First plans revealed for $170m Ipswich multi-sport arena

Major concerts and professional teams in the national basketball and netball leagues are firmly in the crosshairs if plans for a major indoor arena in Brisbane’s west come to fruition.

Concept plan for the Bundamba Sports Precinct. Picture: Supplied.

Plans for a striking $170 million multi-sport venue in Ipswich have been unveiled, promising to deliver not only much needed sporting facilities but also hotel accommodation.

The Ipswich Basketball Association and Ipswich Turf Club have entered into a heads of agreement to develop the indoor arena in an unused section of the turf club’s land along Brisbane Rd.

The multimillion-dollar centre would include a 10-court indoor multi-sport facility, room for hotel accommodation and a centrepiece 5000-seat show court.

Ipswich Basketball Association president Toni Caldwell said the facility and particularly the show court would allow for basketball and other sports to continue to expand in the city.

Ipswich Councillor Andrew Antoniolli, Toni Caldwell, Ipswich Force NBL1 North women's player Kate Head, Councillor Jacob Madsen, Ipswich Basketball Operations Manager Alex Scanlan and Ipswich Force NBL men's player Merrick Small. Picture: Supplied.

“Our sport has been long-suffering due to the need for new and bigger facilities,” Ms Caldwell said.

“Ipswich misses out on hosting state and national championships simply because we don’t have the facilities to accommodate all of the games that need to be played — the economic development would be amazing.

“IBA and the Turf Club joined this partnership because we both recognised the need for a multipurpose sports facility in Ipswich.

“We have nothing like this in our city.

Concept plan for the Bundamba Sports Precinct. Picture: Supplied

“Everyone has to go down to the Gold Coast or Brisbane for state and national championships.

“Ipswich has a proud sporting history, but athletes lack the first class facilities to train in or to host major events for any of our sports”.

Ipswich Basketball Association has secured a $15,000 grant from Basketball Queensland to put together a feasibility study for the 10-court multi-sport stadium.

This grant is joined by a $2 million funding commitment by the federal government for renovations to the current Ipswich Basketball Stadium which will include two new courts.

The proposal includes 10 multi-sport courts, hotel accommodation and a 5,000 seat arena. Picture: Supplied.

Upon completion, the existing basketball stadium would be used for training elite Ipswich basketball teams.

Ms Caldwell said more money was needed to get the feasibility under way and called on Ipswich City Council to support them.

“I know this won’t be a council owned venue, but it will still be a venue for entire Ipswich community,” she said.

“I’d like to see the same amount of support from council that they have given to the North Ipswich Reserve.

“I would really like to see them put this venue on their advocacy program which the North Ipswich Reserve was on previously”.

However, any funding for major sporting infrastructure is typically managed by the state and federal governments.

A spokesperson from Ipswich City Council acknowledge the growing interest and business case surrounding the proposal.

“In recent months, correspondence was received by council and informal meetings have taken place on a concept developed by the Ipswich Turf Club and Ipswich Basketball Association for a multi-court sport venue in Bundamba,” the spokesperson said.

“Council will continue to engage with the parties involved as this proposal progresses”.

Turf Club CEO Nathan Exelby. Picture: David Clark

Ipswich Turf Club CEO Nathan Exelby said support for the facility needed to come from all three levels of government.

“Obviously it’s an ambitious project and we will require support from both the state and federal government in order for it to go ahead,” Mr Exelby said.

“We need Ipswich City Council to get on board too and assist with funding for the feasibility study.

“At the moment, we are making the case as to why this would be a great thing for Ipswich and the entire community going forward.

“We’re being overlooked in favour of other venues, cities and towns because we don’t have the facilities available”.

The final stage of the proposed project would include hotel accommodation.

“If you build something like this with the accommodation that goes with it, then it would become a one-stop shop for state and national carnivals,” Mr Exelby said.

“We have entered into the heads of agreement with Ipswich Basketball, but there’s a host of other sports that would possibly benefit from a facility like this as well”.

Toni Caldwell coaching Bundamba Secondary College students.

Ms Caldwell and operations manager Alex Scanlan pitched their plan to Deputy Premier Cameron Dick after the state Budget.

“I was lucky enough to be able to show him the plans, present this to him and let him know we were doing a feasibility study to be able to present this for funding to all levels of government,” Ms Caldwell said.

“We’ve met with federal and state government representatives and secured the $2 million to upgrade the facilities at the Ipswich Basketball Stadium”.

Despite a positive response from council, Ms Caldwell said she was disappointed it did not make room in the budget to get the feasibility study under way.

“They recognised the fact that we need these types of sporting facilities in Ipswich and that the city lacks a multi-sport indoor facility,” Ms Caldwell said.

“But it was a little disappointing in council did not make a funding commitment for simply the feasibility study.

“We were lucky enough to get the $15,000 grant as a part of Basketball Queensland’s Facilities Accelerator Program, because they recognise the need for the facility out here as well.

“But that will only pay half of the feasibility study, and we were hoping council would support us on the second half in the budget, but unfortunately that didn’t happen”.