News PeopleFirst (Bank) Stadium and Precinct

[Matchu]

i'd like to know more about the flood issues, and more to the point, how they will be addressed. is there a link to a website with more details?

Flood assessment 1
Flood assessment 2
Flood assessment 3
Flood assessment 4
Flood assessment 5
Flood assessment 6
Flood assessment 7
Flood assessment 8
Flood assessment 9
Flood assessment 10
Flood assessment 11
Flood assessment 12
Flood assessment 13

Matchu it looks like the old Bball stadium is staying, I thought it was getting demolished or is it just getting a facelift?

That would appear to be the case. $8 million will be spent on major renovations for the Carrara Indoor Stadium:

Significant refurbishment and upgrade works are proposed to provide a 20year plus life for the facility post the Games. Works required include refurbishment and upgrades within the existing layout including toilets and amenities, food and beverage facilities, administration facilities, seating, sports floor, ventilation, cladding, building services, acoustics, DDA compliant access and cosmetic enhancements to external areas.

 

[Matchu]

**** the soccer fields - that area on the other side of the road should be a huge car park.

You have to remember the land that will be used for the Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre is currently occupied by Gold Coast Soccer/Football Gold Coast. I'm pretty sure it was a part of the deal to provide them with suitable facilities in exchange for that land. From memory there is about three existing soccer fields but as you can see in the plans they are planning to give them eight soccer fields on the other side of Nerang-Broadbeach Rd and a further five will be built along Alabaster Drive behind the existing car park. Just keep in mind this is supposed to be a sporting precinct which will include the premier organisations for Aussie rules, basketball and soccer. Gold Coast Basketball is based at the Carrara Indoor Stadium if anyone is wondering and the Blaze used to train there. So the Suns won't be the only ones gaining from the precinct upgrade.

I'm going to make a prediction here and say it won't be long before the existing training oval next to Metricon will be occupied by Cricket Gold Coast and they'll actively use the ground during the summer months. Their current facilities in Robina aren't impressive at all and are based right next to the Robina Town Shopping Centre, who are probably interested in buying the land. So I think there will be a push for them to relocate back to Carrara (they were based there in the early 90s) as the prospect of a Gold Coast BBL team gains momentum. There is a blank space of land right next to the existing training oval and I think it's only a matter of time before cricket nets are installed there followed by a Cricket Gold Coast admin building.

Then you have the Royal Pines Resort just over the bridge which holds the Australian PGA Championships golf tournament as well as having the best tennis courts on the Gold Coast. So the area will definitely become a sports hub at the local and professional level once these upgrades are complete. The only major sports that would be missing are the two rugby codes, even though the Titans attempted to set up base at Carrara last year. Gold Coast Rugby (union) is based in Bundall and I think the ARU has an agreement with Bond University (Robina) but I'm not sure if they are based there. The only other major sports I can think of are swimming and athletics. Gold Coast Athletics are supposed to be moving from Griffith University (Southport) to Carrara once the upgrade is complete where as the swimming centre is based in Southport but apparently there will be an aquatic centre at the Carrara Sports Precinct too.

So I think that covers all the major sports in Australia and you can see most of them will be based at the Carrara Sports Precinct. In a lot of ways it'll be similar to the Melbourne Sports Precinct but on a considerably smaller scale.

 

[Matchu]

Anyone who has driven along Nerang-Broadbeach Rd would know there is also a few golf clubs/driving ranges along the road. If you continue north along the road towards the Nerang railway station you'll find a Croatian soccer club and a combined rugby union and rugby league club. There is also a third soccer club just off Nerang-Broadbeach Rd along Birmingham Rd called Magic United.

Interesting fact - Magic United are competing in the preliminary rounds of the FFA Cup and play their first qualification game in two and a half weeks down in Tugun. Get around Magic United! Also, the new soccer fields on the western side of Nerang-Broadbeach Rd are supposed to be completed later this year.

 

[Matchu]

Two more things.

Hall 2 of the CSLC looks like it'll become a community facilty after the Comm Games but it would appear Hall 1 of the CSLC will become a 5,000 seat event show court and will cater for smaller events like pro basketball, netball or tennis:

The Carrara Sports & Leisure Centre (CS&LC) is a new permanent legacy facility that will be owned and operated by the City of Gold Coast that includes two large sports halls separated by a multi-storey internal street and at-grade parking under the whole facility. One hall will function as the Badminton competition venue and the other as the Wrestling competition venue during the Games. The sports halls must be suitable for community and elite level competition and training for numerous indoor sports including basketball and netball and other non-sporting uses such as exhibitions and cultural activities. It is proposed that Hall 1 will be able to convert into a 5,000 seat, air conditioned show court suitable for national/international sporting competitions, cultural events and televised/broadcast events.

I really like the idea of the public plaza in front of the Carrara Indoor Stadium and the Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre. It adds to the overall appeal of the precinct and even though Metricon Stadium already offers lots of walking space, I think people will like the fact that they can explore the precinct as a whole via the plaza. Here are two pictures of the planned plaza (the first one shows a redeveloped indoor stadium):

 

[Experimental]

You have to remember the land that will be used for the Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre is currently occupied by Gold Coast Soccer/Football Gold Coast. I'm pretty sure it was a part of the deal to provide them with suitable facilities in exchange for that land. From memory there is about three existing soccer fields but as you can see in the plans they are planning to give them eight soccer fields on the other side of Nerang-Broadbeach Rd and a further five will be built along Alabaster Drive behind the existing car park. Just keep in mind this is supposed to be a sporting precinct which will include the premier organisations for Aussie rules, basketball and soccer. Gold Coast Basketball is based at the Carrara Indoor Stadium if anyone is wondering and the Blaze used to train there. So the Suns won't be the only ones gaining from the precinct upgrade.

I'm going to make a prediction here and say it won't be long before the existing training oval next to Metricon will be occupied by Cricket Gold Coast and they'll actively use the ground during the summer months. Their current facilities in Robina aren't impressive at all and are based right next to the Robina Town Shopping Centre, who are probably interested in buying the land. So I think there will be a push for them to relocate back to Carrara (they were based there in the early 90s) as the prospect of a Gold Coast BBL team gains momentum. There is a blank space of land right next to the existing training oval and I think it's only a matter of time before cricket nets are installed there followed by a Cricket Gold Coast admin building.

Then you have the Royal Pines Resort just over the bridge which holds the Australian PGA Championships golf tournament as well as having the best tennis courts on the Gold Coast. So the area will definitely become a sports hub at the local and professional level once these upgrades are complete. The only major sports that would be missing are the two rugby codes, even though the Titans attempted to set up base at Carrara last year. Gold Coast Rugby (union) is based in Bundall and I think the ARU has an agreement with Bond University (Robina) but I'm not sure if they are based there. The only other major sports I can think of are swimming and athletics. Gold Coast Athletics are supposed to be moving from Griffith University (Southport) to Carrara once the upgrade is complete where as the swimming centre is based in Southport but apparently there will be an aquatic centre at the Carrara Sports Precinct too.

So I think that covers all the major sports in Australia and you can see most of them will be based at the Carrara Sports Precinct. In a lot of ways it'll be similar to the Melbourne Sports Precinct but on a considerably smaller scale.

That's all well and good, but where is everyone going to park?

I did noticed that you mentioned that the CSLC will have underground parking under the the halls, but I don't imagine it'll be very big OR accessible by the public either. Now's the opportunity for the Comm Games organisers invest in some parking infrastructure. There's plenty of room, but no motivation.

 

[Matchu]

That's all well and good, but where is everyone going to park?

I did noticed that you mentioned that the CSLC will have underground parking under the the halls, but I don't imagine it'll be very big OR accessible by the public either. Now's the opportunity for the Comm Games organisers invest in some parking infrastructure. There's plenty of room, but no motivation.

I'm pretty sure they want most people accessing Metricon via public transport. We all know the buses aren't going to cut it long term but right now there isn't enough demand to warrant talks of anything else. Having said that, there was talk of multistory car parks being built next to both Metricon and Cbus but I haven't seen anything on it since. I presume the plans fell through.

The concern I would have with a car park is the situation that would occur after games. I'm not sure if you ever attended any of the Lions/Kangaroos games at Carrara between 2005-2009 but the jam that was caused after those games was truly a nightmare. Considerably worse than the current situation. The space that will become soccer fields was completely used as a car park back then and I can't stress how hard it was to get out of the area after a game back then. The roads aren't designed to handle that amount of cars and crowds these days are probably 1.5x what they used to be. I think that's the main reason they prefer patrons to use public transport these days.

 

[Experimental]

I'm pretty sure they want most people accessing Metricon via public transport.

What they want, and what people want, are entirely different. I don't mind catching the bus, but when I literally have to drive PAST Metricon to get a park, then catch a bus back to Metricon, then again on the way home, it's ridiculous.

They obviously don't want 100% of people to drive, or even 50% to drive, but not having parking within walking distance is a monumental *up and complete ignorance and arrogance. There are people who can't take, or have great difficulty taking, public transport to and from games. At least with Suncorp and the Gabba there's multi-story parking places within walking distance from the stadium. Metricon, being in the middle of nowhere, needs the option.

Doesn't Etihad have several thousand parking spaces under the stadium right in the middle of the Melbourne CBD?

Either fix the crowded, hot, sweaty, delayed, buses that are constantly raped by traffic, OR build a car park to help the masses. It's not going to get any better any time soon given the crowds are going to increase over the coming years.

As for the traffic issues, having an extra 4000 (for example) cars trying to exit at the same time is going to be chaos, but if it's achievable in every other stadium in the world, what's stopping Metricon from following the same method? Oh that's right, bullying the public into using a system they don't want.

 

[Iva Bigun]

I'm pretty sure they want most people accessing Metricon via public transport. We all know the buses aren't going to cut it long term but right now there isn't enough demand to warrant talks of anything else. Having said that, there was talk of multistory car parks being built next to both Metricon and Cbus but I haven't seen anything on it since. I presume the plans fell through.

The concern I would have with a car park is the situation that would occur after games. I'm not sure if you ever attended any of the Lions/Kangaroos games at Carrara between 2005-2009 but the jam that was caused after those games was truly a nightmare. Considerably worse than the current situation. The space that will become soccer fields was completely used as a car park back then and I can't stress how hard it was to get out of the area after a game back then. The roads aren't designed to handle that amount of cars and crowds these days are probably 1.5x what they used to be. I think that's the main reason they prefer patrons to use public transport these days.

Agree it was a nightmare to get out of the grassed car park, if is had rained it was even worse. The whole area would need to be ash vaulted and that's not going to happen anytime soon.

 

[Matchu]

What are the chances of food prices being lowered at Metricon? Check out the new pricing list at the MCG:

HOT CHIPS

Was $5.60 / Now $4

MEAT PIE

Was $4.80 / Now $4

HOT DOG

Was $6.50 / Now $4

CHICKEN SCHNITZEL BURGER

Was $10 / Now $7.50

SOFT DRINK

Was $5 / Now $4

WATER

Was $5 / Now $3

SUSHI

Was $6.80 / Now $5

SALAD

Was $11.50 / Now $8

BEER TRAY

Was $1, / Now $0

 

[Experimental]

I still can't get over a beer tray costing a dollar.

what the *

 

[thegreig]

I still can't get over a beer tray costing a dollar.

what the ****

Highway robbery at it's finest

 

[Billy ray]

carry trays at metricon were about 50c last season...
Hot dogs were 5.80
Chips 5.60
Pies 4.90
Fish n chips 10.50
As were calamari and chips and chicken strips and chips
Coke and other softies were 5.00
Water 4.40
Tom sauce 20c
Chiko rolls were 4.20
Three pack jam donuts were 4.70
Kids juice box 2.90
Kids fishnchips 3.60
3 nuggets n chips were 4.00
2 partypies and chips were 5.30

 

[Experimental]

carry trays at metricon were about 50c last season...
Hot dogs were 5.80
Chips 5.60
Pies 4.90
Fish n chips 10.50
As were calamari and chips and chicken strips and chips
Coke and other softies were 5.00
Water 4.40
Tom sauce 20c
Chiko rolls were 4.20
Three pack jam donuts were 4.70
Kids juice box 2.90
Kids fishnchips 3.60
3 nuggets n chips were 4.00
2 partypies and chips were 5.30

And they all taste like arse

 

[holybishop]

Price is only part of the debate. I'm happy to pay more for quality but that's rarely the case.

 

[nutstar]

Just throwing it out there, adelaide oval have came out and said they won't be dropping prices, having said that it is possible to get a good feed there so happy to pay.

 

[Matchu]

MCG to slash food and drink and Gold Coast stadiums could follow suit

THE Melbourne Cricket Ground’s decision to slash the price of popular food and drink items by up to 40 per cent could pressure Gold Coast stadiums to review their prices.

The MCG took the event industry by surprise yesterday when it announced prices for items such as hot dogs, hot chips, and Four’N Twenty meat pies would fall to levels not seen since 2005 in time for Richmond and Carlton’s AFL opening round match at the stadium on April 2.

The Suns yesterday welcomed news of the MCG deal.

“We congratulate the MCG and its caterer on their recent decisions surrounding catering,” a Suns spokesman said.

“We look forward to seeing how this could evolve in the Queensland market.”

The MCG’s seven-year, $14 million deal with hospitality partner EPICURE (Spotless Group) is expected to spark a ripple effect at venues around the country as venues review affordability for fans.

Under its MCG deal, the price of a hot dog will fall $2.50 from $6.50 to $4, hot chips will fall $1.60 from $5.60 to $4, a meat pie will drop 80c from $4.80 to $4 and the cost of salads and sushi will also drop.

By comparison hot chips at Metricon are $5.60, a meat pie $4.90, hot dog $5.80, chicken burger $9.50, salad $10 and sushi $7.60.

At CBUS Super Stadium hot chips cost people $5.70, a meat pie $5, hot dog $5.90, chicken burger $9.80, salad $10 and sushi $7.70.

Stadiums Queensland, which manages the state’s major sports facilities including Cbus Super Stadium and Metricon Stadium, said it would study the MCG model to see what could be learned.

“We’ll certainly be looking at this model to see what impacts it would have on hirers and how it could apply in a Queensland setting,” a spokesman said.

“We are conscious of affordability for fans across all facets of events and we work closely with our hirers and service providers to keep fans coming through the gates.”

While Stadiums Queensland signs off on food and drink prices, the spokesman said prices and caterers varied from stadium to stadium.

Melbourne-based venue management, catering and leisure company O’Brien Group, is the contracted caterer for both Metricon Stadium and Robina’s Cbus Super Stadium.

The company is yet to finalise its pricing for Metricon Stadium but has locked in its 2015 prices for events at Robina.

Popular items are similar in price to those charged at the MCG before the new deal.

The second last sentence in that article says 2015 pricing at Metricon has NOT been locked in but it has been locked in at Robina. So there's a chance!

 

[Matchu]

There are a few articles in the Gold Coast Bulletin today that shed some light on the redevelopment of the Carrara Sports Precinct. Firstly, we have an article that states the Coomera Sports and Leisure Centre construction is about to get underway but the most important part is at the end:

Work on the Carrara Sports Precinct is expected to begin in 2016.

So that's disappointing. I thought they would start work on the Carrara side of things this year but oh well. The second article has to do with the land just north of Metricon that previously had plans to become a casino. It looks like they still have big plans:

RDG plans a large project near village

China's Ridong Group is planning a multibillion-dollar tourism-based development at Nerang near the site of the 2018 Commonwealth Games athletes village.

RDG bought the 45ha parcel of land for $20.8 million in 2013 and is embarking on a joint venture with Chinese property giant Dalian Wanda Group, with which it is building the $1 billion Jewel project at Surfers Paradise.

RDG boss Steve Haggart said it was still in negotiations with the council and blamed the delay on the finalisation of the City Plan due to be released later this year.

Mr Haggart said RDG was focused on creating a multi-use development.

"It's a large-scale project ... it's extremely diverse and there's no particular focus on duplicating what already exists," he said.

Mr Haggart said the plans revolved around "innovation and tourism-related" ventures with an "Asian flavour".

The site is near the Nerang railway station and also close to the athletes village.

I think the author has made a little mistake here by stating it will be near the athletes village. The athletes village was moved from Carrara to Parkwood years ago so that's a little slip up from the author but nevertheless, it's good to hear the spare land between Metricon and the Nerang railway station will be turned into a large-scale tourism development. It would finally provide a large venue for footy goers to walk to after a Suns home game. The land is about 750 metres from Metricon so it's definitely within walking distance.

There is also a third article that states the Gold Coast City Council has voted against providing funding for Brisbane's 2028 Olympic Games bid. Apparently that bid will involve venues from Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast. So perhaps another upgrade to Metricon could be coming before 2028 for the Olympics.

 

[Dammit]

Hey guys I need your help!
I'll be making the trek up for my first ever Suns home game for the Pies game it looks like in May. The question I have for you all is seating!

Being a stadium snob I like to sit on the wing with the best view possible (ideally front of level 2 Wing at the G if you've been), so wondering about seating at Metricon. From ground level, can you see the other side of the ground? At the G it's bloody tough due to the hill. Is the front of level 2 at Metricon in section 206 any good? Or is it basically in the forward line and you can't see down the other end?

Any tips/advice/photos would be thoroughly thoroughly appreciated. Probably won't be doing this too often, so want to get it right! Matchu SUNS TheJaegerBomb Sunny_ Iva Bigun TheSunGod I think most of you guys attend?

Cheers people!

 

[SUNS]

Hey guys I need your help!
I'll be making the trek up for my first ever Suns home game for the Pies game it looks like in May. The question I have for you all is seating!

Being a stadium snob I like to sit on the wing with the best view possible (ideally front of level 2 Wing at the G if you've been), so wondering about seating at Metricon. From ground level, can you see the other side of the ground? At the G it's bloody tough due to the hill. Is the front of level 2 at Metricon in section 206 any good? Or is it basically in the forward line and you can't see down the other end?

Any tips/advice/photos would be thoroughly thoroughly appreciated. Probably won't be doing this too often, so want to get it right! Matchu SUNS TheJaegerBomb Sunny_ Iva Bigun TheSunGod I think most of you guys attend?

Cheers people!

Pretty flat ground up here, so you can see all the way across. Our seats are half way between flank and wing, second row and we have no trouble. 2nd tier on wing is hard to get, because it is all members. If you know members on that side ask them?

I think the only public tix for second level are behind goals at non scoreboard end and on flank at scoreboard end.

Also being pies game, get in early. Generally sells out weeks in advance

 

[Matchu]

Hey guys I need your help!
I'll be making the trek up for my first ever Suns home game for the Pies game it looks like in May. The question I have for you all is seating!

Being a stadium snob I like to sit on the wing with the best view possible (ideally front of level 2 Wing at the G if you've been), so wondering about seating at Metricon. From ground level, can you see the other side of the ground? At the G it's bloody tough due to the hill. Is the front of level 2 at Metricon in section 206 any good? Or is it basically in the forward line and you can't see down the other end?

Any tips/advice/photos would be thoroughly thoroughly appreciated. Probably won't be doing this too often, so want to get it right! Matchu SUNS TheJaegerBomb Sunny_ Iva Bigun TheSunGod I think most of you guys attend?

Cheers people!

 

[Experimental]

Hey guys I need your help!
I'll be making the trek up for my first ever Suns home game for the Pies game it looks like in May. The question I have for you all is seating!

Being a stadium snob I like to sit on the wing with the best view possible (ideally front of level 2 Wing at the G if you've been), so wondering about seating at Metricon. From ground level, can you see the other side of the ground? At the G it's bloody tough due to the hill. Is the front of level 2 at Metricon in section 206 any good? Or is it basically in the forward line and you can't see down the other end?

Any tips/advice/photos would be thoroughly thoroughly appreciated. Probably won't be doing this too often, so want to get it right! Matchu SUNS TheJaegerBomb Sunny_ Iva Bigun TheSunGod I think most of you guys attend?

Cheers people!

Hey mate, I've sat in 206 before (albeit right at the top) and the view was great. From the front, you'll have a great view. The only downside I found was that it was a big motion of the neck/head to view the big screen with most of the field not being in your peripheral vision (not that you'll need it from right at the front anyway - but just in case). Otherwise, it'd be your best bet.

 

[Matchu]

Hey guys I need your help!
I'll be making the trek up for my first ever Suns home game for the Pies game it looks like in May. The question I have for you all is seating!

Being a stadium snob I like to sit on the wing with the best view possible (ideally front of level 2 Wing at the G if you've been), so wondering about seating at Metricon. From ground level, can you see the other side of the ground? At the G it's bloody tough due to the hill. Is the front of level 2 at Metricon in section 206 any good? Or is it basically in the forward line and you can't see down the other end?

Any tips/advice/photos would be thoroughly thoroughly appreciated. Probably won't be doing this too often, so want to get it right! Matchu SUNS TheJaegerBomb Sunny_ Iva Bigun TheSunGod I think most of you guys attend?

Cheers people!

I always make sure I sit as close to the Collingwood cheer squad as I can when they play at Metricon. I also make sure I cheer and clap as loud as I can when the Suns kick a goal to give it to the Pies supporters. Nothing quite like seeing Joffa's face when his beloved team loses. Nah, Joffa is a good bloke but it's very enjoyable to get other Collingwood supporters riled up. They turn on their players so quickly. You wouldn't believe how many times I overheard Pies supporters demanding Travis Cloke be traded.

I know Collingwood plays in front of big crowds every week but the atmosphere in a packed out Metricon Stadium (and Collingwood always packs it out) is something else. Depending on where you're staying/what you plan on doing, I could give some suggestions as to how you should go about it. Getting there, having a kick, going out afterwards etc.

This would be pretty close to the view you'll have in the front row of the second tier on the eastern wing:

 

[Experimental]

Here are some photos from the top of 206 btw. Combine this view with what Matchu posted and you'll have a good idea of your view

 

[Sunizzle]

Hey guys I need your help!
I'll be making the trek up for my first ever Suns home game for the Pies game it looks like in May. The question I have for you all is seating!

Being a stadium snob I like to sit on the wing with the best view possible (ideally front of level 2 Wing at the G if you've been), so wondering about seating at Metricon. From ground level, can you see the other side of the ground? At the G it's bloody tough due to the hill. Is the front of level 2 at Metricon in section 206 any good? Or is it basically in the forward line and you can't see down the other end?

Any tips/advice/photos would be thoroughly thoroughly appreciated. Probably won't be doing this too often, so want to get it right! Matchu SUNS TheJaegerBomb Sunny_ Iva Bigun TheSunGod I think most of you guys attend?

Cheers people!

My seats are in section 210, 2nd row, Apart from the sun being directly in your eyes during the arvo games it's a pretty good place to sit, you still feel close to the field but you can see the other side of the ground easily. The first row or the second level has the guard rail right at eye level so you find yourself leaning forward to see through the gap. I think section 206 would probably have a similar view as mine, that being said it's a pretty small stadium so wherever you sit you'll have a pretty good view.

 

[Experimental]

We should organise a Big Footy post-Collingwood party SUNS I'll leave it to you