Ballymore capacity to be capped at 8000
Brisbane 2032’s hockey venue is likely to cost more than anticipated following revelations Ballymore’s eastern grandstand is no longer considered safe for use.
The traditional home of rugby union in Queensland is in the final stages of a significant redevelopment, with the new 3010-seat western grandstand due to open in June, part of the $30 million National Rugby Training Centre.
However, QRU chief executive David Hanham said that even with the new facility’s completion, the Herston venue would still be far from finished, with the 4670-seat eastern stand no longer considered safe for use. Steps to the stand’s seating are currently blocked off by fencing.
This means that the capacity of Ballymore Stadium would be capped at 8000, far from the 18,000 it previously held, and well short of the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) requirements for a 10,000-seat main Olympic competition venue. The grandstand at the northern end has also been removed further reducing capacity.
The eastern grandstand officially opened on 21 June 1992, at the time increasing capacity to 24,000. A record crowd of 26,000 crammed into Ballymore the following year to witness the Wallabies defeat South Africa.
The Queensland Reds relocated its Super Rugby home games to Suncorp Stadium in 2006 and the last big crowd on hand was just over 11,000 for a trial game between the Reds and Crusaders in 2015.
No costings have been done, but the QRU believes it may be cheaper to start from scratch rather than refurbish the 30-year-old stand.
Hanham stated that there are two options for the next phase: to either renovate the existing stand or replicate what has been done with the new western stand on the other side.
Whichever option gets the green light, Hanham said that the QRU aims to have the work done in time for the 2032 Games, believing a new eastern stand could be built within 18 months of a decision being made.
Last year, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Ballymore was chosen to host the Olympic hockey because it was an existing venue with necessary upgrades underway. However, the alleged state of the eastern stand, which Stadiums Queensland has previously recommended be demolished, suggests that might not be the case.
A State Development Department spokeswoman insisted that Ballymore could still host Olympic hockey without more major work, stating that the vast majority of the seating set to be used during Brisbane 2032 will be temporary.
If taxpayers money is forced to be used to further Ballymore, it would be minimal compared with other venues being upgraded or built for the 2032 Olympics, with the cost of the Gabba already blown out by 170% to $2.7 billion.
