Gold Coast suns skipper ‘disappointed’ stadium upgrade isn’t a legacy project

Suns AFL captain Touk Miller has slammed the Olympic Games venue review, calling it “disappointing.” READ THE FULL STORY

Suns Games

Suns AFL captain Touk Miller has lashed findings from the Olympic Games venue review that rejected upgrades to the club’s home stadium because it was not a legacy project.

The newly-named People First Stadium was touted as a potential location for athletics for the 2032 Olympic Games in former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk’s Games venues review.

Suggestions there was no legacy item have been met with a passionate defence of Gold Coast’s skipper.

Miller is part of a club that wants to see their home ground hit its 23,000 capacity and then push for added infastructure on the back of overwhelming growth in the game and potential success by the club.

“Hopefully in years to come there is going to be a legacy,” Miller said.

“There is opportunity for that in the future for us.

Gold Coast suns skipper Touk Miller ‘disappointed’ stadium upgrade isn’t a legacy project (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“It is disappointing but it’s exciting for our future as well and to look at somewhere down the track that can make (upgrades) work.”

The support from the skipper comes after Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate revealed his council had put forward a review submission offering up existing Coast venues to save about $5b on new infrastructure. But it has fallen on deaf ears.

Tate did not hold back when standing up for the Coast and other regional towns.

“From Cairns to Coolangatta to Mt Isa to Mitchell, it appears regional Queensland has been ignored,” Tate said.

“My advice to the Premier: thank Graham (Quirk) and his committee with this report and put it straight in the bin.

“Let the discussions happen at the Olympic board level (because) there’s a lot of flaws in it.”

The review has sparked major concerns about huge Games infrastructure costs.

“We don’t want the number one legacy from this Olympic Games (to be) a debt burden for Queenslanders,” Tate said.

“The money could be spent on more police, roads, public hospitals all over Queensland.”

With the chance to expand People First Stadium, Tate argued the upgrade could be used for events such as more major concerts, Big Bash and even Indian Premier League cricket matches.

Tate said the Coast had 60,000 hotel rooms which could be used to accommodate athletes without having to build a large athletes village.