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Ballymore Redevelopment

WorkingClassRugger

David Codey (61)
Perhaps we could re-purpose this thread to cover all potential Rugby ground developments

Orange Sports Stadium build is starting

Potentially a great place to play a regional game and get a 10K + crowd in a full stadium.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releas...ks-begin-on-25-million-orange-sports-precinct


Hey, if we go it alone using the 5 Super Rugby franchises and bringing in the two Country squads I can think of far worse regions to use as NSW Country's base.
 

Finsbury Girl

Trevor Allan (34)
Be nice if we got the Olympics and could keep some seating for 5-10k. Looks like London had a 15k for Hockey and Rio was 10k.

Hockey is pretty popular so turning a 15k temp capacity into a perm 5-10k should not be too onerous.
 

Adam84

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Olympics is 12 years away, I’m sure by then we should know what professional rugby in Australia looks like by then
 

Adam84

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
The 'Olympic aspect' keeps getting thrown about from the state government angle because it helps to sell the funding to the wider public, rather than just giving $15million to the QRU(which is what they're doing), it can be sold as an investment for Brisbane's Olympic bid.

Reality is, they'll still need to invest further millions and upgrades in 2030 to make it suitable for the 2032 Olympics, whether that be for Hockey/Football or whatever other sport it may be.
 

The Honey Badger

Jim Lenehan (48)
Hey, if we go it alone using the 5 Super Rugby franchises and bringing in the two Country squads I can think of far worse regions to use as NSW Country's base.

Thats the model I would like to see, and Orange/greater central west would be great place to base a side.

Per capita its probably a stronger heartland for Rugby over the Northern Beaches
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
I hate to say it but this doesn't look good. The State Govt just released their latest Capital Works Program to show all their major programs of investment across the state. It includes sport and recreation facilities such as:

Cowboys Training Centre
Cairns Convention Centre
Gabba Redevelopment
QSAC
Underwood Sports Park

and no Ballymore...
 

dru

Tim Horan (67)
I hate to say it but this doesn't look good. The State Govt just released their latest Capital Works Program to show all their major programs of investment across the state. It includes sport and recreation facilities such as:

Cowboys Training Centre
Cairns Convention Centre
Gabba Redevelopment
QSAC
Underwood Sports Park

and no Ballymore.

That's frustrating. Election looming though.
 

KevinO

John Hipwell (52)
Be nice if we got the Olympics and could keep some seating for 5-10k. Looks like London had a 15k for Hockey and Rio was 10k.

Hockey is pretty popular so turning a 15k temp capacity into a perm 5-10k should not be too onerous.

I would suggest the State hockey center in Queensland would get a upgrade, has the space already. would be similar the vic center got for the com games.
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
I would suggest the State hockey center in Queensland would get a upgrade, has the space already. would be similar the vic center got for the com games.

unlikely. No transport or accommodation nearby makes the legacy of it pretty minimal. Bit a white elephant unfortunately.
 

KevinO

John Hipwell (52)
unlikely. No transport or accommodation nearby makes the legacy of it pretty minimal. Bit a white elephant unfortunately.

For a Olympics, accommodation does not matter. They build a Athletes village somewhere. Transport to the Vic one sucks as well, does Ballymore really want to lose at least 2 fields to play hockey? They would not be the sort of artificial surfaces you can play rugby on either, it would seem like a huge waste of money developing the ground for hockey and than removing the grounds and transferring them back to rugby.

Played both sports, there is no way it works when you have to cement, base layer, impact pad than astro turf a hockey field with full sprinkler system as the grounds are sprayed before and at half time for that level of competition. It's two foot of works before you reach pitch level.
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
For a Olympics, accommodation does not matter. They build a Athletes village somewhere. Transport to the Vic one sucks as well, does Ballymore really want to lose at least 2 fields to play hockey? They would not be the sort of artificial surfaces you can play rugby on either, it would seem like a huge waste of money developing the ground for hockey and than removing the grounds and transferring them back to rugby.

Played both sports, there is no way it works when you have to cement, base layer, impact pad than astro turf a hockey field with full sprinkler system as the grounds are sprayed before and at half time for that level of competition. It's two foot of works before you reach pitch level.

I know about Olympics. I've worked at two, plus the GC2018, and actually worked on the early bid stuff around this one.

Ballymore would be easier transport to the proposed athlete's village / media village than the Hockey Centre. Plus I was talking long term. The State Hockey Centre is not the best hockey centre at brisbane at the moment, and falls behind many regional centres too. It's isolated and was poorly planned.

As for Ballymore, The hockey pitches would be temporary and relocated as a legacy for community sports (perhaps over the creek to Dorrington Park). The legacy for Ballymore is that they would get important funding to help upgrade the facilities (and transport solutions) broader than just playing fields
 

Jimmy_Crouch

Ken Catchpole (46)
Why does it feel like we have had announcements about Ballymore being funded about five f*cking times but nothing has happened? Answer is simple it has. So frustrating.
 

Adam84

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Well, it'll be interesting to see what happens when they submit their amendments to the approved DA, they have selected an architect so we should see it submitted through BCC for approval in the next month or two.
 

Ignoto

John Thornett (49)
I wouldn't bank on it Wilson. Kate Jones just quit, so it probably won't be on their mind until after the election.
 
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