New vision for Brisbane sports precinct after changes to Games plan

Brisbane City Council has struck a new deal with Brothers Rugby Club that will allow for an upgrade of its facilities in Crosby Park at Albion.

Following confirmation of the club’s new 25-year lease, work will soon begin on a new indoor sport and recreation centre, additional carparking and the introduction of learn-to-swim classes.

A new clubhouse, café, gym, function room, public seating and change rooms to cater for the growth in female players is also planned.

An artist’s impression of the new facilities planned at Crosby Park in Albion under a deal between Brisbane City Council and Brothers Rugby Club.Credit: Brisbane City Council

Allied health services may also be co-located on site to benefit users and the broader community.

The new lease helps resolve the fate of a vast swathe of land at Albion, which was set to be reallocated as part of a Breakfast Creek Sports Precinct with two new venues for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

After the independent review of venues earlier this year, the state government agreed to allow Racing Queensland to keep its raceway at Albion Park, and to move the planned Brisbane Indoor Sport Centre to Boondall or Zillmere.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the deal with Brothers would ensure the local community still benefited from improved facilities ahead of the Games.

“Brisbane is Australia’s lifestyle capital and by investing in grassroots sports we can help make it even better for years to come,” Schrinner said.

Brothers president Geoff Rodgers said the club was aiming to become a hub for the local community, whether through sporting and social venues or leisure and recreational outlets.

“But the bottom line is that we must upgrade our amenities – which really haven’t had any major additions since the early 1980s – to keep pace with this heightened community demand,” Rodgers said.

Brothers Rugby Club will bolster its position in Albion after changes to the venue plan for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.Credit: Brisbane City Council

“As a modern club, over 40 per cent of our members are female, and we host many participants requiring disability access. Being able to safely cater for all of our participants, whilst maintaining a safe, open and freely accessible space for the entire community – including embracing environmental protection and sustainability – is now essential.”

The government has yet to decide whether the Brisbane Indoor Sport Centre will be built at Zillmere or Boondall.

Racing Queensland plans a mixed use development around the raceway, to complement new residential towers planned around Breakfast Creek.