The Gold Coast Suns hope to cash in on top-flight cricket's three year fling in the growing city with a Big Bash League franchise of its own.
Metricon Stadium, the Suns' home ground, will host three BBL games and a T20 International this summer, with three BBL games also locked in for each of the next two seasons.
Expansion isn't on the cards for at least three years but Suns chairman Tony Cochrane said the city now had a platform to prove itself worthy.
"That's our long-term plan; what Cricket Australia have put to us is to prove up the Big Bash games and one-dayers (T20s) over the next three years and we'll look at that," he told AAP.
"Gold Coast is a pretty dynamic population, heading towards 650,000 people and in another 10 years that will be close to 800,000.
"We've got a fantastic stadium everyone will see and I think we can really prove a case to have our own Big Bash team."
A summer tenant would lighten the load on the struggling AFL franchise, which already sees cricket as something worth investing in.
The Suns reportedly chipped in about $300,000 of the $1 million spent on the drop-in pitch, practice areas and new broadcast infrastructure at the stadium.
"It's a simple equation. We get 11 or 12 uses out of the stadium now, but that increases that to 16 - eventually 20, 22 to spread the pie - then we're really in business," Cochrane said.
"We've got a tremendous administration and training facility and when you put all those parts together with Metricon, it makes a good fit.
"The more this stadium gets used by the community, the better off we are."
GOLD COAST'S SUMMER OF CRICKET
November 17, Australia v South Africa (T20I)
December 22, Brisbane Heat v Hobart Hurricanes
Jan 1, Brisbane Heat v Sydney Sixers
Jan 5, Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder.
Australian Associated Press
