus she was lucky enough to win the match ball which was handed to her by David Swallow and she got it signed by almost all the Gold Coast SUNS.
“Now she’s hooked! She decided she wants to be a member too so we both can’t wait to come back to Metricon Stadium to see a few more games this year.
Belinda is coming into her own as a newly-converted footy fan naming Gary Ablett and Karmichael Hunt as two of her favourite players, but admitting she loves them all really. The Beal’s were a part of the crowd of 11,642 who witnessed first-hand the nailbiting finish to a game that showcased solid improvements on field by a maturing young group, with some notable performances by some of the team’s impressive young talent. A sign of the exciting times to come.
The Gold Coast SUNS are hiring SUNS SEEKERS! Current members are encouraged to seek out friends and family who are sitting on the fence and persuade them to sign up as 2012 members. It’s not too late to join the team and membership is still great value for money. There are plenty of prizes up for grabs for SUNS SEEKERS. Click here for details.
