Queensland hockey officials question Ballymore push for 2032

Two of Queensland’s long-serving hockey administrators say few people in Queensland Hockey understand why Queensland’s State Hockey Centre is being bypassed for the Olympics and Paralympics in 2032.

Ballymore – Brisbane’s former home of rugby union – is being considered as a temporary location for the Olympic and Paralympic hockey.

The Ballymore plan is for temporary hockey facilities to be removed after the 2032 Games and the former rugby ground to become an “elite rugby training centre” and home to the Queensland Reds and the women’s rugby team, the Wallaroos.

Ian Harcla, director of Brisbane Hockey Management Group, at the new Brisbane North Hockey pitch at Chermside.Credit: Tony Moore

Ian Harcla, director of the Brisbane Hockey Management Group, made the comments at the opening game of the new Brisbane North Hockey Ground at Chermside, which could become an Olympic training facility.

“They still haven’t chosen a hockey site for the Games,” Harcla said.

“For the competition for the Olympic Games we are still waiting for the panel and then the [Olympic sports] committee to come up with their decision,” he said.

Harcla said in the original bid documents the idea was to “drop in a pitch at Ballymore.”

“The problem is when Ballymore converts back to football, the pitch gets ripped up and unfortunately Brisbane does not get a legacy hockey facility,” he said.

“That is something we really need because Brisbane is the biggest hockey centre in Queensland, and we are probably short a couple of turf pitches.

“It would be nice if the Olympics solved that problem for us.”

Queensland’s State Hockey Centre at Colmslie has two international standard hockey pitches.

Harcla said the State Hockey Centre at Colmslie on the Brisbane River should be upgraded.

The facility has two international standard water-based synthetic hockey fields with international standard lighting and a stand for 500 people, plus conference facilities.

“That is just over the river from the Games Village at [Hamilton] Northshore. It can be upgraded, and maybe put in an extra field or the Games.”

“It would be preferable because hockey would get a legacy after the Games for the future, whereas with Ballymore we wouldn’t get anything.

“If you compared the two, the State Hockey Centre would win hands down.”

Harcla said Ipswich, Toowoomba and the Gold Coast – outside Brisbane – all have good hockey facilities.

“But I believe the lord mayor was pressing for hockey – as a team sport – to be held in Brisbane.”

Brisbane North Hockey Centre president Greg Swann – who has spent almost 30 years in hockey administration – agreed Ballymore was not a long-term option for hockey in Queensland.

“My concern is that if they put a hockey field at Ballymore it will only be temporary,” Swann said.

“The Hockey Centre is there and the logic to me is that the Olympic Village is across the river, and you could run a 10-minute ferry trip across the river from the Village to the Centre,” he said.

He said he was not involved in the Olympic Games sports site selection process.

“But purely from a Brisbane Hockey perspective we are just wondering what the legacy will be if Ballymore is chosen.”

He said many people were aware that Ballymore had local flooding problems.

Swann said Colmslie’s Queensland State Hockey Centre would need to be upgraded for the Games in 2032.

“It has the two fields, but it probably needs more spectator and grandstand type facilities.”

Legacy is important to the International Hockey Federation as it considers temporary pitches for the Olympics.

“Providing the use of this technology does not compromise the long-term legacy benefits to hockey in the host country, the FIH endorses its use whenever there is a benefit in either locating one or more of the Games’ fields in an existing sports stadia, or building temporary fields that can be relocated to other locations following the Games,” it said.