Gold Coast – AGM & National Meet

AASC National Meet – Gold Coast 2022

Hi there Gooners.

How fortunate were we to grab that small window of opportunity that opened up for us in May of last year and wedge it open just long enough to enjoy a great weekend of fun up in Darwin?

The Top Enders provided beautiful weather and many Crocs were ajumping, as we were! Massive thanks go out to the brilliant, Fabio Lee Serra for assisting with the organisation last year and providing us local knowledge which helped the weekend run smoothly. Onya Gooner!

As agreed at the AGM, and as per our traditional State rotational strategy, this year’s National Meet will be hosted by Queensland and actually held on the Gold Coast and specifically at Surfers Paradise from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 May.

We all know that the Goldie is a favourite Party Town for many and as such, it would be disrespectful of us not to contribute to its’ reputation. I’m sure you all agree!

With the assistance of local Gooners David Iliff and Rick (The Lewisham Love Machine) Taylor, you will be pleased to hear we have lined up some fun Events and activities for you to enjoy whilst catching up with fellow Gooners over the weekend.

The traditional National Meet has occurred every year since the Club originated back in 2007 when we achieved official status as an AFC Supporters Club and has grown over the years, enabling us to get together to celebrate being Arsenal Fans, meet new Gooners and catch up with old Friends.

National Meet Weekend Activity Schedule

Friday 20th May

As per usual we kick the weekend off with the traditional Gooner Gathering Meet & Greet event.

As Gooners arrive from their various places of origin we will meet up at The Cavill Hotel www.thecavillhotel.com.au located in the heart of Surfers for an informal welcome over canapes and a couple of refreshing drinks. During this event we’ll outline the specific arrangements for the Events to be held over the weekend. The Schedule below gives you with an idea of what’s to come.

Saturday 21st May

Our Big Day Out this year will take us up into the Hinterland behind the famous beaches up to Mt Tamborine. There we will enjoy a leisurely drive through the hills stopping off regularly to visit a few of the local breweries and doing the decent thing by sampling their produce of course! We’ll also stop off for a Lunch break before, weather permitting, we try out a gushing Waterfall. The locals assure me that only the weird, warm-Sun deprived Southern and Westerners would be foolish enough to actually get in the water. However, this can all change of course with the Dutch courage that a beer or 6 provides!

After a thrill-seeking day out we’ll return to the safety of Surfers and gather again in the early evening for the AASC Annual Dinner event at The Cavill Hotel. The Arsenal Trivia Event will follow the Dinner and the Rod & Don Show will, in their unflappable style, will get you searching the crevices of your tiny brains for obscure Arsenal knowledge. The usual spot prizes will be given out during the Event with the winning Team receiving a Team prize and all the accompanying glory.

Sunday 22nd May

Sunday kicks off with our usual first event of the day, the Annual General Meeting (AGM).  This is an Event that Arsenal FC expects us to run every year. Don’t stress, it takes place at the civilised time of 11am, enabling us to be able to actually speak and hopefully listen to!

The AGM provides us with the opportunity to discuss the Supporters Club activities and new ideas to improve ourselves. In addition we formally debate and agree on new roles and personnel changes within the Club structure.

Following the AGM we will head onto a Barefoot Lawn Bowls event at Broadbeach for the afternoon where we will also enjoy a BBQ. After a break we will head back over to Surfers again to get onboard a boat that will take us on a late arvo River Cruise, taking in the sights of the local waterways as the Sun starts to set.

Once we have disembarked and had time to freshen up, we will head back to Surfers for the Super Sunday Matchday and a screening of Arsenal v Everton. Hopefully we will have already secured a Top 4 position so that we can all treat the match as a ‘celebration’ game. If not fingers crossed we give them a good walloping and finish off the season on a high note.

Next Steps to book your Gooner Goldie Extravaganza

We invite members to login and then head over to the Shop, where you can purchase your Gold Coast AGM 2022 Ticket for only $95, for each within your membership. The Ticket will provide access to all Friday to Sunday events. Events are in the main subsidised by the Club and the Ticket price. Additional drinks at your own expense of course.

We urge you to book your place promptly and make your travel plans quickly to secure flight deals, as sales are on now and prices will rise closer to May. Although there is a large Blues Music Festival during our weekend, we have been able to source excellent bulk accommodation rates at the
Paradise Island Resort Surfers Paradise (07 5531 5600) (www.paradiseislandresort.com.au) which is located in the heart of Surfers close to the Casino, Cavill Hotel and beachfront. Please note the Resort does not have a restaurant or bar, but does have a swimming pool and BBQ facilities.

When contacting the Resort on (07 5531 5600), please quote code AASC2022 and mention my name when inquiring about the Room rates and configuration. The Resort has made a range of room types available for us to book, including some which accommodate up to 4 Guests. Further details on the rooms including photos are available on the Hotel’s website.

The discounted rates for Arsenal Australia members is:

Hotel Room (no Kitchen, but includes a Fridge, River view) – $255/2 nights or $335/3 nights

Studio (1 Room, no Kitchen, Garden view) – $255/2 nights or $335/3 nights

1 Bedroom (separate Lounge/Kitchen, River view, sleeps upto 4) – $290/2 nights or $380/3 nights

As Surfers is extremely popular at that time of year, I suggest you move promptly to secure a room. A 50% Deposit is required at Paradise Resort when booking. There are many alternatives nearby of course, which suit all budgets, so if the Rooms here are booked or not to your taste, try and find somewhere nearby, preferably close to the Cavill Hotel.

We are looking forward to seeing as many of our Members as possible up on the Gold Coast, making this first Gooner trip to the Goldie a memorable one.

See you all on the Goldie soon!

Cheers & COYG!

Tony

Tony Kendall

Chairman

Arsenal Australia Supporters Club