The Queensland Government has confirmed that there will be $300 million funding commitment for Sunshine Coast’s Olympic venues, including a $148 million stadium upgrade to host football matches.
The Sunshine Coast Stadium will receive a $148 million upgrade to ensure it attracts world-class sport, recreational and entertainment events.
On top of the stadium upgrade, there will be a $142 million commitment towards improving the new Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre, connected to the Kawana Sports Precinct. $14 million has also been committed for the Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Centre.
The stadium upgrade will include with two new grandstands boosting its permanent seating capacity to more than 10,500, with the existing grass mounds at either end giving the venue a total capacity of approximately 14,500.
During the 2032 Olympics, additional temporary grandstands will be installed boosting its capacity to 20,000 where it’ll host football matches.
The stadium is proposed to host the football preliminaries and quarter-final matches during the Games, but the upgrade will benefit the community, including its Rugby League tenants with a potential in the future to locate a larger scale football club in that ground once the National Second Tier exists.
The dual projects, which will see the Kawana precinct become a hub of community and elite sport, can be a barrier broken down for a potential Gold Coast A-League or NST club to build using one of the city’s best rectangular stadiums.
Early site works including the demolition of the existing western grandstand are expected to commence later this year, with construction earmarked to start in 2025 and be completed in 2027.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli mentioned how this funding would be a game-changer for the region and it’s professional sporting future.
“Today’s funding announcement follows years of research and planning and will deliver lasting economic and social benefits before, during and after hosting the Games,” she said in a press conference.
“The validation process the projects went through, including independent panel reviews, was extensive and demonstrated the importance of these venues for our region.
“These venues will provide high-quality competition and training facilities for our local athletes, increase participation in sports and recreation across the region, and will have capacity to host major sporting events.
“That, in turn, attracts more tourism dollars which benefits our local businesses and their staff.
“I want to be very clear – these venues are being built for our community.
“They will provide a place to train, to play, to watch our favourite teams and to cheer on our kids from the sidelines.
“Importantly, these venues will be leading-edge in accessibility to accommodate the many para-sports, athletes and spectators in our region.”
This is an important step forward in the Sunshine Coast across all sports as they prepare for a massive 2032 Olympic Games, and clearly the stadium upgrade has the potential to play a big role with football in Queensland if used correctly outside of the games.
