Tax-paying sports fans should be questioning if a 20,500-seat stadium in Ipswich is the best way to support our glut of teams across southeast Queensland, while such a boutique venue eludes the city centre.
“A Redcliffe team is fundamentally destined to fail. You need a CBD-based team to tap into the commercial and corporate opportunities needed to bankroll an NRL team,” said Nick Livermore, the face of the Brisbane Bombers NRL expansion bid, in March, 2019.
In February of this year, Brisbane Bombers announced they were combining bids with the Ipswich Jets in their push for inclusion in rugby league’s premier competition, stating the bid will indeed be based in Ipswich rather than the CBD.
What? I wonder has changed in these 11 months to make a team based outside of the Brisbane CBD more viable for Mr Livermore?
“League fans who live in Logan or Ipswich will not support a Redcliffe team, so the NRL would essentially restrict its support base to the Moreton Bay region.”
Would the same growth restrictions not apply in reverse to your proposed Ipswich bid?
I am the exact supporter a new Brisbane team would be looking to engage with. I have lived in SEQ all of my life, but supported the Eels since I was seven, for no particular reason.
I’ve attended Broncos games regularly over the years, but they have just never been a team I wanted to get behind. Although, with six premierships to the Eels’ zero in my lifetime, perhaps I should have!
I live in the inner-north, and were a CBD-based team to enter the league, I would absolutely jump on board the bandwagon and get inaugural season memberships.
I don’t doubt that I would head out to Ipswich to watch Eels or ‘derby’ games, but there’s no way I would take the Jets as my (second) team.
Does this sound like you?
Sure, Ipswich is rugby league heartland and likely to gather significant support from locals, but is this what a second Brisbane team has been about ever since it was first mooted?
I thought it was more about staging a game in the CBD every weekend and engaging with rugby league fans who don’t already engage with the Broncos.
Broncos players look dejected after conceding another try (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
The question then is: is a new team likely to pick up more fans playing in place with 330,000 residents, or playing in a place with a several times larger population? If a non-CBD bid was destined to fail in March 2019, surely it remains so in 2021 and beyond?
Beyond analysis of the potential supporter base of a new rugby league team, would the proposed location of this stadium be of benefit to already existing or potentially new teams?
This equity is something we should demand of tax funds whenever appropriate.
A ‘staff writer’ on ftbl.com believes that this stadium would give a boost to hopes of a second Brisbane A-League side.
Being that the ‘Brisbane’ Roar currently play out of a park stadium at Redcliffe, which in itself is not part of Brisbane, many Roar supporters have rightly pointed that to add a second A-League team in Brisbane, you would need an existing team in the city first.
And besides, talk of an A-League team in Ipswich is totally putting the cart before the horse and done totally to build rugby league’s business case for an Ipswich stadium.
In keeping a close eye on these matters over the past years, rarely does the actual football community push for a new team at Ipswich. Any mention usually comes in the context of a new stadium for rugby league and having multiple anchor tenants.
This is not a say football might not work out there one day, but does anyone seriously think it’s a good idea to plonk two brand new teams in an area of 330,000 at once and just hope both will be sustainable?
Money is tough to come by these days and spending on discretionary items such as tickets and merchandise is likely to force many would-be fans to pick between rugby league and football.
Personally, I don’t see that ending too well for football. So, while it is nice for football to be mentioned in all this recent news, they are a mere pawn in rugby league’s stadium plans.
Moreover, we really should not be talking about stadium plans for a football team that doesn’t exist, when we have no long-term suitable plan for an established football team that does exist.
In addition to the Brisbane Roar, I can imagine Queensland Reds and their fans would yearn for a 20,000-seat stadium located somewhere centrally in Brisbane.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
While Roar made the jump to Redcliffe to stop the bleeding of exorbitant Stadiums Queensland hiring fees, I bet Queensland Reds are also looking for a better long-term solution to Suncorp Stadium.
The strong season the side enjoyed with boosted crowds would surely have softened the blow for them for now, but what about moving forward?
So, the business case for Ipswich would see two potential anchor tenants in rugby league and football (I say potential as there is no guarantee that football would want to put a team there even if a modern stadium became available), whereas a business case for a CBD-located stadium might see two actual anchor tenants in rugby union and football, and one potential anchor tenant in a new rugby league team.
Hell, the Broncos might even choose to play a couple of games a season there against the lower drawing teams (or if they continue to languish at the foot of the table for a few more years to come and their “sing when you are winning” fans drop off).
The Ipswich mayor has made mention of the stadium being used for other community-level competitions such as the Langer Cup and Intrust Super Cup, which is vital in spending $250 million of taxpayer funding, but on this front, wouldn’t a CBD-based stadium make a stronger business case?
The aforementioned Langer Cup and Intrust Super Cup could be played centrally, as well as NPL, Brisbane club rugby, concerts and any other organisation that wants to stage an event in the city centre.
So, it is well and good for Ipswich City Council to lobby both State and Federal Governments for $2.5 million to support the finalisation of a business case for a future North Ipswich Reserve stadium, but I genuinely hope that any case is assessed against the business case of a CBD-located stadium.
We should be servicing the teams that already exist in Brisbane Roar and Queensland Reds (and the rest) before worrying about teams that don’t currently exist (in their future guise, anyway – I don’t doubt that Ipswich Jets aren’t an existing team in the Intrust Super Cup).
In the words of Nick Livermore, “I’ve always maintained that the second Brisbane team must have a metro presence.”
Popavalium Andropoff
Guest
It'd be nice to see Perry Park get redeveloped to hold 20,000 people. Since Brisbane already has Suncorp it's got a 'World Cup compliant' stadium already - but the Strikers don't appear to have the ambition that a club South Melbourne or Wollongong Wolves do, which is a shame, as I'd rather see the Strikers in the A-League than the Roar. Anyone know if John Van Lieshout (founder of Super-A-Mart) is a football fan?
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
BC Place can also be converted into a Diamond for Baseball as well
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
My main and most important point was that we can not afford another stadium. The health system is in crisis and schools are not far behind, summer soon yet hundreds of schools promised air con in 2019 still do not have it. Our current stadiums are so under used some could be shut. The Carrara Sports Stadium, built for the Com games was used for the last council election re poll voting. Nothing else there since the games. another bucket of cash thrown away
Chopper
Roar Rookie
Case reopened Maxtruck as you have an excessive view of your own importance maybe you should look at the huge list of sponsors that have and still do support the Brisbane Roar. Perhaps you might reflect on the poor performance of the local media who swamp the newspaper and channel nine with NRL and Bronco's information in detriment to most of the other sports in Queensland. Why do the Courier Mail and Channel Nine do so? Because they own a huge stake in the Broncos and Channel Nine have also paid a fortune for television rights to the NRL. Channel 7 have a similar arrangement with AFL so Just be aware that Channel 10 and Paramount+ have bought the rights to Sokkah with an aim to grow the game and of course their business interests.
Chopper
Roar Rookie
Paul their is an inherent design flaw in the Suncorp Stadium in that none of the stairways can be cut off to stop fans who have paid for tickets i9n the lower sections to advance their viewing spectacle in the upper sections. This means staff must be on duty for the entirety of the match to guard against this transgression (at the cost of the participating sport). However when a Queensland thunderstorm occurs (which is quite frequent during the A League season) most of the lower levels receive a drenching because the roof is a signal to tokenism and really another design fault. Let us call Suncorp what it really is an ego strutting relic of Peter Beattie's reign of poor governance.
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
Not saying that. Just saying that Brisbane Roar could use the long term gov/council support for a permanent home rather than having the only A League club in QLD moving around from stadium to stadium. That isn't happening for any team besides Western United which WU are doing deliberately. Or other clubs move around while their permanent stadium is being built. But they end up in the one stadium.
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
Great point. The A League clubs were based on geography just like Rugby and AFL etc. Its a stretch that the A League clubs somehow fund their own own ethnicity or religion. Check out the starting 11 from any A League club and you will see almost every nationality and religion represented. Probably a lot more than AFL or Rugby.
jbinnie
Guest
Maxtruck - you make sly reference to "soccer" being an imported game, having as it's roots ethnic and/or religious motivations. Would you care to expand on that thinking and tell us what game played in Australia has it's roots based primarily on our traditional indigenous peoples?. Will await your answer with great interest. Cheers jb.
Jordan
Guest
Fair point regarding the first part of your comment. Roar had a severely disrupted season 20/21, with four home matches originally scheduled for the weekend, postponed to a weeknight match due to Covid-19. This included their season opener and an Anzac day match, two games where a larger than average crowd was anticipated. Moreover, there have been many a southside resident that have flat out stated on social media they cannot make it out to Redcliffe, especially for midweek games on a school night. The change in venue has caused a big disruption amongst the fanbase. The team also had similar disruptions for season 19/20, the last season at Suncorp. Their schedule was such that the bulk of their home games were in the second half the season in the lead in to finals. Covid-19 obviously put pause on the competition, and when it returned, Roar were forced to play all over their remaining home matches interstate to no crowds. This included a home finals match which was played in NSW rather than Brisbane. Were a 15k-20k stadium to exist somewhere centrally, I have no doubt that Roar, Reds and new NRL team would consistently sell it out.
Jordan
Guest
https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/brisbane-roar-ramp-up-plans-for-60-million-new-home BRFC have also shown a general willingness to come to the party if state and federal governments are. Really just wanting the same deal a women's AFL team have been given. The difference is that stadium will have one tennant playing a smattering of games each season, whereas a 15k venue at say Davies Park could be used by football, rugby and rugby league, men and women's teams of course.
Jordan
Guest
Yes being that the AFL and Brisbane Lions contributed $10 million of the $70 million for the stadium out at Springfield, it would be reasonable for football and rugby to do likewise for any new facility. The reports concerning the $250 million Ipswich Reserve stadium don't make any mention of requiring contributions from the NRL and/or A-League as far as I can see?
Jordan
Guest
Good on you and your fan philosophy, but you have no right to tell others how they engage with their own fandom. I'm not saying I start wearing Dolphins jersies and state them as my team to anyone that asks, but when deciding to pick a Brisbane game to watch live, I would choose Dolphins over Broncos. Instead of attending 2-3 Broncos games a season as a neutral, I'd attend 10+ Dolphins games a year as my second team. I hope this approach is agreeable to you.
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
Brisbane is their home though....
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
There is absolutely no need for a 2nd stadium in Brisbane full stop. Play at Suncorp or go home.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
If you were a true Eels fan there is no way you would consider supporting any other club. Eels fans bleed B&G, and we would never support any other club for pure convenience.
Jordan
Guest
Regardless of any religious, cultural or ethnic links, football is the most popular participation sport for Australian people. The international export opportunities for young talented football players doesn't exist for AFL or NRL so it is not unreasonable for football to receive it's share of facilities including not just suitable stadia but grassroots facilities. Because thats where the participation base lies across the country.
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
Not prop them up, but ensure they have a stadium to play out of. No one said anything about funds. Maybe it is one and the same but it's still 200,000 queenslanders participating in football.
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Not shut them down, or stop supporting them, but if minority sports think the public purse should prop them up they are kidding. And the Brisbane soccer team is 100% privately owned. Why should state funds be diverted from kids health and sports to grow an ethnic and cultural based club sport in Brisbane. And lets not put our heads in the sand, soccer clubs Brisbane and Gold Coast are mostly based on religious, cultural & ethnic links. Not using funds for the good of the sport but to support their own cause.
elvis
Roar Rookie
This isn't Soviet Russia, the government isn't the one telling people what to do.
Winter A League is Awesome
Roar Rookie
Brisbane Roar still have a higher turn out than some QLD Rugby teams. Should QLD shut them down too since the case has been closed?