Expansion AFL to invest $20m into new Gold Coast sports precinct

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Matchu

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Apr 12, 2007
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Gold Coast Suns to benefit from Carrara development for Games
THE Gold Coast Suns will move into a new $20 million headquarters within a $106m redevelopment of the Carrara precinct that will be transformed after the Commonwealth Games into a high-performance centre for hire.

The vision of the Government and the Games planning committee is for Carrara to become an elite training destination that targets international sporting organisations such as English Premier League clubs and international rugby sides for pre-season training camps and potentially pump millions annually into the Queensland economy.

The plans for the redevelopment of Carrara, released by Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney include two multi-sport indoor stadiums, an upgrade of Metricon Stadium and another outdoor sporting field.

There will also be an aquatic centre.

The finals plans will be submitted to the Commonwealth Games planning committee next month. Work will begin later this year and is expected to be completed in 2016.

The Suns must contribute $20m to their training and administration centre and vacate it during the Games so the facility can be used for badminton and fencing tournaments as well as the control hub for Games officials.

Suns chairman John Witheriff said the philosophy behind the planning for the precinct was that it became a financial asset for the city after the Games as a key elite sporting destination.

He said the Suns, as major tenants, would have a role to play in managing the facility.

“If you look at the Indian situation after their Commonwealth Games, a lot of those assets are simply being bulldozed and knocked down,” he said.

“That's not going to happen in Queensland, the Gold Coast Suns are going to have to wear the costs and expense of ensuring that a number of those legacy assets are maintained for benefit of community.

“It just won't be a piece of Gold Coast Suns infrastructure, it will be one where the Suns interact with a whole lot of other sporting teams and our skills are shared and our medical information shared and out athletic knowledge is shared.”

Last month senior Suns officials and senior architects from BVN Donovan Hill toured the facilities of AFL clubs Essendon, the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne, Carlton and GWS.

Senior Suns official Andrew Travis, who oversaw the development of Metricon Stadium, is closely involved in the planning process.

Travis worked on the AAMI Park precinct in Melbourne and has been seconded to the planning committee for the new AFL venue in Perth.

Witheriff said his presence ensured the Suns' designs requirements would be met.

“What is really positive is we're deeply included in the process, our staff are working with the planning staff and architects and we have been intimately designed with the design process,” he said.

Smart move by the AFL to partner up with a state government and essentially secure world class facilities for the AFL/Suns in Queensland without footing the whole bill. If I'm reading this article correctly, it will mean the Suns will be playing out of a 40,000 seat stadium by 2017 at the latest.
 

Matchu

Norm Smith Medallist
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Do they have public transport there yet?

Old man always talks about hiking back to the hotel when Essendon played Brissy back in the day...
Not yet. They are still relying on buses at the moment. I'd imagine these plans and a possible new casino built 1km north of the stadium would result in a tram extension out to the stadium. All those things have been mooted as a possibility so we'll just have to wait and see. The Gold Coast Council has also talked about the possibility of a ferry service from popular tourist areas (Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach etc.) for the stadium given it is located on a river that connects.

I can't see them leaving it the way it is given they are hosting the Commonwealth Games in under 4 years...
 

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Suit

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AFL investing a lot of money on GC, does the AFL care more about GC than Brisbane?

The AFL has next to no chance at being the dominate code in Brisbane. This isn't the case on the GC.
 

Suit

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Very true. A lot of people don't know this.

Yep, and if the Lions' supporters have a problem, maybe they should hand back their 3 cups, and then ask for 25 million. I would be happy with that

At least COLA is a market expenditure response. The retention allowance the Lions received during their premiership years, was just plain and simple market manipulation. And for all the AFL subsidised on-field success the Lions had, where has that got the AFL in the Brisbane market in 2014? Nowhere.

I have a soft spot for the Lions, I love that they had that success. They were an awesome team to watch. I just hate the bias filth that was written in the Sunday Mail in those years, and the completely ignorant opinions of bandwagon-Rugby-League-Brisbane-Lions supporters. Even today, most Lions supporters brush off the retention allowance matter.

And before Lions fans come and try and tear me a new one, I hope they understand how much I have supported their team. I (most likely) would have been to more Brisbane games, then most. Spent more coin on merchandise then most. I even attended games in the bad ol' days at Carrara.
 
AFL investing a lot of money on GC, does the AFL care more about GC than Brisbane?

The AFL already spoonfed them the Fitzroy merger with all the assorted perks (Jonathan Brown's father-son rights atop all the cash and the foothold in Melbourne) and a salary cap bonus that saw them 'retain' Blake Caracella from premiership rival Essendon in much the same way Sydney's COLA nabbed them Buddy.

All in all a 3 premiership dividend.

Where's the beef?
 

Matchu

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Yep, and if the Lions' supporters have a problem, maybe they should hand back their 3 cups, and then ask for 25 million. I would be happy with that

At least COLA is a market expenditure response. The retention allowance the Lions received during their premiership years, was just plain and simple market manipulation. And for all the AFL subsidised on-field success the Lions had, where has that got the AFL in the Brisbane market in 2014? Nowhere.

I have a soft spot for the Lions, I love that they had that success. They were an awesome team to watch. I just hate the bias filth that was written in the Sunday Mail in those years, and the completely ignorant opinions of bandwagon-Rugby-League-Brisbane-Lions supporters. Even today, most Lions supporters brush off the retention allowance matter.

And before Lions fans come and try and tear me a new one, I hope they understand how much I have supported their team. I (most likely) would have been to more Brisbane games, then most. Spent more coin on merchandise then most. I even attended games in the bad ol' days at Carrara.
It's really interesting to look at the two cities, especially given they border one another. If I had to guess, I would say the Gold Coast is 60/40 in favour of Rugby League while Brisbane wouldn't even come close to that. I think you would actually find more AFL fans (percentage wise) in Cairns than you would in Brisbane...

The Brisbane media certainly is biased towards RL but the Suns get good coverage in the local Gold Coast Bulletin paper. They probably slightly favour RL but you sort of expect that. The Gold Coast market is most definitely winnable in the next 10 years while Brisbane is going to take a long time to crack.
 
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It's really interesting to look at the two cities, especially given they border one another. If I had to guess, I would say the Gold Coast is 60/40 in favour of Rugby League while Brisbane wouldn't even come close to that. I think you would actually find more AFL fans (percentage wise) in Cairns than you would in Brisbane...

The Brisbane media certainly is biased towards RL but the Suns get good coverage in the local Gold Coast Bulletin paper. They probably slightly favour RL but you sort of expect that. The Gold Coast market is most definitely winnable in the next 10 years while Brisbane is going to take a long time to crack.
Remember though they have to get a lot higher percentage of Gold Coast to get the same level of members, supporters and viewers. Brisbane as the bigger city doesn't have to win the majority in a switch to AFL from Rugby league, they just have to get enough to make in roads.

Financially Brisbane need to go from 20k crowds back to 30k and same with increase in memberships. I presume making that kind of 50% leap in attendance would do a lot for TV viewers and media exposure. It's the Queensland Reds and Brisbane Roar who are as much of a threat to the Lions than the Broncos.
 

Matchu

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Remember though they have to get a lot higher percentage of Gold Coast to get the same level of members, supporters and viewers. Brisbane as the bigger city doesn't have to win the majority in a switch to AFL from Rugby league, they just have to get enough to make in roads.

Financially Brisbane need to go from 20k crowds back to 30k and same with increase in memberships. I presume making that kind of 50% leap in attendance would do a lot for TV viewers and media exposure. It's the Queensland Reds and Brisbane Roar who are as much of a threat to the Lions than the Broncos.
That is true. If you look at it like American sports, the Gold Coast Suns are definitely a small market team and the AFL have set it up in a way that enables a small market to still be competitive on a national level. Their stadium deal is a perfect example that. They only need around 12,000 people to actually break even on game day and a crowd of 20,000 turns over about $1 million. The Lions certainly don't have a favourable stadium deal and only average around 2000 more people (at the moment) to home games. I'm fairly sure crowds of 20k at the Gabba results in a loss for the Lions.

Two completely different approaches to fan development as well. The Suns have targeted the next generation of Gold Coasters (the kids) and will have a really strong supporter base (by Gold Coast standards) in around 10 years. That goal can be achieved on the Gold Coast but it wouldn't work in Brisbane because the Broncos have such a stronghold on the market. You could make the argument that the QLD Reds are already ahead of the Lions and the Roar aren't far behind.
 
The AFL already spoonfed them the Fitzroy merger with all the assorted perks (Jonathan Brown's father-son rights atop all the cash and the foothold in Melbourne) and a salary cap bonus that saw them 'retain' Blake Caracella from premiership rival Essendon in much the same way Sydney's COLA nabbed them Buddy.

All in all a 3 premiership dividend.

Where's the beef?

Not denying any of that but they seem to be struggling on and off-field, would much rather them get some mild support now rather than some twit at AFL headquarters thinking they need GC-like handouts because we can't have a marketing dream fail.
 
May 31, 2008
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I think the Lions could quickly fall by the way side if the AFL don't give them the attention they deserve. It is unrealistic to expect that they will be the biggest team in town, but, there is a market for them if they are operated properly, which the club has obviously struggled with in recent years. The best way to increase crowds and memberships would be to have Brisbane playing well again - as a former Queenslander I know how fickle many Queenslanders can be, especially with regards to Brisbane. Despite this, the club obviously needs to fix its off-field issues and with better management, better crowds and memberships should be possible.
 
Not denying any of that but they seem to be struggling on and off-field, would much rather them get some mild support now rather than some twit at AFL headquarters thinking they need GC-like handouts because we can't have a marketing dream fail.

I don't disagree on that score, I just don't see how there'll ever be an acceptable balance (retention bonus/COLA, zone/draft concessions) to get them on their feet if they're capable of squandering such an enormous foundation in the first place.

The universally-loathed paddlepop lion that only served to alienate their rusted-on base and the recent firing of Voss in a failed gambit for Roos is the tip of the iceberg given the list problems and a seeming failure to engage and retain Queensland corporates.
 
AFL investing a lot of money on GC, does the AFL care more about GC than Brisbane?

Brisbane received plenty they didn't cash in when they were successful

GC won't make the same mistake
 

fabulousphil

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Brisbane had millions in the bank, and over a period of years wasted/spent/lost/squandered it in a variety of ways, a bit unlucky the Fevola signing did not work, but thems the breaks.

They have a nice little earner in Lions @ Springwood, that will return quite soon a million $ profit yearly, and if the deal at Springfield manages to work then they will have fantastic facilities as good as any other club for a peppercorn lease.

Things are not as bad as they seem at the Lions.
 
I don't disagree on that score, I just don't see how there'll ever be an acceptable balance (retention bonus/COLA, zone/draft concessions) to get them on their feet if they're capable of squandering such an enormous foundation in the first place.

The universally-loathed paddlepop lion that only served to alienate their rusted-on base and the recent firing of Voss in a failed gambit for Roos is the tip of the iceberg given the list problems and a seeming failure to engage and retain Queensland corporates.

Letting the club choose their own board who might be half competent at running a football club instead of threatening to withhold funds would have been a start.
 

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