Moving the goalposts: Bowen Hills, not Ballymore, could be pitch perfect

Experts critical of Ballymore’s looming Olympic-fuelled rebirth as a major sports venue say there is a better option about two kilometres to the east at Bowen Hills.

Ballymore, in suburban Herston, has been nominated as the Brisbane 2032 Olympic hockey venue, with the spiritual home of Queensland rugby set to be temporarily transformed with removable synthetic pitches during the Games.

Perry Park at Bowen Hills.Credit: Cameron Atfield

Situated in a residential area and about a 1.3-kilometre walk from the nearest train station at Wilston, Ballymore’s suitability has come under question because of its lack of high-capacity transport options.

The Brisbane City Council-owned Perry Park, meanwhile, is about 50 metres from Bowen Hills train station.

But counting against the long-term home of Queensland soccer was its size — about four hectares, compared with Ballymore’s 10.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Ballymore was chosen because its site footprint would meet Olympic requirements.

“Those requirements include that the venue needs to incorporate two competition fields, grandstands for 10,000 and 5000 spectators respectively, and an adjacent warm-up field,” he said.

Perry Park has two full-sized fields, but whether there was space for the required temporary seating for both pitches would need investigation.

Griffith University Cities Research Institute deputy director Matthew Burke said, regardless of the Olympics, Perry Park made more sense as a secondary rectangular venue to complement the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium.

“Perry Park, I’ve always thought, is the place where a bespoke football — and I mean football — stadium would work in Brisbane,” he said.

“It’s not too big for women’s games, it’s not the beast that is Suncorp [Stadium]. You’re going to make money on 5000 people showing up.

“That’s the kind of infrastructure needed for that code and it would allow the Roar to return [to Brisbane].”

The Brisbane Roar A-League Men’s team has been playing most of its matches in Redcliffe because of costs and, in part, Suncorp Stadium’s crowded calendar.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner seized on that scheduling squeeze in September, adding to calls for a boutique rectangular stadium close to public transport.

Burke, an expert in urban planning and public transport, said Perry Park was the “ideal” place for such a stadium.

“It’s not just me saying that,” he said. “That’s been voiced in a number of public forums by many prominent people in sports industries.”

Federal Greens MP Stephen Bates, whose Brisbane electorate took in both Perry Park and Ballymore, also sided with the Bowen Hills venue.

“You don’t want to plop a stadium somewhere where you’re going to piss off the entire local community,” he said.

“You want to spend money properly, put it somewhere that has access to public transport, that people can easily access and that is crying out for redevelopment.”

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said in July the sport would make a concerted effort to ensure it benefited long-term from major international events, such as next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2032 Olympics.