What a boutique stadium would mean for Gold Coast rugby union, rugby league and football

WHAT would the construction of a 5000-seat boutique stadium mean for Gold Coast football codes? The Bulletin spoke to the men that matter to find out.

WHAT would the construction of a 5000-seat boutique stadium mean for Gold Coast football codes? The Bulletin spoke to the men that matter to find out.

RUGBY UNION

GOLD Coast and District Rugby Union chairman Kim Bending is calling for a football code truce to bring the city’s boutique stadium dream to life.

With the proposed rectangular stadium potentially opening a world of possibilities for GCDRU, Gold Coast Rugby League and Football Gold Coast, Bending said the governing bodies should work together to deliver the key piece of sports infrastructure.

In an ideal world, Bending said the stadium would include office space to house the administration headquarters for each local organisation.

NEW COAST STADIUM?

“At the end of the day, sport at whatever level is a challenge and at our level, bringing grassroots through is a major challenge. Therefore, something like this is an aspiration but it’s not unachievable and I believe if the three sporting bodies did sit down and start a discussion, I think it would take our local sport to another level,” Bending said.

“If it was built with office space, we could base our office at the ground and the others could do the same. There’s a fair bit of work if we want to move in that direction.”

Gold Coast and District Rugby Union chairman Kim Bending. Picture: Jerad Williams

RUGBY LEAGUE

FORMER Burleigh Bears veteran and current Currumbin coach Ryan Gundry says the lure of playing in the proposed Gold Coast stadium could help keep local talent in rugby league.

Gundry, in his second season at Currumbin following an eight-year Queensland Cup career with the Bears, believes players in Gold Coast representative teams would relish the chance to play in the shiny new facility.

“I think (the stadium) would be a fantastic idea,” Gundry said.

“I was up at Runaway for the South Coast under-11 and 12 trials (yesterday) and something like that, if it’s central to everybody, it could hold all those type of things.

“We’ve got the under-11 South Coast carnival on the Gold Coast this year and there’s nothing more appealing than for a young kid to run out at a boutique stadium like that. It would also give us a centre point to play our local grand finals.”

FOOTBALL

SPORTS Gold Coast’s vision for a boutique stadium could give Gold Coast United’s mooted W-League outfit a home but A-League fans are likely to miss the party.

United have made no secret of their desire to join the A-League and W-League, with their bid to enter an expanded men’s competition in 2019-20 officially launched last month.

Chairman Danny Maher believes the city needs a second rectangular stadium for W-League fixtures and other high-profile events, but said anything less than a capacity of 8000 meant regular A-League action was unlikely.

“We 100 per cent believe the Gold Coast needs a stadium,” he said.

“We need to join Australia’s Women’s World Cup bid. We need a mid-tier stadium so we can have youth tournaments, so overseas teams come and train and play, for grand finals in all codes, for concerts, for conferences, for many things.”

Football Gold Coast general manager Damien Bresic said the stadium was “something the Coast is crying out for”.

“(FGC) would 100 per cent be interested in being involved in the development, as well as being a prospective tenant. Costing and location are the main concerns,” he said.