Ballymore Redevelopment

[Hugh Jarse]

Two Blues have squeezed a commitment out of Labour (OK the tea leaves say something different will happen) for a few $ for their club. Hopefully the Libs will match.

NSW appear to have have secured money for TG Millner development.

Queensland will be a key battleground for seats in the upcoming Federal Election. Time for the QRU, clubs and rugby family up there to step up and get in on the pork barreling for some decent money for Rugby development facilities in QLD.

Why let all the other interest groups and drug cheating sports get all the Federal Money?

Time to lift your game Queenslanders and get your snouts stuck in the Federal feed trough.

 

[p.Tah]

Comparing aerial views of Ballymore to Millner, Ballymore is bigger but is it that much bigger?

 

[Ash]

Comparing aerial views of Ballymore to Millner, Ballymore is bigger but is it that much bigger?

Yeah, 2 to 3 times the size going by aerial views from Google maps. Having been to both, this sits about right from my own feelings.

Did you check that the legend was the same for both?

 

[p.Tah]

Did you check that the legend was the same for both?

Yes, thanks I did
Only been to Millner so I'll take your word for it.

 

[Ash]

Yes, thanks I did
Only been to Millner so I'll take your word for it.

RugbyReg may know more about the size of Ballymore, but it basically sits next to a flood plain. Including the surrounding plains etc, it is significantly larger than TG Millner. I don't know if that floodplain is usable or not, but I would have assumed yes. They had planned to build a village with accomadation for 100 on top of the additional training facilities including new commercial buildings, sports medical centre, gyms, pools, additional fields.

A quick search says that the Ballymore site is a 127,130 m^2.

I think that the vocal local residents would have complained and tried to stop its redevelopment until the bitter end.

edit: A quick search says that TG Millner is 65,000 m^2, so twice as big is roughly right, but TG Millner is more regularly shaped.

 

[Lindommer]

Millner might be "more regularly shaped" but it's not level. And the clubhouse neatly divides the main oval from the two back ovals putting a bloody big building right in the middle of the site. Ballymore's far "better shaped" with the main oval and its grandstands over to one side.

Why doesn't the QRU use its undoubted charm to get the local Herston residents on side? Give them unlimited access to the facilities when they're available. Let them buy discounted tickets for all sporting events there. There must be a lot of other things which could get the locals to support a Ballymore redevelopment.

 

[TOCC]

This has been on the card for years now, but recent moves by the QLD Treasurer Tim Nicholls to declare Ballymore freehold land opens up the development potential of Ballymore and the likelihood of this project progressing.

The article below indicates a price tag of $50-80million, they are likely to chase funding at state and federal level but given the transfer of land to freehold i wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of residential/commericial and small retail development incorporated to offset the costs, similar to the Brumbies recent move.

Artists impression of the new Ballymore project...

Ever since it opened in 1968, Ballymore has been the headquarters for Queensland rugby, but it never quite fully belonged to the QRU, the land having been set aside under a deed of grant in trust. That, too, is about to change. It was announced at the QRU’s recent annual general meeting that Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls has confirmed his support for the conversion of the land to freehold, subject to the QRU submitting to the state government a sustainable, long-term plan for the Herston site.
QRU chief executive Jim Carmichael has many strengths but foremost among them would be his long-term strategic planning, so suffice it to say Nicholls’s solitary caveat should not prove a problem.
Like the Argentinians with Super Rugby, this is the day Queensland rugby officials have long been waiting for.
But Ballymore is virtually unused, save as a training base for the Reds, and is a massive drain on the QRU. As freehold property, with all the possibilities that opens up, it is set to enter a new life as a high-performance and community precinct for all of rugby, while still remaining as a green space for the locals.
Carmichael last year made a study of similar centres in Britain and the US to finetune his thinking on Ballymore’s evolution. Ironically, what he proposes looks to have drawn much of its inspiration from one place he didn’t visit, the magnificent national training centre the French Rugby Federation built at Marcoussis, just south of Paris.
Like Marcoussis, Ballymore would become the aspirational centre players would visit at every stage of their journey towards playing for their country. It would be equipped with state of the art sports science and training facilities that could well morph into a live-in base for the Wallabies and visiting international sides. At the same time it also would serve as an international conference centre and administrative hub — raising yet again the prospect of the Australian Rugby Union relocating there — as well as continuing as a boutique 10,000-seat ground capable of staging national underage championships and Premier Rugby finals.
Precisely how the three-stage $50-80 million complex will be funded, particularly in the current economic climate, will become clearer over time but this is a project five years in the making and the QRU clearly believes the close relationships it has built with the corporate sector will make it possible. It’s not just a sporting/community complex Carmichael intends to construct. He sees it in literally less concrete terms, as a lasting legacy for Queensland and Australian rugby. Not too many of them about at the moment.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...gbys-grey-clouds/story-e6frg7v6-1226903894521

 

[rugbysmartarse]

Well they'll have to throw some money at it now, looks like the roar fans have nicked all the stadium toilet seats

 

[boyo]

Well they'll have to throw some money at it now, looks like the roar fans have nicked all the stadium toilet seats

To match the A-League cup/trophy/thingy (the match was at Suncorp btw)?

 

[TOCC]

At least one team is winning at Ballymore :/

I wonder if the Roar have any stakes in the future Ballymore plans, it would make sense to continue sharing the facilties,.. Anyone know?

 

[BRFC]

At least one team is winning at Ballymore :/

I wonder if the Roar have any stakes in the future Ballymore plans, it would make sense to continue sharing the facilties,.. Anyone know?

The Brisbane Roar have publicly stated that they are close to announcing their own academy & elite training facility within the coming months (courtesy of their billionaire owners). Rumour suggests that it will most likely be a redeveloped Perry Park. Add to this the fact that the Roar's Youth league and NPL teams now play their home games at PP, it looks likely.

Unfortunately this would mean that the BR will likely vacate Ballymore within the next 6-12 months.

The only other issue surrounding Perry Park is the fact that the Brisbane Strikers still run the club from here. I have no idea where they would go.

 

[BRFC]

This looks like an impressive facility, it would be the injection in the arm that the QRU desperately needs. Ballymore in it's current state is a severe financial burden.

 

[gel]

How many replacement windows have they budgeted for?

*edit* - I think it looks fantastic, but not very crowd friendly. Is that the training field or the main field? The position of the pylons suggests to me it is the training field.

 

[rugbysmartarse]

How many replacement windows have they budgeted for?

the smart thing to do in design and construction is to learn from past mistakes, so new Ballymore will have timber doors only - especially around the coaching boxes

 

[RugbyReg]

How many replacement windows have they budgeted for?

*edit* - I think it looks fantastic, but not very crowd friendly. Is that the training field or the main field? The position of the pylons suggests to me it is the training field.

that's the training field. Possibly all weather.

Field 1 will remain the main match field, but total capacity likely to be reduced.

 

[TOCC]

The article indicates capacity of 10'000 for the main stadium, which to be fair is a much better capacity for Premier Rugby finals and future NRC matches.

 

[Melbourne Terrace]

The whole high performance centre thing is great but i don't want to see the stands and hill bulldozed. I genuinely enjoy going to ballymore much more than Suncorp because of the traditional feel of the ground and the ease of standing on the hill with mates compared to all seaters. Touch up the ground and put some cover over the ends sure, but lets keep it somewhat intact for the Brisbane City team

 

[RugbyReg]

The eastern stand they can bulldoze. No special memories there.

 

[Jets]

Also the Eastern stand probably requires quite a bit of upkeep and wouldn't be suited for afternoon games as the sun is in your face.

This looks pretty exciting to be honest. It would be great if something became of all the talk and planning.

 

[TOCC]

It still baffles me that a commercial aspect wasn't included in the TG Milner ARU High Performance project, I wonder if ARU HQ would warm to the idea of basing themselves at a redeveloped Ballymore.. There are obvious pros and cons to the idea.