Batter’s up for Brisbane’s newest sports bar, Ballpark Portside

A camping trip dream between mates is about to become a reality, as Brisbane’s newest sports bar prepares to open at Portside Wharf.

Event manager Kayla Jean, duty manager Harriet Morton and co-owner Ashley Johnson at the new bar Ballpark. Picture: Liam Kidston

A new baseball sports bar launched at Portside Wharf will see patrons swinging a bat while also swigging a beer.

Ballpark offers interactive baseball games and is brainchild of friends Ashley Johnson, Ben Holcroft and Jack Jones.

Johnson and Holcroft first floated the idea during their annual camping trip, but they put the plan into action, recruiting Johnson’s construction industry knowledge, in late 2023.

“What little boy hasn’t wanted to open their own bar?” Holcroft said.

Jones added: “I’m a diehard (Cincinnati) Reds fan and I thought the idea of batting cages was really cool and would do well.

“From the start its just been about making a pub that we want to come to ourselves.”

Patrons at Ballpark can step out of the bustle of Portside’s dining precinct and into an American sports world, complete with state-of-the-art interactive baseball training rigs and tracking cameras, dartboards and pool tables, serviced by a bar, cafe and nearby restaurant Dumbo.

The batting cages allow guests to step inside a game simulation where they can grab a bat, step up to the plate, and crack a soft baseball pitched out of a game display wall at up to 80km/h.

The owners said they deliberately chose to opt out of having a kitchen onsite, in an effort to maximise space and minimise overhead, especially with the perfect partner opening nearby, and have hopes to partner with more Portside venues that align with their offering.

Ballpark Portside is open now.