Kawana to home new ‘world class’ indoor sports precinct

A Sunshine Coast community sports club will find a new home to make way for a “world class” indoor hub with 11 courts and 6000 seats for the 2032 Games and beyond.

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson and Deputy Premier Steven Miles at the announcement of the new indoor sports precinct. Picture: Annette Dew

The Kawana Dolphins rugby league club is being turfed out from its sports precinct home as plans were unveiled for a new “world class” indoor sporting centre.

With 11 courts and 6000 seats the precinct is expected to co-host 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games basketball events as well as regional and national tournaments including for netball, volleyball, futsal, pickleball and badminton.

Sunshine Coast Regional Council Mayor Mark Jamieson and Deputy Premier Steven Miles revealed the plans on Wednesday which also included the long-awaited Sunshine Coast stadium expansion to bring it to a total capacity of about 16,000.

They said construction would begin in 2024 and the facility would be up and running in 2027.

Kawana Dolphins senior rugby league president Rodney O’Brien said they were made aware of the plans in December, 2022.

“We were given the option not to move by the council but it meant losing two fields so with the 40 odd teams trying to cram into the fields we have at the moment, losing two would've been devastating for the club,” he said.

“We were never told we have to leave, instead we were given the option and where we’re going has more fields and a clubhouse so digging our heels in wouldn’t have done anyone any favours.”

Mr O’Brien said they would relocate to behind the Kawana AFL fields, with the Caloundra Football Club expected to move to a new sports complex at Honey Farm Road.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson and Deputy Premier Steven Miles at the Sunshine Coast Stadium. Picture: Annette Dew

The project would be funded by the state and federal governments under the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games agreement, with the cost to be determined once designs were completed.

Mr Jamieson said Kawana was the preferred venue over a proposal spruiked by Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien for a new Maroochydore CBD convention and exhibition centre which could also host basketball events.

“Kawana has always been the preferred venue and it’s because of the legacy we want to leave for our sporting clubs,” he said.

“We looked closely at Maroochydore and want to have a convention and exhibition centre … but if we’re doing that there’s no room for the sports.

The new indoor stadium concept (looking north).

“So we still want that and I encourage the member for fairfax Ted O’Brien to keep fighting for that but for the sports legacy and for the staging of the games it is by far better to be at Kawana.”

He also rubbished suggestions the sports and convention centre would help secure heavy rail from Brisbane to Maroochydore.

“The notion that staging the basketball for nine nights Maroochydore is somehow going to miraculously change our position in terms of our chances of getting a train to Maroochydore is rubbish,” he said.

“Kawana will be our sporting precinct, in the city centre of Maroochydore we’ll have an athletes village, from there to Kawana and to other points like Alex Headlands and Parklands, down to Kings Beach will all be important sites of connectivity and we’ll be looking to make sure people get every opportunity to enjoy it.”