The Game Future NRL Stadiums part II

[Perth Red]

sounds like less then putting a temporary stand at QE2

and $3bill in fed funding.

 

[Wb1234]

Here’s A better breakdown of what the whole picture looks like now, more info than the city in crisis frothing from most media articles. Cairns & Sunshine Coast upgrades accepted, Toowoomba rejected.


Following the release of the independent venue review and subsequent announcements by the Queensland Premier, Austadiums looks at what it means for Queensland’s stadiums.

The report released on Monday included 90 findings with 30 recommendations on Queensland’s sports infrastructure, while the Premier Steven Miles followed up with some interesting calls – some of which go against the recommendations handed down in the tax-payer funded report.

It’s worth noting the decisions aren’t final, meaning anything could happen between now and 2032. A State Election is scheduled for October 2024 in Queensland, with the Olympic stadium debate set to play a significant factor in voting.

Below are potential outcomes for some of Queensland’s existing and proposed stadiums following the release of the report and decisions from the current Premier Steven Miles.

The Gabba

The Gabba will no longer be demolished and rebuilt for the Olympics, meaning it won’t host the track and field events. Some of the remaining funding will to be used for a "more modest enhancement of the existing facility" in consultation with AFL, Cricket Australia, and other stakeholders. It remains to be seen what this stadium upgrade entails. The Gabba currently lacks the facilities other similar stadiums already have, while its useable capacity of 37,000 is at the lower end of Australia’s other tier one AFL and cricket stadiums. The report listed the Gabba as a “very, very bad stadium” where back-of-house facilities were cramped and substandard and people with a disability had limited access. The long-term future of this iconic venue appears somewhat cloudy at this point in time.

Suncorp Stadium

Brisbane’s largest stadium will receive funding to be upgraded ahead of the Olympics, while specifics are unknown at the moment, this could include boosting its 52,000 capacity. Under the Premier’s plan, the rectangular Suncorp Stadiumwill host the opening and closing ceremonies and football during the Olympics.

QSAC

The Queensland Premier has declared the State will rebuild the Queensland Sport & Athletic Centreat Nathan, despite the independent venue review declaring this would be a waste of money. The home of the 1982 Commonwealth Games is past its shelf life, so the existing stadium will be demolished, replaced by a new 8,000-seat permanent western grandstand, with an additional 6,000 permanent seats located around the athletics track. New temporary stands would boost its capacity to 30,000-40,000 for the Olympics where it would serve as the main stadium, before reverting back to a 14,000-capacity venue in legacy mode post-Games.

Albion Park

With the proposed Brisbane Indoor Sports Centrerecommended not to proceed in the report, the existing venue it was to be built on, Albion Park Paceway, appears to have been saved. The home of harness racing in Queensland needs a big upgrade to keep its facilities up to scratch and that may now happen – offset by a housing development on its expansive land. Olympic basketball could instead be played at an upgraded Brisbane Entertainment Centre (Boondal) or Zillmere, although no final decision has been made yet.

Sunshine Coast Stadium

The review supports the redevelopment of Sunshine Coast Stadium and the construction of the proposed indoor sports stadium adjacent to the venue. Under the plan, the stadium would receive a major upgrade to seat 20,000 for Olympic football matches – including 8,500 temporary seats. The report says the current western grandstand was built on a tight budget and not designed to be expanded, and rebuilding the stand is considered to provide better integrated facilities and flood immunity at a lower cost, compared to extending the current stand. The new indoor facility within the Kawana Sports Precinct will host Olympic basketball with temporary grandstand seating for 6,000 spectators.

Barlow Park, Cairns

The report supports the upgrade of Barlow Park in Cairns, noting it will have a strong legacy outcome and benefit, leveraging existing venues and providing capacity for a growing city. The proposal is to increase permanent seating to 5,000, with temporary grandstand seating for 15,000 in place for the stadium to host Olympic football.

Toowoomba Sports Ground

The review recommended against upgrading the Toowoomba Sports Ground (known commercially as Clive Berghofer Stadium). A major redevelopment of the regional rectangular venue costing upwards of $80 million had been proposed, for it to host football at the Olympics, however that now appears unlikely to proceed.

Proposed Brisbane Live Arena

The report supports the construction of the long-proposed Brisbane Arena (or ‘Brisbane Live’ as the project has been referred to) and the Premier has confirmed the project will proceed. However the review panel has suggested the 17,000-capacity arena be built on the Roma Street carpark and maintenance depot development site instead of the Roma Street over-rail site option.

20k on Sunshine Coast is a bit wasted as the dolphins aren’t playing any games there in the future.

Would they give up kayo park for the Sunshine Coast ?

 

[Vlad59]

and $3bill in fed funding.

Our little AFL fanatic is edging towards supporting the best result for his favoured code.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

AFL Red in meltdown because flogball have been told to f**k off.

 

[Wb1234]

The AFL have had a major strategic blow with Miles' announcement. They are now using every resource available to them to discredit the decision-making process.

Mainly their media allies and wannabe social media influencers. Gerard Whately ffs.

Unfortunately, the NSW media are not renowned for their strategic analysis capability and so are joining in the pile-on because 'Queenslanders'.

We'll be on our own in the face of this southern blizzard of bullshit. In the end, the Games will be just fine and we'll end up with the best footy stadium in the country.

Salty fumblers saying the Olympics will be a laughing stock

a 70k Suncorp stadium will have long term benefits for Brisbane an uograded gabba will have little benefits for the city

 

[AlwaysGreen]

As I've said before, cricket doesn't need a new stadium in Queensland.

There will always be 5 tests per summer: Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. They might get an odi or t20 game a year as well. Even in a world cup event the grounds across Australia are suffice for international cricket.

The Brisbane Heat would love a new ground but the Gabba is good enough for 5 home games and a couple of finals and there's no way a 3 billion dollar build is justified.

Other domestic cricket gets played at Allan Border field anyway.

If flogball wants a new oval than stump up or shut up.

 

[Canard]

20k on Sunshine Coast is a bit wasted as the dolphins aren’t playing any games there in the future.

Would they give up kayo park for the Sunshine Coast ?

It's a great outcome for the NRL, and will mean games can be taken there from time to time.

The Dolphins don't exactly have some sort of hold on the Sunny Coast.

 

[Foreign Legion]

We need to build a tunnel from Tasmania to Melbourne to connect the Viktards and Taztards for a car "kick to kick" fest

 

[Perth Red]

20k on Sunshine Coast is a bit wasted as the dolphins aren’t playing any games there in the future.

Would they give up kayo park for the Sunshine Coast ?

No, they were only ever playing on SC if the council paid them to do so. The whole 'we are the SC team' was a total bid furphy.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

The AFL have had a major strategic blow with Miles' announcement. They are now using every resource available to them to discredit the decision-making process.

Mainly their media allies and wannabe social media influencers. Gerard Whately ffs.

Unfortunately, the NSW media are not renowned for their strategic analysis capability and so are joining in the pile-on because 'Queenslanders'.

We'll be on our own in the face of this southern blizzard of bullshit. In the end, the Games will be just fine and we'll end up with the best footy stadium in the country.

Ignore the media, that’s all just fluff. All through construction in the years preceding Sydney, the media were losing their minds and warning of a disastrous games before they got on board ’the best ever!’ bandwagon conveniently forgetting all the bullshit they piled out. Greece couldn’t even finish their infrastructure and everybody still had a great time.

After Japan, the IOC came to the conclusion that the games were proving to be post excessively costly for hosts. Paris will be the last of the ‘bells and whistles’ games for a long while imo. Brisbane will be a great event. Sunshine and chilled, friendly hosts will welcome the athletes. It’ll be great and you will be proud of the outcome. Not to mention there’s a you-beaut Suncorp at the end of it all. And AFL get nuffin‘

 

[siv]

Future of Shark Park ?

Dog park for residents while they drink at the club bar

 

[jim_57]

20k on Sunshine Coast is a bit wasted as the dolphins aren’t playing any games there in the future.

Would they give up kayo park for the Sunshine Coast ?

Good to have it as an option, 20k puts it above several Sydney grounds, same capacity as Central Coast Stadium etc. With more permanent seats it should make it easier & cheaper to upgrade further in the future if needed.

Shame Toowoomba got rejected, having a few 15-20k “regional” grounds eventually across NSW & QLD would be good.

 

[flippikat]

As I've said before, cricket doesn't need a new stadium in Queensland.

There will always be 5 tests per summer: Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. They might get an odi or t20 game a year as well. Even in a world cup event the grounds across Australia are suffice for international cricket.

The Brisbane Heat would love a new ground but the Gabba is good enough for 5 home games and a couple of finals and there's no way a 3 billion dollar build is justified.

Other domestic cricket gets played at Allan Border field anyway.

If flogball wants a new oval than stump up or shut up.

Cricket doesn't seem to be pulling the crowds it used to - I imagine due to changing demographics & time constraints.. fewer & fewer people can honestly invest a whole day in a game, let alone five back-to-back.

T20 is better, but you're still looking at 4ish hours - far longer than the footy codes, and that's not to mention the different KIND of ovals that Cricket & AFL want (Cricket diehards love to have some leafy "village green" style setting if possible, 'cause tradition, AFL fans want flash modern stands)

It's starting to dawn on Governments in NSW & Qld that investing in rectangular stadiums just has a better ROI than plowing heaps into ovals - you get RL, RU in the winter.. Soccer (A-league) in the summer, plus capability for cultural events/concerts etc - and done right you can get a build that works for all of that.

Meanwhile in AFL-land, Perth, Adelaide & Melbourne have either had new builds or upgrades on their main ovals, so the next step might be revisiting/revamping their rectangular facilities (especially in Perth & Adelaide) - now THAT is something the NRL needs to get input into.

Then there's Tasmania. Well.. where do you start on THAT cluster****? hahaha.

 

[Jamberoo]

So, the outcome is that the NRL stadium and AFL stadium are both getting $500m each for upgrades. Putting aside what might have been, I am not sure that it is really a massive win for RL or massive loss for AFL. Yes, a few regional stadiums are getting minor upgrades but those are mainly temporary.

At the end of the day NRL and AFL in Brisbane get the same spend. I reckon if the initial announcement was that the Gabba was getting a half billion upgrade most on here would have been furious.

Athletics (courtesy of John Coates) is the big winner. A sport that nobody watches is getting the most dollars. Then again, neither NRL nor AFL is an Olympic sport so that is probably fair enough.

 

[Wb1234]

Good to have it as an option, 20k puts it above several Sydney grounds, same capacity as Central Coast Stadium etc. With more permanent seats it should make it easier & cheaper to upgrade further in the future if needed.

Shame Toowoomba got rejected, having a few 15-20k “regional” grounds eventually across NSW & QLD would be good.

Surely phins move their kayo staidum games there now

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Nothing is set until the LNP announce their preferred option as they’re likely to go against the Labor model. $1.6b for QSAC is excessive but regardless of the outcome, Suncorp needs at power 1/2 of that $1b to get its upgrade

I reckon $95m should be spent on demolishing the Gabba. $5m put towards a statue of Jason Smith at the Vulture Street End and one of Darren Smith at the Stanley Street End.

$900m can go towards increasing Lang Park's capacity to 70k and add a retractable roof.

IBM gets to learn about Jason Smith when he walks around Woollongabba trying to find the Lions.

Everyone wins.

 

[Suitman]

I don't understand where anyone is getting this 65 000 - 70 000 capacity upgrade for Suncorp is coming from.
It's not possible to add 10-15 000 capacity to a Western Stand upgrade only.
To add this capacity increase, it would have to done to all four sides, which would mean complete removal of the roof.
It ain't going to happen.

 

[Wb1234]

So, the outcome is that the NRL stadium and AFL stadium are both getting $500m each for upgrades. Putting aside what might have been, I am not sure that it is really a massive win for RL or massive loss for AFL. Yes, a few regional stadiums are getting minor upgrades but those are mainly temporary.

At the end of the day NRL and AFL in Brisbane get the same spend. I reckon if the initial announcement was that the Gabba was getting a half billion upgrade most on here would have been furious.

Athletics (courtesy of John Coates) is the big winner. A sport that nobody watches is getting the most dollars. Then again, neither NRL nor AFL is an Olympic sport so that is probably fair enough.

Afl minus 2 billion.
nrl plus 500 million

 

[Perth Red]

So, the outcome is that the NRL stadium and AFL stadium are both getting $500m each for upgrades. Putting aside what might have been, I am not sure that it is really a massive win for RL or massive loss for AFL. Yes, a few regional stadiums are getting minor upgrades but those are mainly temporary.

At the end of the day NRL and AFL in Brisbane get the same spend. I reckon if the initial announcement was that the Gabba was getting a half billion upgrade most on here would have been furious.

Athletics (courtesy of John Coates) is the big winner. A sport that nobody watches is getting the most dollars. Then again, neither NRL nor AFL is an Olympic sport so that is probably fair enough.

Its short sighted knee jerk for votes by a qlnd govt under pressure.
Suncorp will need much more than that to get it to 70k+ and fit for the next 40-50 years.
Gabba needs the $500mill plus another $1bill in ten years according to the report just to keep it going. And it will still be behind Melbourne and Perth.
And they are spending $1.6bill on a 14k athletics stadium that will be pretty sht for the Olympics.

Taking the RL rose tinted glasses off its a pretty poor outcome for $3billion stadium spend all round and for the Olympics which was the point of it all.

 

[Chins get the wins]

Its short sighted knee jerk for votes by a qlnd govt under pressure.
Suncorp will need much more than that to get it to 70k+ and fit for the next 40-50 years.
Gabba needs the $500mill plus another $1bill in ten years according to the report just to keep it going. And it will still be behind Melbourne and Perth.
And they are spending $1.6bill on a 14k athletics stadium that will be pretty sht for the Olympics.

Taking the RL rose tinted glasses off its a pretty poor outcome for $3billion stadium spend all round and for the Olympics which was the point of it all.

You are so transparent you sad little man