Boutique multi-purpose stadium could lead to regular major baseball events on Gold Coast

A BOUTIQUE multi-purpose stadium has been hailed as a means to make the Gold Coast the home of baseball in Australia.

A BOUTIQUE multi-purpose stadium has been hailed as a means to make the Gold Coast the true home of baseball in Australia.

Plans to construct an arena with a capacity of between 10,000 and 12,000 have ramped up this week, with the Bulletin revealing Owen Park in Southport is believed to be an ideal site.

Such a venue is desired to cater for a number of sports and entertainment options, including concerts, and Baseball Australia chief executive Cam Vale believes his sport could perfectly fit into the picture.

Outside of the costly option of converting football fields, Australia currently has no stadium suitable for major baseball events such as an international series featuring the likes of Japan and South Korea, or the World Baseball Classic. Perth will soon have the country’s biggest baseball facility at a capacity of nearly 5000.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers played a series at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2014. Picture: Bradley Hunter

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Vale said a bigger multi-purpose venue on the Coast with either grass or artificial turf could see the city become the centre of any keynote series and even spark the return of regular top-line matches in the form of an Australian Baseball League franchise.

“Baseball being part of the broader stadiums solution is a far better model than having our own stadium that is only for baseball because the economics don’t stack up,” he said.

Vale revealed there is “serious Japanese interest” in basing an ABL team on the Gold Coast that would blend foreign and homegrown talent, while a similar model could also work with Taiwanese support.

Baseball Australia chief executive Cam Vale on the beach at Surfers Paradise. Picture: Tim Marsden

The lease on Baseball Australia’s headquarters in Chevron Island is up for renewal in August next year and Vale added a boutique stadium could ensure the Coast remains at the heart of the sport Down Under.

“There is no reason to move from the Gold Coast at the moment but there is also probably no compelling reason to stay,” he said of his office’s location.

“A venue that could host this major content once a year would be the logical location for the national body to have a long-term base at.”