The AFL's Gold Coast franchise have signed their first players, recruiting three teenage Queenslanders.

Charlie Dixon from Cairns and Gold Coast pair Jesse Haberfield and Jack Stanlake, all aged 17, are the first players to formally commit for the team which will make its debut in the TAC Cup Under-18 competition next year.

"This is a very important milestone and in years to come we will be able to look back and say these guys were the foundations of the building of the Gold Coast Football Club," said GC17 chairman John Witheriff.

"I'd like to thank Jesse, Charlie and Jack for agreeing to join us on the journey to become the most exciting sporting club in Australia."

The Gold Coast team is scheduled to play in the TAC Cup next year, then move into the VFL in 2010 and join the AFL in 2011.

The AFL have allowed the GC17 franchise to pre-sign up to 20 Queensland players of draft eligible age in 2009-10.

"We still have a long way to go, however, community support is growing and we believe the Gold Coast is telling us they want this team," Witheriff said.

"Now we have players who are telling us they want to play for us so we are confident we are on the right track."

The contracts will become void if the GC17 franchise does not meet the criteria set down by the AFL Commission and does not win the 17th licence in early October.

The players would then be eligible for the national draft in November.

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