United were founded by mining billionaire and former Member of Parliament Clive Palmer, only to be dissolved by Football Federation Australia in 2012 due to poor crowds and organisation.

The club was refounded by a consortium of Gold Coast businessmen in August last year and are now seeking to reclaim their long-lost franchise.

They'll face stiff competition even within Queensland for an A-League role, with Brisbane City a high-profile expansion candidate alongside fellow former NSL club Brisbane Strikers.

But Gold Coast have adopted some interesting objectives under their new ownership, despite the limitations of plying their trade in the NPL.

"Our vision is that no child will pay fees to participate in elite football pathways," a club statement read.

"Money to fund seniors (who are the flagship) comes from sponsorship  – not kids.

"Our seniors are fully funded by sponsorship and in addition through this sponsorship in 2018,  30 percent of kids will already be on a scholarship." 

It's these sort of differences in approach that could potentially appeal to FFA, although they're failed history means they're unlikely to progress far.

Another aspect of Gold Coast United's current plan is to develop strong grassroots links and partnerships with academies across South East Asia. For Gold Coast, kids are the future. It makes sense that they don't want to look back at the past. 

Head coach, Sean Lane, said attracting young talent was important for the club.

“For me, with a new franchise, I’m always on the lookout for talent. We’ve got a couple of visa spots for ourselves and I know a lot of other people at other clubs who are also looking for talented footballers," he said.

“If you can get the best young kids over here, we can put them in an environment where if they’re good enough then opportunities might present themselves.”