It’s easy to forget that Gold Coast’s formation pretty much happened by accident, but that is what took place when North Melbourne decided to stay in Victoria instead of moving to Queensland. From there, building a standalone team on the Gold Coast was too good an opportunity to pass up.

In this seventh episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural chairman, John Witheriff, first official employee, Andrew Thomas, and two inaugural squad members - Nathan Bock and Charlie Dixon - detail the challenges Gold Coast faced in its formative years, including woeful facilities, a skeptical local community, a difficult relationship with the AFL, and even the threat of snakes at the club.

Thanks to BackChat for some of the audio used in this episode.