Brisbane Olympics 2032: Perry Park dream lives on as football calls for transformation
It won’t play host to any matches but Football Queensland is not giving up on it’s dream to see Perry Park transformed into a 20,000 seat stadium in time for the 2032 Olympics.
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It won’t play host to any games during the 2032 Olympics but Football Queensland hasn’t given up hope the Queensland Government will splash some cash on much needed upgrades for Perry Park.
The football ground, at Bowen Hills, is currently used by the A-League’s Women’s Brisbane Roar team and NPL matches. It has a capacity of just 5000.
It was also a training site during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Football Queensland and Football Australia lodged a joint submission to the Queensland Government’s 100 Day Infrastructure Review Panel for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games – calling for Perry Park to be upgraded into a Tier 2 rectangular stadium ahead of the Games.
They were calling for a major upgrade to take the venue to a 17,000-20,000 seat stadium with temporary seating being able to take its capacity to 30,000 during the Olympics.
But the plan didn’t get the backing of the State Government with the plan to instead hold football in Cairns,Townsville and interstate with the finals to be played at Suncorp Stadium.
Perry Park got just one mention in the 2032 Deliver Plan, under the grassroots category.
“Grassroots sports facilities across the State will benefit from enhancements, including upgrades to Perry Park and a contribution to the home of football,” the report read.
It provides no detail about how much funding the government will provide or the extent of the upgrade.
Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci said the upgrades were necessary to ensure the sports’ growth.
“Queensland currently lacks critical training site infrastructure to meet the event requirements of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Football Tournament,” Cavallucci said.
“The recent FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 further exposed these deficiencies, with the state struggling to barely accommodate just four countries in Brisbane.
“Ahead of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 on the Gold Coast, we are currently unable to adequately host national teams, placing Queensland behind many other developed nations in facility readiness.”
Cavallucci said transforming Meakin Park into a State Home of Community Football would leave a legacy training facility that would have the capacity to accommodate three countries during the Games.
“Without significant upgrades, the state risks falling short of international standards, impacting its ability to deliver a world-class tournament at the Games,” he said.
Cavallucci said reinventing Perry Park as a Tier 2 Stadium would solve a number of problems and free up Suncorp Stadium to host more events.
“The development of a Tier 2 rectangular stadium at Perry Park will deliver a financially sustainable facility to host over 150 days of football content alone in addition to further sports, concerts, festivals and other events, generating over $130 million in economic value each year and over 1,000 new ongoing jobs while addressing longstanding challenges with overuse and scheduling conflicts at Suncorp Stadium,” he said.
Cavallucci said he planned to hold further talks with the government to ensure the legacy delivered for football “fully reflects and supports its position as the Olympic Games’ largest revenue generating sport”.
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