Father Jack
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- Mar 23, 2006
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They really should have made this clear on Thursday night. It seems everyone thought that that the surfie dude was going to be the logo that adorns the official club letterhead etc. As for the 'no-name' thing, well I guess we will have to wait and see how it pans out.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/09/06/15967_gold-coast-news.html
Footy mascot is just misunderstood
Terry Wilson
September 6th, 2008
A WAVE of ridicule heralded the launch of the Gold Coast Football Club's mascot, Gary Clifford Irons.
However, it appears the criticism of the selection of the stylised cartoon character is the result of a misunderstanding.
Gary Clifford Irons, 'GC' for short, is now a member of the Australian Football League's stable of mascots bidding for the hearts, and ultimately the lifetime support, of thousands of young Aussies.
The characters live in a fictional residence called Mascot Manor and some are named after AFL club legends and include 'Slamming Sam' Tomcat (Geelong), Moz 'Skeeta' Reynolds (Essendon), Hudson 'Hawka' Knights (Hawthorn) and Woofer 'Dogg' Whitten (Western Bulldogs).
When the GC17 bid team revealed the mascot on Thursday night, they neglected to inform the public that the exercise was aimed exclusively at kids.
Adults simply panned the concept, unaware it was being directed at the other end of the age scale.
Some of the GC17 mascot's details that had the oldies thinking 'how childish is this?' were featured in a media release and included:
* Signature Move: The 'Broadbeach Body Slam', where 'GC' dives on his opponents and buries them into the sand like he was diving for the baton in a beach flags sprint.
* Likes: The Gold Coast Football Club, saving lives, long walks on the beach, his paddle board and bending barefoot bananas from the boundary.
* Voice: A deep, smooth Australian twang, Keith Urban meets Grant Kenny. He's relaxed, laid back and tends to put 'eh' at the end of his sentences.
GC17 big team director Graeme Downie conceded the launch of Gary Clifford Irons probably should have indicated it was done purely with youth in mind.
"It is a marketing ploy for the younger generation, children aged between five and 12, I guess," said Mr Downie.
"Certainly, we do not expect adults to wear that.
"We didn't want to have a named logo but you still need a character, so we came up with, I suppose, a cartoon type character with a Gold Coast image.
"It is not really a lifesaving theme. The idea is he's a Gold Coaster and Gold Coasters are depicted as fairly healthy individuals who enjoy the surf, the sun, that sort of stuff."
The decision not to run with a club nickname when the team enters the AFL in 2011 also drew widespread criticism, but Mr Downie was sticking by the choice.
Many critics do not like the name Gold Coast Football Club, saying the latter two words will be shorted to read Gold Coast FC, a name that would be synonymous with soccer.
Mr Downie said there was a chance a nickname would eventually evolve over the years but he said the words Football Club would not be appearing on the 2011 club jumper.
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2008/09/06/15967_gold-coast-news.html
Footy mascot is just misunderstood
Terry Wilson
September 6th, 2008
A WAVE of ridicule heralded the launch of the Gold Coast Football Club's mascot, Gary Clifford Irons.
However, it appears the criticism of the selection of the stylised cartoon character is the result of a misunderstanding.
Gary Clifford Irons, 'GC' for short, is now a member of the Australian Football League's stable of mascots bidding for the hearts, and ultimately the lifetime support, of thousands of young Aussies.
The characters live in a fictional residence called Mascot Manor and some are named after AFL club legends and include 'Slamming Sam' Tomcat (Geelong), Moz 'Skeeta' Reynolds (Essendon), Hudson 'Hawka' Knights (Hawthorn) and Woofer 'Dogg' Whitten (Western Bulldogs).
When the GC17 bid team revealed the mascot on Thursday night, they neglected to inform the public that the exercise was aimed exclusively at kids.
Adults simply panned the concept, unaware it was being directed at the other end of the age scale.
Some of the GC17 mascot's details that had the oldies thinking 'how childish is this?' were featured in a media release and included:
* Signature Move: The 'Broadbeach Body Slam', where 'GC' dives on his opponents and buries them into the sand like he was diving for the baton in a beach flags sprint.
* Likes: The Gold Coast Football Club, saving lives, long walks on the beach, his paddle board and bending barefoot bananas from the boundary.
* Voice: A deep, smooth Australian twang, Keith Urban meets Grant Kenny. He's relaxed, laid back and tends to put 'eh' at the end of his sentences.
GC17 big team director Graeme Downie conceded the launch of Gary Clifford Irons probably should have indicated it was done purely with youth in mind.
"It is a marketing ploy for the younger generation, children aged between five and 12, I guess," said Mr Downie.
"Certainly, we do not expect adults to wear that.
"We didn't want to have a named logo but you still need a character, so we came up with, I suppose, a cartoon type character with a Gold Coast image.
"It is not really a lifesaving theme. The idea is he's a Gold Coaster and Gold Coasters are depicted as fairly healthy individuals who enjoy the surf, the sun, that sort of stuff."
The decision not to run with a club nickname when the team enters the AFL in 2011 also drew widespread criticism, but Mr Downie was sticking by the choice.
Many critics do not like the name Gold Coast Football Club, saying the latter two words will be shorted to read Gold Coast FC, a name that would be synonymous with soccer.
Mr Downie said there was a chance a nickname would eventually evolve over the years but he said the words Football Club would not be appearing on the 2011 club jumper.
