Wynnum Manly Leagues Club set for grand opening next month after major redevelopment

After almost 18 months of construction and anticipation a beloved Brisbane leagues club is set for its grand re-opening. TAKE A LOOK INSIDE

An iconic leagues club on Brisbane’s bayside will finally swing open the doors to all its flashy new facilities next month after the biggest facelift in the venue’s 41-year history.

The Wynnum Manly Leagues Club is set to hold an invite-only grand opening on May 6 after almost 18 months of construction on the $10 million project, which started in late 2019.

Delays due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which included CEO Craig Thomas having to stand down all staff early last year, stalled the progress of the venue’s redevelopment which was initially scheduled to open in its entirety at the start of 2021.

CEO of Wynnum Manly Leagues Club Craig Thomas at the start of construction in 2019. (AAP Image/Richard Walker)

But after works on the famous Kougari Oval, the home of the Wynnum Manly Seagulls, were finished in June last year and the new cafe and bar inside the venue was opened in late February, the final areas of the project including the new lounge bar and reception will be open to the public within weeks.

Mr Thomas, who was recently ranked among Wynnum’s most influential people, said he was “super excited” the end was near.

Some of the Wynnum Manly Leagues Club staff, Blake Williams and Yasmin John. Picture: Renae Droop

“The staff can’t wait to get in and experience the new areas,” he said.

“We have been employing a number of new team members whom reside local, and always on the look out for more.”

The completion of the project is a huge boost for the bayside considering the leagues club’s history of investing back into the community, which included more than $1.3 million-worth of contributions to local groups and organisations in 2019.

Outside the new and revamped Wynnum Manly Leagues Club

Wynnum also isn’t the only leagues club in Brisbane’s southeast to undergo a major redevelopment over the past year after the Carina Leagues Club completed a multimillion-dollar project for a new outdoor cafe and indoor sports bar.