Brisbane Tigers to unveil new $10m Langlands Park stadium
The unveiling of a new $10m boutique stadium could be a trick up the sleeve of a Brisbane rugby league club hoping to become the NRL’s 18th team. SEE THE PICTURES
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A Brisbane rugby league club has a $10m trick left up its sleeve with ambitions to still become the NRL’s newest franchise despite missing out recently to the Dolphins.
The Brisbane Tigers, formerly the Easts Tigers, who were behind the Brisbane Firehawks NRL bid to become the league’s 17th team are about to unveil a new and improved Langlands Park after a mega revamp to the historic ground.
Sitting adjacent the Easts Leagues Club, Langlands Park will officially reopen next month with the redeveloped boutique stadium expected to seat up to 4000 people – giving a potential future NRL side first-class facilities for a base at Coorparoo.
Brisbane Tigers CEO Brian Torpy said the new stadium was a landmark occasion for the club.
“Our leagues club has worked extremely hard over the years to be able to put us in a position to be able to fund the redevelopment,” he said.
“Our players have the opportunity to train and play on a first-class playing surface and utilise excellent back-of-house facilities.
“Our sponsors and guests have the opportunity to watch matches from the comfort of corporate facilities.
“Our spectators have better seating, are closer to the action, and have improved amenities.”
But it’s not just rugby league who are set to benefit from the new stadium with Torpy saying Langlands Park provides a great host location for many other competitions and sports.
“The stadium also provides an opportunity for the club to give back to the community, through allowing the use of the facilities by community groups and other organisations,” he said.
“The facilities are also flexible enough to be converted into an NRL training venue.
“Being an inner-city location, only 4km from the Brisbane CBD, is a major benefit of the stadium.
“Being a smaller stadium, this makes it ideal for QRL statewide competition fixtures and finals, as well as NRLW games, school competition finals and representative games.
“This makes Totally Workwear Stadium a cost-effective alternative to hiring venues with much greater seating capacity for the demand.
“We have already had interest from other sports such as gridiron and soccer.”
The Firehawks were one of the bids who battled the Dolphins to be the NRL’s 17th team and even had former South Sydney boss, Shane Richardson on board, but were beaten by the team from the peninsula.
And after the success of the launch of the Dolphins into the NRL this season showing there’s a market for more teams in southeast Queensland, Torpy said they were not done with their dreams of being in the top league.
“The Dolphins have started very well, and yes, the Brisbane Easts Group still have aspirations in being the 18th team,” he said.
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