Bond behind venue plans but vow to stay put

BOND University are behind the movement to bring a boutique stadium to the Gold Coast but are unlikely to divert their Queensland Premier Rugby matches there.

Ahead of the official opening of their new clubhouse tomorrow, Bond director of rugby for strategy and plan- ning Luca Liussi said the side now has its own home.

“The clubhouse has made a real home for us,” he said.

“If our premier crowds grew, I’d say that we need to stay here.

“Not taking away from what Sports Gold Coast and Gold Coast Districts are trying to achieve as well because we also want to take our games back to the community.

“We want to continue to do that, so how that fits into the plan, I’m not too sure.”

Liussi said keeping games at Bond was not about financial windfalls but rather building culture and providing an experience for their key stakeholders.

“We have all been looking forward to this moment with the clubhouse so we haven’t really looked beyond that around taking games away from here,” he said.

“The clubhouse is about keeping games here and growing our culture.”

While making clear of Bond’s desire to continue hosting high-level matches, he suggested a new 5000-seat stadium could be perfect to host National Rugby Championship fixtures and is sure the concept would be a good addition to the city.

“The Gold Coast does need something smaller (than Cbus Super Stadium and Metricon Stadium),” he said.

Bond’s clubhouse will be opened shortly before their premier grade side take on Easts in a 4.20pm kick-off.