New NQL Stadium

Discuss stadium news, redevelopment, construction & future stadiums.
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beaves NQ
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Re: New NQL Stadium

Post by beaves NQ »

it looks nothing like DFS????

It's a Skilled Park clone from the Gold Coast with an additional 3k seats.

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Egan
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Re: New NQL Stadium

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Boba Fett wrote:WHy on earth would you even think about building an E-W stadium in this TV dominated day and age? Seems insane to me...

Still, those Queenslanders do love to build new stadiums. Must drive anyone from Perth nuts...
Has for many years...

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beaves NQ
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Re: New NQL Stadium

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http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/ar ... _news.html
Image


A CONCEPT plan for Townsville's new inner-city $185 million sporting stadium has been revealed for the first time.

The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys have launched a bold bid to construct a football stadium in the city heart to replace the dilapidated Dairy Farmers Stadium.

The concept plan identifies a 17.28ha parcel of land bounded by Saunders St, and currently owned by QR National, as the ideal site for a new international standard stadium.

The 30,000 seat stadium would include 100 open-air corporate boxes and 25 enclosed corporate suites.

Two 450-seat function rooms and 24 permanent food and beverage outlets are included in the plan.

The ground would also include two 60 sqm video replay screens, four radio broadcast booths, two television commentary booths, a TV presentation suite and a press conference room and media lounge.

The concept plan, which has been delivered to the State Government, indicates it would cost $185 million to bring Dairy Farmers Stadium up to standard.

Master planning and analysis of Dairy Farmers conducted as part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Bid suggested a total redevelopment of the site and outlined key issues including the growth rate of the surrounding suburbs and incompatibility of hosting major events in an expanding residential centre, with limited public transport access.

The grassed hill area, while noted as a point of difference to other Queensland venues, was said to be increasingly unpopular with many hiring companies preferring a full seated venue.

Major disruption to hirers during construction resulting in falls in revenue was also noted as a hindrance to redevelopment.

The city site was deemed superior in terms of its location and accessibility and would be delivered at a similar cost to redevelopment of Dairy Farmers, which was originally converted from a horse track to meet minimal NRL requirements in 1995.

The bid book makes numerous references to Premier Anna Bligh's vision of Townsville as the "state's second capital - a rival for Brisbane in terms of economic, cultural and social opportunities". While the State Government has reacted optimistically to the plan, key ministers said securing the land from QR would present the biggest hurdle.

However, the plan states that relocating the existing rail yards to Stuart was consistent with the principles outlined in the Townsville Port Authority Master Plan 2010-2040.

Cowboys management yesterday spoke for the first time about the well-guarded plan for the new sporting facility.

Cowboys chairman Laurence Lancini said relocating the home ground to the inner-city would not only benefit the club, but the city as a whole.

"Nationally and internationally, if you look at the statistics on new stadiums built close to cities (it) helps the revitalisation of cities," he said. "It certainly helps the valuation of properties around the stadium and helps the establishment of other reciprocal business, such as restaurants, hotels and the many users that would surround an entertainment facility."

Mr Lancini said when the Brisbane Broncos moved to Suncorp Stadium, "membership and attendance basically doubled overnight".

"If you look at most major cities a stadium is an entertainment venue and most cities have a stadium close to the city," he said.

"As far as Dairy Farmers Stadium, it's been a facility that's been good for us for many years.

"But we are a national sporting club and unfortunately we have to compete for our corporate sponsors, major sponsors and the people who our attend our venue.

"It's very difficult for us to compete, particularly with the corporate market, where competitors have facilities that are far superior to ours.

"For Townsville this venue will be a great entertainment venue for concerts and other sporting events that could be brought to the city.

"This facility would be fantastic for our city, particularly if the Gold Coast is successful with their Commonwealth Games bid for 2018.

"If we've got a facility like this it obviously enables a lot of those teams to be able to be based here for pre-games training."

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quidgybo
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Re: New NQL Stadium

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Interesting thought. With Townsville's one and lonely passenger rail station within walking distance of the proposed site, I wonder if there'd be enough demand for a game day train from Cairns and Mackay? A hell of a lot safer than a four hour drive each way on an undivided highway.

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Re: New NQL Stadium

Post by cairnscowboy »

beaves NQ wrote:it looks nothing like DFS????

It's a Skilled Park clone from the Gold Coast with an additional 3k seats.

you take the roofing off its almost identical save for the hills

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beaves NQ
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Re: New NQL Stadium

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http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/ar ... _news.html

PREMIER Anna Bligh said if the Cowboys kept winning she would consider a new football stadium for Townsville in a hollow visit yesterday that resulted in no new promises or announcements.

While Ms Bligh said she remained committed to rejuvenating the CBD and transforming the city into the state's second capital but failed to put her money where her mouth is.

Ms Bligh was in Townsville to officially turn the first sod on the $118 million cruise ship terminal, to which the State Government committed $36.16 million, and address abusiness function.

She enthusiastically espoused the opportunities for the region in terms of tourism, the mining boom and revitalised CBD and reiterated the State Government's commitment to boosting the CBD population with the construction of 10,000sq m of office space to centralise public servants currently scattered throughout the city.

"The daytime activity that a large workforce brings in and around the beautiful new reopened mall, is part of growing and revitalising the CBD in Townsville," Ms Bligh said. However, she would not commit to two other big-ticket items that would boost inner-city activity: the new Townsville Convention Centre and inner-city Cowboys stadium to replace Dairy Farmers.

While Federal and local governments have both committed over $46 million to the convention centre, it needs the State Government to match the contribution to proceed.

Ms Bligh said the project was one of "seven possible turbo-chargers for the Townsville economy into the next decade", however further research was needed to determine whether the project was viable.

"We've committed to have a really good look at that - the worst thing that could happen is a convention centre that isn't viable and we don't want that to happen so we're having a really good look at a business case before we make any final decision on it."

Similar centres in other cities including Cairns and Brisbane have been fully funded by the state.

Ms Bligh said the inner-city football stadium may move on to the radar should the Cowboys keep winning.

"It was a great blow when Australia lost the World Cup bid because that would have been a catalyst for a significant new facility as part of the Cowboys ground," she said.

"(Thuringowa MP) Craig Wallace has been talking to me for some time about the possibility of improving the grounds at the Cowboys, that's something that right now we don't have a budget allocation for ... but if the Cowboys keep doing as well as they did last season, I have no doubt this would be something that comes closer and closer to the top of the radar."

Townsville Enterprise CEO David Kippin said the convention centre would deliver huge potential for the event and business tourism market.

"In a lot of ways, Townsville is a victim of its own success because of its strong base it is a bit protected from the economic downturn."

Ms Bligh will today meet stakeholders in the Townsville Futures Plan, a 20-30 year blueprint for the city.



What an absolute f$#*ing joke that she has said this publicly about the cowboys needing to win before she will commit the money, the people of SEQLD wonder why us up here have a huge amount of resentment towards them and the state government when we hear this sort of crap. Was the same caveat placed upon the Titans and Broncos when their stadiums were built??? Of course not.

I just shake my head sometimes.

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Jeffles
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Re: New NQL Stadium

Post by Jeffles »

Tying it to results is poor form. No other club has had that criterion, even the GC Suns. And hasn't Bligh said that Rockhampton would get one in the higher-than-highly unlikely situation that they get an NRL team? She's opening herself up to ridicule.

What she should say is that the need in Townsville at this stage is not as great as Robina or Suncorp or that there are other priorities and it will be assessed at a later date. Personally, the current venue more than serves the Cowboys' needs and a new or extended western stand would increase the shelf life of the ground for around two decades.

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Re: New NQL Stadium

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CBD sports hub plan

THE masterplan for a new entertainment centre will be overhauled to incorporate a football stadium in a "super facility" city leaders hope will secure vital government funding.

The mega-venue, earmarked for Townsville's CBD, would co-locate homegrounds for both the Cowboys and Crocodiles, while having the capacity to lure international entertainers and conventions.

The proposal would replace bids for a separate convention centre and football stadium in the inner-city submitted to the State Government last year to replace the ageing Dairy Farmers Stadium and Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre.

The heads of Townsville's major national sporting teams yesterday said they had joined forces to strengthen the case for the complex.

Cowboys CEO Peter Jourdain said the concept would provide huge benefits to both the clubs and the city.

"We can see some huge benefits in shared infrastructure and hopefully it will reduce the overall cost," Mr Jourdain said.

"It's better for the future of Townsville to work together.

"We would be trying to get this to work with the overall revitalisation of the CBD."

Crocodiles CEO Ian Smythe said the facility had the potential to be a city landmark, akin with The Strand and revitalised mall.

"It will be a signature project ... an iconic facility that people will be proud of," Mr Smythe said.

"It goes beyond sport. What we're trying to do is create Townsville as a genuine second capital and events city of North Queensland."

Playing fields, administration, recovery gyms and sport science facilities would be co-located for the clubs, while a transport hub tapping into new roads and railway linking the port have also been discussed.

hile the council and the Federal Government have each pledged $47.67 million to a convention centre, the State Government has been reluctant to come on board, instead commissioning a business case to assess the viability of the centre.

Plans submitted to the State Government for a $185 million stadium to replace Dairy Farmers identified a 17.28ha parcel of land bounded by Saunders St, and currently owned by QR National.

That plan included a 30,000-seat stadium, with 100 open-air corporate boxes, 25 enclosed corporate suites, two 450-seat function rooms and 24 permanent food and beverage outlets.

Dean St was earmarked for the 5200-seat convention centre, with 12 meeting rooms, over 300sqm of exhibition space and ballroom and banquet facilities to cater for 1800.

Townsville Enterprise CEO David Kippin yesterday said TEL would be asking for the State Government to revise the terms and conditions of the convention study to incorporate the new football stadium proposal.

"Maybe there is the prospect of a better reaction if we present an arguement of a combined facility."

Premier Anna Bligh yesterday said the government had a good history in putting funds into the "right kinds" of investment in Townsville.

So we've funded the business case. You can't put that much money into an investment until you know it's the right one."

Townsville MP Mandy Johnstone said the government was finalising terms of reference for a convention centre and said the relocation of Dairy Farmers Stadium to the CBD may have to be dealt with separately.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/ar ... _news.html

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Re: New NQL Stadium

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Jeffles
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Re: New NQL Stadium

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Surely with valuable inner city land you'd build a multi storey car park and allow other uses with the spare land?

Anyway, I see the indoor centre has been added which is a good idea, if you can call spending money to replace venues that have not yet come close to reaching their use by date a good idea.

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Re: New NQL Stadium

Post by Rob »

It's interesting that they consider an inner city venue to be a priority.

The reason why venues close to the CBD in big cities are good is because they make use of existing infrastructure designed to transport and accommodate large numbers of people quickly, like freeways, rail lines, car parks, bus stations, etc. And given most, if not all events at a stadium are held when all that infrastructure isn't used( i.e nights and weekends), the idea makes sense. That's why Melbourne's 2 stadiums are so successful.

With small cities like Townsville that infrastructure doesn't really exist. So what's the point of a CBD stadium? Maybe it's close proximity to restaurants, bars and the like. A few extra carparks nearby. But the benefits are nowhere near as great.

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Jeffles
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Re: New NQL Stadium

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It's a cart-horse thing. They want this to be the first step towards revitalising Townsville, two words that on their own suggest the makings of an oxymoron.

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Re: New NQL Stadium

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its silly huh

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Egan
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Re: New NQL Stadium

Post by Egan »

Jeffles wrote:It's a cart-horse thing. They want this to be the first step towards revitalising Townsville, two words that on their own suggest the makings of an oxymoron.
Economics also suggest that the return to the government/economy is stronger for a stadium that is built in the CBD...

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dibo
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Re: New NQL Stadium

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Do they?

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