In honour of FFA Chairman Frank Lowy's bold bid to bring the FIFA World Cup to Australia, Gold Coast United owner Mr Clive Palmer is set to deliver an early Christmas gift to the local community by granting FREE ENTRY to all supporters for United's home match against the Central Coast Mariners at Skilled Park on Sunday 19 December (4.00pm kick-off).
As a tribute to Mr Lowy and the Australian FIFA World Cup bid team, the entire stadium will be open to all fans (home and away) for what is Gold Coast's final home game before Christmas Day.
In announcing the free initiative, Mr Palmer said he felt it was important to thank and congratulate Mr Lowy for all he did in trying to bring the world's largest sporting event to Australia.
"We want to extend our thanks to the Chairman of FFA, Frank Lowy, and his team, for what they tried to achieve for football and for Australia, in attempting to bring the World Cup to Australian shores," Mr Palmer said.
"In recognition of Frank Lowy, the game between ourselves and Central Coast Mariners on December 19th will be dedicated to them as a thank you from our club for the excellent job they did, and how hard Frank worked to begin a new era for the game in this country.
"There will be no admission charges whatsoever for this game - it's absolutely free for everybody.
"I felt it was important to do something positive to highlight exactly what Frank Lowy has contributed to not only the bid to bring the World Cup here, but to football as a whole.
"A lot of Australia's heroes are those who bounce back after being defeated at their first attempt and Frank Lowy is one of those who will bounce back."
Gold Coast United CEO, Clive Mensink, said he was positive the move would be well received by the football community on the Gold Coast.
"It's free entry for everyone who wants to come, so it's a great way for the local community to enjoy some free entertainment and perhaps get a break from the Christmas shopping," Mr Mensink said.
"Not too many things are free at this time of year, but we're very happy to announce that Gold Coast United's match against the Central Coast on December 19th will be one of them!
"I encourage everyone who is a football fan to not only come along themselves, but to tell everyone they know or bring a group of friends to enjoy the match with them. We have a terrific team who are chasing the Premiership this year and they will certainly appreciate the support."
Before the free clash with the Mariners, Gold Coast face Wellington Phoenix this Saturday evening at Skilled Park, followed by an away fixture next Wednesday evening (15 Dec) against the Newcastle Jets.
