Sunshine Coast Stadium

Last updated

Sunshine Coast Stadium
Sunshine Coast Stadium logo.svg
Sunshine Coast Stadium.jpg
Sunshine Coast Stadium
Location Bokarina, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates 26°44′2″S153°7′34″E / 26.73389°S 153.12611°E / -26.73389; 153.12611
Owner Queensland Government
Executive suites4
Capacity 10,000 [1]
Record attendance15,000
SurfaceGrass
ScoreboardYes, northern end
Construction
Expanded2011, 2017
Construction cost$10 million (2011 expansion)
Tenants
Dolphins (NRL) (2023–present)
Sunshine Coast Falcons
Sunshine Coast FC
Sunshine Coast Rugby Union
Queensland Country (NRC) (2015–present)
Melbourne Storm (NRL) (2020–2021)
Website
sunshinecoaststadium.com.au

Sunshine Coast Stadium is a multi-sport venue located at Bokarina in the Kawana Waters urban centre on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The stadium is the main venue in a sporting precinct that also includes seven fields.

Contents

Development

Sunshine Coast Stadium was first expanded in 2007, at which time it became sponsored as Stockland Park. [2] At the time, there were plans for the construction of a $22 million, 3,700 seat grandstand which would have allowed for the playing of both rectangular and oval based sports. [2] However, following the withdrawal of State Government funds, the project was cancelled and plans were drawn up for a more modest stadium to be built on the site.

Following the cancellation of the earlier plan, a design was drawn up for the construction of a small grandstand on the western side of the main field. Following a construction period that lasted nearly nine months, the grandstand, named the Sunshine Coast Stadium, was opened on 3 June 2011. [3] A main grandstand seating 1,050 spectators under cover is situated on the wing [4] while temporary seating can be placed around the field for rectangular events pushing the seating capacity to 12,000. [2] As part of the focus on sustainability at the stadium, it features a 30 kW solar power system on the stadium's roof. [4]

The venue has hosted national events including a pre-season A-League fixture between the Brisbane Roar and Wellington Phoenix as well as its attendance breaking pre-season NRL match between Manly Sea Eagles and Melbourne Storm, which attracted 8,119 spectators. [5] On 29 October 2011, the stadium hosted a Cold Chisel concert, attracting 15,000 patrons [6]

Grand Final Crowd, 2014 Grand Final Crowd 2014-09-13 17.01.05.jpg
Grand Final Crowd, 2014

In early 2017, a $2.4 million upgrade will be completed. A further 2,500 seats were added bringing the total to 10,000. It opened on 11 February 2017 with a trial match between the Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors. [7]

The record sporting event crowd was set in round 5 of the 2019 NRL season on 13 April 2019 when the South Sydney Rabbitohs beat the New Zealand Warriors in the first ever NRL game on the Sunshine Coast for premiership points in front of 11,912 patrons. [8]

In 2020 the stadium became a temporary home ground for the Melbourne Storm when on 8 July, the club announced that they would play their Round 10, 12 and 13 home fixtures at the Stadium. [9] This was extended on 18 August when the club confirmed their remaining 3 home fixtures, Rounds 16, 18 and 19 would also be played there. The Storm had relocated to the Sunshine Coast in mid June due to the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, preventing them from playing at AAMI Park in Melbourne. This continued in 2021 when the Storm along with the Panthers, Sea Eagles, Knights and Roosters all relocated home matches to the Stadium to continue the season after multiple state lockdowns occurred in the middle of the year forcing the entire competition to be staged in Queensland. In total, the Sunshine Coast Stadium ended up hosting seven matches in 2021 including the stadium's first ever NRL finals match on September 10 when Melbourne hosted Manly-Warringah.

As part of the Redcliffe Dolphins successful bid for a NRL license in 2021, the club intend to play some of their games at Sunshine Coast Stadium from their entry into the NRL in 2023. [10]

Upgrades

International standard light towers were erected at the stadium in 2020. [11] In February 2023, the Queensland Government announced an expansion of the stadium to accommodate Football at the 2032 Olympic Games alongside a new indoor sports facility to be built near the ground. A new Eastern stand will be built as well as a expanded Western stand to boost capacity to 16,000 with temporary stands on the Northern and Southern grass hills to boost capacity to 20,000 during the Olympics. Construction on the new stands is to begin in 2024. [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle International Sports Centre</span> Sports stadium in Newcastle, Australia

Newcastle International Sports Centre, known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knights and Newcastle Jets FC (A-League). It is owned by the Government of New South Wales and is administered by Venues NSW. Due to past sponsorship deals, the ground has been previously known as Marathon Stadium, EnergyAustralia Stadium, Ausgrid Stadium and Hunter Stadium. Newcastle International Sports Centre is also known as Newcastle Stadium when in use during AFC competitions due to conflicting sponsorship reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookvale Oval</span> Sports venue in Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia

Brookvale Oval is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is primarily used by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rugby league team. Brookvale Oval has an approximate capacity of 20,000 people. By the end of the 2023 season, Brookvale had played host to 720 first grade premiership games.

Robina Stadium, commercially known as Cbus Super Stadium, is a multi-purpose rectangular stadium in Robina, a suburb of Gold Coast, Queensland. It is the home ground to the National Rugby League's Gold Coast Titans, this venue sometimes hosts the A-League team Brisbane Roar FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindmarsh Stadium</span> Football stadium

Hindmarsh Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Hindmarsh, an inner western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willows Sports Complex</span> Stadium in Townsville, Queensland, Australia

The Willows Sports Complex was a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was used predominantly as a rugby league ground as the home ground of the North Queensland Cowboys National Rugby League club. The ground was also used for rugby union and soccer. From 2009 to 2011, A-League football club North Queensland Fury called it home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traeger Park</span> Sports complex in Alice Springs, NT

Traeger Park is a sports complex located in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia, and is named after Alfred Hermann Traeger. The park was officially opened by Anne Catherine Smallwood Alfred's younger daughter. The primary stadium in the complex caters for Australian rules football and cricket and has a capacity of 7200. The complex also has a small baseball stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Browne Park</span>

Browne Park is a rectangular football stadium located in the Rockhampton suburb of Wandal, Queensland, Australia. The venue has been the home of rugby football in Central Queensland since 1890 and today also hosts rugby union and soccer matches. It hosted a match of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. The ground was named Browne Park in 1958 as a posthumous honour to long serving president of Rockhampton Rugby League, Jack Browne who died in office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolphin Stadium (Brisbane)</span> Stadium in Kippa-Ring, Queensland, Australia

Dolphin Stadium is a sports stadium in the suburb of Kippa-Ring in the City of Moreton Bay, north of the adjoining Brisbane metropolitan city, Queensland, Australia. Formerly known as Moreton Daily Stadium under a previous naming rights agreement, the stadium serves as the home ground for the Redcliffe Dolphins rugby league club in the Queensland Cup, and NRL club, the Dolphins.

Clive Berghofer Stadium is a stadium in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Situated on Mary Street on the eastern fringes of Toowoomba CBD adjacent to Queens Park and Toowoomba East State School. The ticket counters and entrance are on Arthur Street behind the grandstand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redfern Oval</span>

Redfern Oval is an Australian football ground, in the Sydney suburb of Redfern, New South Wales, Australia. The South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League Football Club played at Redfern Oval between 1948 and 1987. Rabbitoh supporters often refer to Redfern Oval as "The Holy Land".

The 2008 National Rugby League season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, starting on 14 March, followed by four weeks of play-offs, culminating in a Grand Final on 5 October.

The 2011 NRL season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, which began on 11 March and ended on 4 September, followed by four weeks of the finals series culminating in the grand final on 2 October.

Stadium Mackay, currently known as its sponsored name BB Print Stadium Mackay, is a rectangular football stadium situated in Mackay, Queensland, Australia. The stadium is home to the Intrust Super Cup's Absolute Enterprises's Mackay Cutters and Queensland State League's Whitsunday Miners.

The 2017 NRL season is the 110th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 20th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match. Round 1 commenced on 2 March with 2016 premiers Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks playing Brisbane Broncos.

The 2017 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season was the 68th in the club's history since their entry into the then New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership in 1947.

The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League.

The 2020 Melbourne Storm season was the 23rd in the club's history and they competed in the 2020 NRL season. The team was coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for his 18th consecutive season. Melbourne Storm were also captained by Cameron Smith, who had been the sole captain for the team since 2008—making this his 13th consecutive season. The season was suspended indefinitely on 23 March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; however, on 28 April the NRL announced it would recommence on 28 May as a 20 Round competition with a revised fixture.

The 2021 NRL season was the 114th of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Smoothy</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Tyson Smoothy is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has previously played for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL.

The 2022 NRL pre-season was played between 12 February and 28 February 2022, before a 10-day lead up until the beginning of the 2022 NRL season.

References

  1. "Sunshine Coast Stadium". Austadiums. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Aus Stadiums Profile
  3. Opening
  4. 1 2 "Sunshine Coast Stadium". Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  5. Events for Stockland Park
  6. Cold Chisel Concert
  7. White, Jorgia (15 December 2016). "Stadium moves forwaard". Maroochy & Kawana Weekly: 8.
  8. "Cody Walker scores four tries as South Sydney Rabbitohs beat Warriors". National Rugby League. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  9. "Storm front coming for Sunshine Coast Stadium". 8 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  10. "Dolphins to join NRL in 2023, with Moreton Daily Stadium to host games" . Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  11. "Future's looking bright for Sunshine Coast Stadium" . Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  12. "And the winner is ... Olympic basketball stadium site revealed". February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  13. "Plans for new indoor arena and expanded Sunshine Coast Stadium revealed". Austadiums. Retrieved 9 February 2023.