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Reds 2019

sunnyboys

Bob Loudon (25)
yes. by adding women's and sevens it opens avenues to funding dollars - and in this way it helps make Ballymore sustainable - this is how it meets the needs of the Reds.
 

Linebreaker

Allen Oxlade (6)
Talking about Ballymore... nice to see the Ballymore kid AKA Junior Laloifi getting a run for the Hurricanes after a huge Mitre 10 campaign.. I think he scored in every game & sharing house with Milner Skudder has to rub off..
 
G

GingerBreadCrab

Guest
yes. by adding women's and sevens it opens avenues to funding dollars - and in this way it helps make Ballymore sustainable - this is how it meets the needs of the Reds.

I don’t want to speak on behalf of Reg, but I think we’re both surprised that there is no mention of Women’s sport at all. Which was always the plan. Heavily emphasising “Sevens” leaves it very ambiguous. I was of the impression that Ballymore was to become the full-time home for Australia’s Women’s 7s, the Wallaroos, the Reds Academy age groups and also the Super Rugby franchise the Reds.
You could also include the QLD Super W team if you chose to.
 

Happyman

Ted Thorn (20)
I don’t want to speak on behalf of Reg, but I think we’re both surprised that there is no mention of Women’s sport at all. Which was always the plan. Heavily emphasising “Sevens” leaves it very ambiguous. I was of the impression that Ballymore was to become the full-time home for Australia’s Women’s 7s, the Wallaroos, the Reds Academy age groups and also the Super Rugby franchise the Reds.
You could also include the QLD Super W team if you chose to.


It would hardly be a surprise that the entity that runs the Stadiums in Qld would not want Ballymore to be upgraded. It would essentially be a competitor to Suncorp for the Reds and the Roar.

One would suggest that the Reds would prefer to play in there own 25,000 seat stadium where they get the gate and the food. The QRU has gone backwards financially since the move to Suncorp. If the Reds had not been forced into Suncorp the taxpayers may have started to ask why over $300 million was spent on a stadium for a private entity being the Bronco's.

I would also suggest people want a more organic experience when attending games the only time large stadiums work is when they are full. The Reds, Roar and Broncos at suncorp with 20,000 or less feels like a soulless empty event.

There is little doubt that the Ballymore precinct is an under utilised piece of infrastructure and is in desperate need of an upgrade but when the stadium is gone it can never be replaced.
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
From the Reds.

The State Government this week released the report of the independent Stadiums Taskforce, which has spent the past six months reviewing Queensland’s stadium infrastructure.

The Queensland Rugby Union made submissions and held numerous discussions with the Taskforce, both about providing a better experience for fans at St.George Queensland Reds games held at Suncorp Stadium, and about the future of Ballymore.

Ballymore has been the spiritual home of Rugby in Queensland for more than half a century, and we’re determined that it remain so.

As has been publicised before, Ballymore has fallen into disrepair, with no significant revenue from the ground to offset maintenance and depreciation costs of more than $1.5 million a year.

That’s money that should be invested into developing the game around the State to support our clubs and schools grow and thrive.

We’re pleased that the Taskforce has agreed with the QRU’s view that the precinct should be redeveloped. We have now completed a detailed feasibility model with CBRE on the plan to deliver long term viability of the site and what will enable the best outcome for Rugby in Queensland.

Our vision is for a world class sports and community precinct delivering a National Rugby Training Centre (NRTC) – the new national headquarters for Women’s Rugby, a new home for the Queensland Reds and a game development hub for the country.

It will mean a redevelopment of the precinct, with the demolition of ageing stands and new world-class high performance facility integrated with a new grandstand with appropriate seating capacity for sporting events such as Premier Club Rugby finals, men’s and women’s professional football matches, National 7s Rugby championships, State club and school Rugby championships and Wallaroo Test matches.

We have had positive discussions with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Sports Minister Mick de Brenni about supporting the NRTC with a financial contribution – similar to recent Government support for rugby league, AFL, cricket and netball.

We’re also well advanced on discussions with the Federal Government and Opposition about financial support.

The Taskforce has recommended that we continue our discussions with the State about a commercial redevelopment of the rest of the precinct to provide an income stream to alleviate the costs and provide more resources for growing our game.

We’re holding discussions with our neighbours at Ballymore to ensure we build not just a world-class sports precinct, but an exciting new precinct which improves amenity to the local community.

We look forward to sharing our vision for a new Ballymore with you early in the New Year.

Redeveloping Ballymore is critical for our game. It’s critical to helping grow the game throughout the state by eliminating the crippling costs. It’s critical to providing the facilities to build a Super Rugby championship-winning team. And the NRTC will help ensure the continued strength of the women’s game, not just in Queensland but throughout the nation.

We’re asking all rugby supporters to talk to your local state and Federal MPs – and candidates in the next Federal Election – and urge them to back Ballymore.
 

USARugger

John Thornett (49)
If the Reds had not been forced into Suncorp the taxpayers may have started to ask why over $300 million was spent on a stadium for a private entity being the Bronco's.

So I see you guys build your stadiums (or at least this one) pretty much the same way we do.. public funding, private profits.
 

Happyman

Ted Thorn (20)
From the Reds.

The State Government this week released the report of the independent Stadiums Taskforce, which has spent the past six months reviewing Queensland’s stadium infrastructure.

The Queensland Rugby Union made submissions and held numerous discussions with the Taskforce, both about providing a better experience for fans at St.George Queensland Reds games held at Suncorp Stadium, and about the future of Ballymore.

Ballymore has been the spiritual home of Rugby in Queensland for more than half a century, and we’re determined that it remain so.

As has been publicised before, Ballymore has fallen into disrepair, with no significant revenue from the ground to offset maintenance and depreciation costs of more than $1.5 million a year.

That’s money that should be invested into developing the game around the State to support our clubs and schools grow and thrive.

We’re pleased that the Taskforce has agreed with the QRU’s view that the precinct should be redeveloped. We have now completed a detailed feasibility model with CBRE on the plan to deliver long term viability of the site and what will enable the best outcome for Rugby in Queensland.

Our vision is for a world class sports and community precinct delivering a National Rugby Training Centre (NRTC) – the new national headquarters for Women’s Rugby, a new home for the Queensland Reds and a game development hub for the country.

It will mean a redevelopment of the precinct, with the demolition of ageing stands and new world-class high performance facility integrated with a new grandstand with appropriate seating capacity for sporting events such as Premier Club Rugby finals, men’s and women’s professional football matches, National 7s Rugby championships, State club and school Rugby championships and Wallaroo Test matches.

We have had positive discussions with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Sports Minister Mick de Brenni about supporting the NRTC with a financial contribution – similar to recent Government support for rugby league, AFL, cricket and netball.

We’re also well advanced on discussions with the Federal Government and Opposition about financial support.

The Taskforce has recommended that we continue our discussions with the State about a commercial redevelopment of the rest of the precinct to provide an income stream to alleviate the costs and provide more resources for growing our game.

We’re holding discussions with our neighbours at Ballymore to ensure we build not just a world-class sports precinct, but an exciting new precinct which improves amenity to the local community.

We look forward to sharing our vision for a new Ballymore with you early in the New Year.

Redeveloping Ballymore is critical for our game. It’s critical to helping grow the game throughout the state by eliminating the crippling costs. It’s critical to providing the facilities to build a Super Rugby championship-winning team. And the NRTC will help ensure the continued strength of the women’s game, not just in Queensland but throughout the nation.

We’re asking all rugby supporters to talk to your local state and Federal MPs – and candidates in the next Federal Election – and urge them to back Ballymore.

Yes mate I actually went to the trouble of reading most of the report.

My points are that the Stadiums are run by a government entity. The political realities are that the reds and the Roar will beetle want more than just the game experience and going to Suncorp is not an event that is enjoyable.

Financially it would be preferable for both the Reds and the Roar to play in a smaller stadium I would also submit that the fan experience would be superior.

The realities are that Ballymore will be redeveloped as some sort of high performance centre and it will be a great venue but it will not serve the longer term requirements of Rugby in Queensland as we will continue to bleed money at a venue being Suncorp that is unviable.

I also note that the report speaks about upgrading Suncorp within the next 5 years as it will be under threat from the new stadia in NSW. If you think the cost of upgrading Ballymore to 24,000 is expensive wait until you see the Budget for a Suncorp upgrade.
 

spikhaza

John Solomon (38)
From the Reds: Redeveloping Ballymore is critical for our game. It’s critical to helping grow the game throughout the state by eliminating the crippling costs. It’s critical to providing the facilities to build a Super Rugby championship-winning team. And the NRTC will help ensure the continued strength of the women’s game, not just in Queensland but throughout the nation.

We’re asking all rugby supporters to talk to your local state and Federal MPs – and candidates in the next Federal Election – and urge them to back Ballymore.


This is code for the state government currently does not consider Ballymore a high priority project and is spending money elsewhere, and we want them to change their mind and push it forward.

Some advice for the QRU - start playing realpolitik and do what the racing industry did and get a crisis happening - then the money will come
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
This is code for the state government currently does not consider Ballymore a high priority project and is spending money elsewhere, and we want them to change their mind and push it forward.

Some advice for the QRU - start playing realpolitik and do what the racing industry did and get a crisis happening - then the money will come

bang on. It's something Rugby in Australia does dismally. Certainly AFL, league and now netball do it a lot better.
 
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