Andrew Browne is a freelance sports journalist and broadcaster based on the Gold Coast.

A new dawn has risen on the Gold Coast with the AFL's newest franchise launching its nickname, playing strips and theme song in front AFL heavyweights, community leaders and a sell-out crowd of 600 enthusiastic supporters at Southport on Thursday night.

After much anticipation and hype the Gold Coast Football Club will now be known as the Suns, has three new jumpers and an original theme song to capture the imagination and dollars of the local community.

Two years after the original GC17 bid was launched, the Suns led by chairman John Witheriff along with the heavy backing of the AFL, Gold Coast City Council and the Queensland Government - through the Carrara stadium deal - can tick another box on their way to playing their first game in anger in 2011 which will be, more than likely, against their new rivals up the highway, the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba.

The common theme in this journey has been the community. Often regard as Australia's unofficial sixth capital city, the Gold Coast, with Surfers Paradise, as its centre continues to expand at a rapid rate with infrastructure struggling to keep up and yet it is being asked again to support a national team of significance.

In 12 years the glitter strip wants to host a Commonwealth Games.

We are all familiar with the story of the Brisbane Bears. Dumped onto the open spaces of Carrara in 1986 the young club struggled from the start and soon floundered in the AFL wilderness before being forced to merge with another team lost in the jungle - the Fitzroy Lions. Up the M1 the Brisbane Lions were born at the end of 1997 and yes, they became one of the most successful teams in AFL history through their premiership deeds in the early 2000, however they had turned their back on the Gold Coast and people here still remember.

The AFL says it has learnt from the previous mistakes with the Bears. This time it has provided a huge financial boost, generous list concessions - which caused a rethink from headquarters following an outcry from the other 16 clubs - and now a brand spanking new stadium with a car park.

Yes a car park! It made the news the other day with the Gold Titans rugby league franchise up in arms over the spaces to be made available for AFL supporters. The Titans do not have one at their boutique stadium at Robina - which is situated next to a train station - and they are not happy.

The Titans crowds are down, their form is going south at the wrong end of the season and plenty of speculation remains about their financial viability and now a rival code is about to make a spectacular entry - they are entitled to be worried.

Gold Coast Suns CEO Travis Auld proudly announced at the launch there were 7000 paid up members of the new club. 40,000 signed up last year as interested parties.

Now the Suns have risen the club will be hoping a few more dollars flow into the coffers. The next step is the grab for uncontracted players at the end of the season followed by the charmed run at the National Draft, which also, for the first time, is to be held on the Gold Coast in November.

Karmichael Hunt is great for the novelty and the publicity and from all reports ‘progressing well' but AFL followers on the Coast want the big names with talent and there is only one name on people's minds - Gary Ablett. If he stays at Geelong momentum may stumble at a vital hurdle.

If the club does not entice enough talented ‘sons' early on then the community might not be so quick to empty their wallets if they believe success will be a few years away especially in the current financial climate.

Then there is the issue of the stadium not being ready. If you read the latest reports perhaps not until July. That means supporters travelling up the M1 to the Gabba. They will for games against the Lions or the powerful Victorian clubs, but what if the opponent is, with respect, Fremantle or Port Adelaide?

The AFL is currently working on next year's fixture and judging by the investment so far, it will look after the Gold Coast and maybe - ‘back end' their home games.

Supporters you would expect will be forgiving the AFL's newest club's opening season. It will be 2012 and beyond success will be expected and the real hard work will begin on and off the field.

However, at the moment the community appears to be enjoying the ride and now they finally have something to look at and sing about.

The Gold Coast has changed a lot since the Bears of the late 80's and so has the AFL, which has vowed those same mistakes will not be made again. Too many people associated with the 17th club will be making sure that like a summer in Scandinavia, these ‘Suns' will never set.