Ballymore Redevelopment


Although the QR Reds now play their Investec Super 14 matches at Suncorp Stadium, Ballymore retains its iconic status as the spiritual home of Queensland Rugby. The ground is still used for hundreds of games during the year, from the Queensland Premier Rugby finals to the junior state championships and grand finals.

Ballymore is probably the most valuable asset in Australian Rugby: neither the ARU nor any other rugby state has anything like it. However annual maintenance costs are a significant drain on QRU financial resources and a way has to be found to preserve this sporting asset for the future.

As you may be aware, Queensland Rugby has proposed a redevelopment of Ballymore into a ‘multi sport community health and fitness centre’. A first step in this strategic direction has also been made with the Brisbane Roar being welcomed as tenants.

A proposal now before the Brisbane City Council involves a specialist sports medicine/rehabilitation centre, accommodation for sports teams and other improvements designed to make the complex initially self-supporting and eventually revenue-generating.

These include a gymnasium, pool complex, additional sporting oval, bike and walking tracks.

The project would also be a jobs-generator: 400 construction jobs, 300+ full time jobs upon completion, $90 million of direct expenditure plus a multiplier of another $90m locally.

The QRU has spent almost two years finetuning its development application and originally was promised a $25m Federal grant from the former Howard Government for a rugby academy.

After the new Federal Government was elected this grant was withdrawn, despite the fact that it would have been the first allocation of federal funding to rugby union in over 11 years - a period in which cricket, soccer, Aussie rules and rugby league each received between $18m-$150m for infrastructure projects.

Other news....

Queensland Government Support

On Thursday, 31 July 2008, Queensland Sport Minister Judy Spence announced $4.2 Million will be provided to develop Ballymore into a hub of sport and recreation facilities for both rugby union and the community.

Ms Spence said the grant to the Queensland Rugby Union will fund the construction of a new 25m swimming pool and the development of a third training field, all to be made available to the local community as well as athletes in training.

What is happening at Ballymore?

The redeveloped Ballymore community and sporting precinct will function as the new home of the Ballymore Sports Academy. This will service:

• The Wallabies
• The QR Reds and other Super 14 teams
• The Brisbane Roar and other sporting teams
• National Under Age Teams
• The National Sevens and Schoolboys teams.

All tests and Super 14 games will continue to be played at Suncorp Stadium.

As part of the redevelopment, recreational, sports, medical and commercial facilities will be provided to ensure the long term viability of the Ballymore site.

These new facilities include:

• Sporting facilities
• 25m pool
• Athletes village
• Office facilities similar to the QRU building
• Adequate on-site parking in accordance with Brisbane City Council requirements
• Public gymnasium and elite sports gymnasium
• Medical centre
• The Queensland Rugby Club
• Possible Rugby Union Hall of Fame.

Ballymore Redevelopment Community Reference Group

In December 2007, the project team took nominations for the Ballymore Redevelopment Community Reference Group (CRG).

The aim of the CRG was to provide a forum for community consultation and information into the Master Planning process for Ballymore. The CRG  also acted as a channel for disseminating information about the project back to the community.

Minutes from CRG meetings can be downloaded in pdf format via the links below.

Back