Pizzey Park an option
THE Burleigh Bears are prepared to work with Sports Gold Coast to make a multisport boutique stadium a reality for the city in the near future – and have already started planning on their own 7000-seat redevelopment.
The Bulletin yesterday revealed SGC’s plans to bring at least one 5000-seat stadium to the Gold Coast as a quality medium-tier venue option that could open doors for sporting fixtures that fall between the elite level of NRL or AFL and the grassroots.
While Burleigh’s Pizzey Park home was not mentioned as an initial target site for the concept, the Bears have revealed they have been planning a major upgrade for some time now.
“We have had plans for over 12 months now to build a seating and hill area that will probably seat between 7000 and 8000 based on the model that has been done at the moment,” said Bears chief executive Damian Driscoll.
“We haven’t gone any further other than conversations with local members.
“It’s one of those things that we have spoken to council and they agree that the Gold Coast needs it.”
Burleigh’s plans had been created without direct collaboration with SGC but Driscoll is eager to meet with the Geoff Smith-led organisation to determine if they can work together on the project.
Smith had said a stadium could be erected in as little as 18 months at a cost of less than $10 million – all they need is land to be allocated before private funding is locked in.
Driscoll said Pizzey Park offered
an excellent location for the project.
“It’s a good position,” he said. “The light rail will run past Burleigh soon on the main road there and it is central to lots of places.
“And there is a need for it, we haven’t got a facility like that on the Gold Coast.”
He added that the club had already internally discussed making their arena open to multiple football codes.
“Yes, definitely,” Driscoll said. “We hosted I think it was a local Gold Coast (football) semi-final two years ago and it definitely would be for union, league, soccer – all those rectangle sports, touch football.”
The boutique stadium concept has already received support from the likes of Titans boss Graham Annesley.