New facilities at Springfield - update: Federal funding under review

[Hollow Knight]

It would be political suicide to knockback Holden and SPC and then provide funds to a sporting club.

While I agree that austerity is the flavour of the moment and that funding won't be forthcoming in this round, I don't think the Holden and SPC examples are particularly relevant. Free market industry policy and creative destruction are very different philosophically and economically from funding community infrastructure.

 

[James North]

Difficult to draw parallels between a private company's bailout desires and a sporting/community facility.

 

[GabbaGirl]

What concerns me more is that our lease runs out next year at the Gabba. Will we possibly have anything developed anywhere else that will allow us to kiss that money pit goodbye or will we still need them and therefore be held over yet another barrel?

 

[wantok]

While I agree that austerity is the flavour of the moment and that funding won't be forthcoming in this round, I don't think the Holden and SPC examples are particularly relevant. Free market industry policy and creative destruction are very different philosophically and economically from funding community infrastructure.

Maybe I should have used underfunded NDIS or reduction in payments to Legacy kids or whatever. Take your pick of worthy causes.The point was obviously that there would be very little to gain for the Govt to provide $15m to a National sporting club for state of the art training facilities and offices when the Labor Party would just highlight the social unfairness of the decision at a time when expenditure needs to be curtailed. Lose Lose

 

[Hollow Knight]

Maybe I should have used underfunded NDIS or reduction in payments to Legacy kids or whatever. Take your pick of worthy causes.The point was obviously that there would be very little to gain for the Govt to provide $15m to a National sporting club for state of the art training facilities and offices when the Labor Party would just highlight the social unfairness of the decision at a time when expenditure needs to be curtailed. Lose Lose

Abbott did say in QT today that he wants to be known as the Infrastructure Prime Minister.

 

[captainrich]

does it make anyone else feel uneasy that our two board members will most likely have a big financial stake in this potential Springfield site? The Burpengary option was rejected by the board recently i wonder why

 

[Danny3]

Re: the comment about the $10M Oval:

Am I dreaming that the $10M that is talked about is just the cost to do what is required under the development that may or may not be upgraded if the funding is secured to turn it into the Lions new home.

Not dreaming at all — the Burpengary facility (as it currently stands) cost $13M, and I believe the bulk of that was for land clearing, earthworks and turfing.

P.S. Told yas all months ago that MBRC were pro footy


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[Skoob]

does it make anyone else feel uneasy that our two board members will most likely have a big financial stake in this potential Springfield site? The Burpengary option was rejected by the board recently i wonder why

Yeah, not sure anyone has considered this or made the connection.
Money you say?

 

[Tassie4ever]

With other councils giving us offers for a HQ, you get the feeling Springfield land corp needs the Lions at Springfield more than the Lions need SLC to get facilities. we would get decent facilities elsewhere, but SLC is at the wheel, so we know which course Sharpless will be plotting.

I'd honestly like to know where you gain this impression.

As someone here observed, Springfield is solid ALP, Bernie ["we have delivered a surplus, on time, as promised"] Rippoll having comfortably retained his seat last time around, and although I am unaware of any reputable study into this, my bet would be that it is definitely not AFL territory. It might become one, say in 50 years, if we grew something there. Anyway, no votes in it for the Libs.

From the development viewpoint, I just don't get how having the Lions located there would be a marketing plus. I must say I have zero marketing expertise though.

Re repeated suggestions, innuendo etc concerning implied corruption, conflicts of interest etc at Board level, as far as I am aware the businessmen spoken about have unblemished reputations with established track records. I don't think any of them get paid for taking on Board responsibilities. Maybe what we need are businessmen with no track records whatsoever.

I do know this- while we're at Coorparoo we are going nowhere as a club. While it has a good training surface the rest of the facilities are only basic to say the least.

As I've banged on before about, I wonder just what our new recruits must think when they first get acquainted with Coorparoo. This is an AFL club that won 3 premierships in a row? How?

If we aren't going to Springfield for years as seems likely, my vote would be to relocate to Yeeronga as an interim.

 

[wantok]

I'd honestly like to know where you gain this impression.

As someone here observed, Springfield is solid ALP, Bernie ["we have delivered a surplus, on time, as promised"] Rippoll having comfortably retained his seat last time around, and although I am unaware of any reputable study into this, my bet would be that it is definitely not AFL territory. It might become one, say in 50 years, if we grew something there. Anyway, no votes in it for the Libs.

From the development viewpoint, I just don't get how having the Lions located there would be a marketing plus. I must say I have zero marketing expertise though.

Re repeated suggestions, innuendo etc concerning implied corruption, conflicts of interest etc at Board level, as far as I am aware the businessmen spoken about have unblemished reputations with established track records. I don't think any of them get paid for taking on Board responsibilities. Maybe what we need are businessmen with no track records whatsoever.

I do know this- while we're at Coorparoo we are going nowhere as a club. While it has a good training surface the rest of the facilities are only basic to say the least.

As I've banged on before about, I wonder just what our new recruits must think when they first get acquainted with Coorparoo. This is an AFL club that won 3 premierships in a row? How?

If we aren't going to Springfield for years as seems likely, my vote would be to relocate to Yeronga as an interim.

I agree this would be a prudent decision. We should all be consider that the real driver for relocation is financial- not training facilities- and that the location at Springfield provides an opportunity to reduce rent while providing an ideal location for a licenced club brimming with poker machines. Whatever option is chosen it has to provide commensurate financial benefit. I am totally against moving the heart of our club to a location like Springfield but I am all for finding a suitable solution to our financial woes. There are many options if we open our minds. eg.

-retain and upgrade ovals and training facilities at Coorparoo or Yeronga
-Build a highrise Office/Gym/Apartment complex adjacent to one of those locations. We then sell these inner city apartments to pay for the Office and Gym (We have a few developers on our board so this should be a doddle :0) We could even retain a couple of apartments as accommodation for new recruits!
- the AFL could assist with seed finance to get the project underway or we openly partner the project with one of our Developers who takes the profit and we get to keep the office/gym
- Build licenced clubs in the West, North and East. If we can't afford to build the whole lot then we partner with local clubs and provide a cash injection to upgrade their facilities and purchase additional pokie licences etc. with them

Maybe instead of everyone complaining we should band together with a few alternatives to be presented to the board or promoted through the Lions Roar. These are just a few musings/brainstorms of mine others can criticise as they inevitably will but how about a few alternative ideas?

 

[POBT]

Pretty sure no one is giving us development rights over Yeronga or Coorparoo. That is fantasy.

 

[Skoob]

I agree this would be a prudent decision. We should all be consider that the real driver for relocation is financial- not training facilities- and that the location at Springfield provides an opportunity to reduce rent while providing an ideal location for a licenced club brimming with poker machines. Whatever option is chosen it has to provide commensurate financial benefit. I am totally against moving the heart of our club to a location like Springfield but I am all for finding a suitable solution to our financial woes. There are many options if we open our minds. eg.

-retain and upgrade ovals and training facilities at Coorparoo or Yeronga
-Build a highrise Office/Gym/Apartment complex adjacent to one of those locations. We then sell these inner city apartments to pay for the Office and Gym (We have a few developers on our board so this should be a doddle :0) We could even retain a couple of apartments as accommodation for new recruits!
- the AFL could assist with seed finance to get the project underway or we openly partner the project with one of our Developers who takes the profit and we get to keep the office/gym
- Build licenced clubs in the West, North and East. If we can't afford to build the whole lot then we partner with local clubs and provide a cash injection to upgrade their facilities and purchase additional pokie licences etc. with them

Maybe instead of everyone complaining we should band together with a few alternatives to be presented to the board or promoted through the Lions Roar. These are just a few musings/brainstorms of mine others can criticise as they inevitably will but how about a few alternative ideas?

Location has been covered extensively in this thread, those 2 places are not going to happen.
If we can't get the $$$ to be gifted some dirt in Springfield, how are you going to " just build a high-rise" and clubs all over Brisbane?
The AFL has offered money, they won't be doubling it.

Having financial woes isn't always solved by spending big and besides, you've gotta have it or be able to get it to spend it.

 

[POBT]

To be honest, Burpengary is the first realistic alternative I've heard in a while.

 

[notliondown]

To be honest, Burpengary is the first realistic alternative I've heard in a while.

Especially the first with seemingly little cost to the club and with a landlord actually keen to have us as a tenant.

I'm guessing pokie power may be the true impediment but...

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[patfullfankezz]

Something about Moreton Bay Council puts me off.

I'm probably just being silly though.

 

[Hollow Knight]

I have a bit of an issue with us being based at a place called Burping Gary. You just know the NRL trolls will call us the Burpengary Bears.

Can't they rename it to Beachmere South or North North Lakes?

 

[Ironmonger]

I have a bit of an issue with us being based at a place called Burping Gary. You just know the NRL trolls will call us the Burpengary Bears.

Can't they rename it to Beachmere South or North North Lakes?

Far too many syllables for an NRL troll.

 

[chopperduck]

To be honest, Burpengary is the first realistic alternative I've heard in a while.

I think you've just put into words what i've been feeling all week and couldn't put into words myself. This is why us dismissing it has rubbed me the wrong way so much. I've been for a move to the outer suburbs in search of better facilities and improved financial position, but besides a few other possibilities, nothing concrete has turned up. Here we have a very viable 2nd option, and it just seems like it was tossed aside with little thought. We are on our knees financially, having the AFL over our heads and getting involved with our board movements, we've needed their hand outs to keep our heads above water. We are getting smashed in rent from the Gabba, and our facilities are 2nd rate, and here is a solution, very realistic and already half built, and we've said no thanks, we'd rather the option that we currently can't afford and has no guarantee of actually going ahead. It's a bit of a slap in the face, and i don't think we are in much of a position to be that way.

 

[Quigley]

With all due respect to everyone what did people expect to be said wrt the Burpengary situation? I didn't read it as a summary dismissal rather that they remain committed to Springfield.

They made the decision on that front, have a signed contract that commits us and various other parties to that site until July and I can't see it being prudent to publicly jeopardise that funding by going public with any consideration of another site. There are probably strict public comment provisions in the Springfield agreement that the Lions would be careful not to breach publicly.

Once the agreement expires in July I could see Burpengary being revisited very quickly if the deal is still on the table.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Once the agreement expires in July I could see Burpengary being revisited very quickly if the deal is still on the table.

Yeah, there are deeds of agreement in place and various parties scrambling to source additional funding to get it over the line. Until then, the club would be insane to be caught having talks on different proposals which could jeopardise efforts to get the Springfield project off the ground. That sort of thing could get the club into a world of legal pain (Lloydism intentional).

You really shouldn't be rubbed the wrong way at all chopperduck. It's nothing close to a slap in the face. Should the Springfield deed of arrangement expire and the project completely fall over, you can get offended then if the club dismisses Burpengary outright.

 

[chopperduck]

Guess thats right, and im not pro Burp over Spring, it probably still is the best outcome for the club. Ill be very annoyed if the club is unable to move past Springfield if it does finally fall through.

With all the talk of an Ipswich NRL team im surprised they arent going down that path TBH.

 

[Tairy Greene]

Hmmm, maybe if Springfield falls through and Burpen-*******-Gary is rejected maybe the Fitzroy council can put in an offer.

 

[wantok]

Pretty sure no one is giving us development rights over Yeronga or Coorparoo. That is fantasy.

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!
Dr. Seuss

 

[cheekyLionsFan]

Lions stay true: Springfield relocation still on track
The Queensland Times
THE BRISBANE Lions' move to Springfield is going ahead at full steam. The Coalition Government's decision to not honour the $15 million in funding ...

 

[cheekyLionsFan]

But Ipswich City Council has written to the Lions suggesting that the date be extended until June 30, 2015, in order to pursue the funding.

"The (Lions) board's view is that once that formal request comes through, we will look at that favourably," Mr Sharpless said.

The project had been promised $15 million by the former Federal Labor Government under round 5B of the Regional Development Australia Fund.

The current Coalition Government has advised Ipswich City Council that funding from round 5B won't be honoured.

But the council has received a government letter saying $200 million in funding will become available over a five-year period for regional projects from 2015.