Gold Coast elite sports training centre: First look at Carrara development which will become Titans home
The Gold Coast will be rebranded as a hub geared for high performance sport, with the first images of a planned elite sports training centre unveiled. FIND OUT MORE
Council
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The Gold Coast will be rebranded as a hub geared for high performance sport, with city leaders working to sell the Glitter Strip as a place to for athletes and teams to train, work and play.
Council tender documents obtained by the Bulletin reveal the city’s pitch for sports, as well as the first images of what a planned elite sports training centre, which is tipped to become the new home of the Gold Coast Titans, will look like.
The new performance centre is earmarked for a site at Carrara on Lakeside drive, with two potential layouts – A field next to the complex, or another in the heart of the sports precinct next to People First Stadium.
Both are already owned by council, with the tender documents revealing council is planning to build sporting fields there for community use by 2027-28.
“We encourage proponents to create a vision that includes: co-location options for other sports bodies, codes or organisations, support for grass root talent pathways, the advancement of gender diversity and accessible sport, sports technology as it relates to our health and education sectors.
“Collectively, these aspects will solidify the Gold Coast’s reputation as a premier sporting destination on the international stage.”
Mayor Tom Tate said sport was a “serious business” for the city.
“The growth in economic return has been huge in recent years, so we need to keep exploring new opportunities in the lead up to 2032,” he said.
“Not only is there growth in the numbers of Gold Coasters employed in the sector, but it also drives visitation and great economic return to the city.”
The complex is tipped to become the new home for the Titans.
It’s understood the Titans’ current lease at Parkwood Village ends in 2026.
The site will be redeveloped for a $300m project including a 300m-long surf park, a $10m refurbished golf course, a hotel, 225 residential units and a food and beverage district.
Titans CEO Steve Mitchell earlier this year said the club had outgrown its existing facilities.
The tender documents reveals the sports industry will employ nearly 4000 more people by 2030 than it does today, taking the field to 16,000, a 37 per cent increase on 2020.
Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn said sports tourism was critical to the future of the economy.
“We know that sport tourists will travel across the country to watch their favourite teams
or athletes compete, but fans will also travel for the chance to see them train,” he said.
“Investing in the development of high-performance centres and training facilities provides another opportunity for us to attract these sport tourists to our city which in turn supports our
visitor economy.
“It also affords us the opportunity to grow the city’s sporting ecosystem over the next
decade and beyond in the lead up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
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