Rising from the ashes when two prospective Gold Coast FQPL sides – Gold Coast Athletic and Gold Coast Galaxy – merged their resources to secure a licence for the NPL QLD competition, United remerged as a fully-fledged entity in 2018 when they fielded sides in both the men’s and women’s competitions of Queensland's top-flight.

It was a moment six years in the making: United’s A-League side folded in 2012 after the FFA revoked the licence held by mining magnate Clive Palmer.

Finishing tenth in their first season in NPL QLD’s men’s competition, they improved to seventh in their second year and – despite their opening round defeated to Queensland powers Olympic FC in round one of the season – have targeted big things to come in 2020

Playing out of Coplick Family Sports Park, United has signed proven NPL performer Sam Smith and veteran Shane Smeltz for the upcoming season - the prolific Kiwi goal scorer just a number of former A-League representatives that have returned for the club's revival.

Former A-League players  Kristian Rees and Matt Osman sit on the coaching staff, while Thwaite serves as the side's captain.

An 18-year-veteran, the now 36-year-old Thwaite made 82 appearances for United during its three years in the A-League, the Brisbane-born and Cairns-raised defender laying down roots in the area that ran deep.

Despite his later moves to Perth Glory, Chinese side Liaoning Whowin, and Western Sydney Wanderers, his young family settled on the Coast, and it was a desire to be close to them that led to his return in 2019.

“For me, playing at Western Sydney [in 2017/18], that year was one of the toughest years for my family and myself,” Thwaite told FTBL.

“Because I just had a year away in China and that was the second year away from my family. It was probably quite selfish at the time, because I wanted to keep playing professionally.

“My body was feeling good, it’s feeling good now, but living two years away from the family where you’re travelling every second, third week trying to see them on the Gold Coast was tough.

“I spoke to [then Brisbane Roar boss] John Aloisi at the time and I said to him straight up it’s not about money, I’ll take minimum wage, I just want to keep playing. But he just said at the time that they didn’t need defenders.

“And then my only other option, because I didn’t want to move from Gold Coast, was to play for United. Obviously, there was interest from [2019 NPL Queensland Champions Gold Coast] Knights, but having history with Gold Coast United, captaining them in the A-League, it was a no-brainer.

“I’m definitely building a love for the club again because the reality is, the three years in the A-League I didn’t want to move anywhere else. I could have stayed another ten years at Gold Coast United but unfortunately under Clive [Palmer], with his ongoing battle with the FFA, the licence got taken away and the club folded.”

United was a part of the most recent A-League expansion process that eventually saw Western United and Macarthur FC tapped as the competition’s 11th and 12th entrants.

Linking up with a consortium featuring American investors Jordan Gardner and Brett Johnson, who the club said had committed $25 Million to the expansion process, United had high hopes that they would re-enter Australian football’s top-flight as its second Queensland team but were eliminated from the process in July of 2018.

Nonetheless, Thwaite explained that the work towards building a strong base for success at the club hadn’t stopped.

“Now it’s more about establishing the club and setting a foundation,” he said.

“We’re looking to establish the foundation first and then obviously build the club culture. We’re getting good people, good coaches around the club.

“Shane Smeltz has just returned. Jason Culina, his sons are part of our program and he’s just moved back from Sydney. People that have bled for the shirt before, they’re coming back and getting involved in the club.

“In terms of culture, it’s starting to build the right way, from the ground upwards. Not like it was done back in the day with the World Cup bid and fast-tracked and not much structure.

“It was just kind of plucked, you play at Robina and got the players from there. We’re treating it a bit more sensitively this time.”

In one of the marquee fixtures of NPL football, Saturday night will see United resume hostilities with local rivals Gold Coast Knights in the latest edition of the Coast Cup.  

“Those two games that we played in the derby last year, that’s when you really feel that professional vibe,” Thwaite said of the game.

“You feel that coming through, you feel the atmosphere. We had a few thousand people come to both games.

“To have two rival clubs, on different sides of the city. It’s exactly what we want to see in a derby in Australia and I hope it can continue for a long time.

“As a player, it’s the first time you kind of feel that that’s that professional feeling. That was a good buzz for me, to feel that again. I’m sure that the players coming through and our academy players it’s going to be a great feeling for them as well.

“Both teams want to win.”