Football Queensland releases Bowen Hills stadium vision

Football Queensland has unveiled its vision for a dedicated stadium in Brisbane to be built at the sport’s spiritual home at Bowen Hills.

Under Football Queensland’s plans, Perry Park would be developed into a boutique stadium with a capacity of between 15,000 and 20,000. Funding had not been secured and the estimated cost of the project was “up to $200 million”.

The stadium would host the Brisbane Roar men’s and women’s A-Leagues teams, any potential National Second Tier clubs, along with community soccer. FQ suggested other lower-drawing professional teams, such as rugby’s Queensland Reds, could also use Perry Park.

Football Queensland’s vision for an upgraded Perry Park in Bowen Hills.Credit: Populous

FQ chief executive Robert Cavallucci said the organisation had not given up on the idea of hosting Olympic events, such as hockey, at the venue (given ticket demand, Olympic soccer would still be played at Suncorp Stadium).

Lacrosse, which will return as an Olympic sport at Los Angeles 2028, could also remain on the schedule in 2032.

The Quirk review into Olympic venues considered Perry Park, and Hockey Queensland’s bid for its own facility, but found it “reasonable to continue with most of the currently proposed venues” including planned hockey venue Ballymore.

The stadium would host Roar games, as well as lower-tier matches and community soccer.Credit: Populous

The only exception was for a major stadium, which Labor rejected and the LNP would subject to another review.

There has been a push within the soccer community for a fit-for-purpose venue in Brisbane, but FQ has remained on the sidelines, until now.

“We have always had the vision, however we needed to be methodical and professional about our approach,” Cavallucci said.

In a veiled reference to rugby league and AFL lobbying, Cavallucci criticised “non-Olympic sports continuing to use the taxpayer to socialise their losses and privatise their profits by hijacking Olympic legacy discussions to procure infrastructure outcomes … at the expense of Olympic sports”.

“Football could no longer watch suboptimal outcomes being prosecuted,” he said.

FQ engaged Populous and BDO to develop a case for Perry Park, including the preliminary designs Brisbane Times can now reveal.

Cavallucci said a “tier-two” rectangular stadium, which has received in-principle support from Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, would be a “critical addition to the Queensland sporting landscape”.

“All stadiums at the end of the day are economic drivers for any city and it is essential we have a mix of venue composition,” Cavallucci said. “A tier-two venue is missing from that.”

In January, tenant club Brisbane Strikers announced smaller-scale plans for a redevelopment of the council-owned Perry Park, partly subsidised by housing and retail development on the site.

“Any future development of this scale and significance could only ever be undertaken between credible parties – the state and local government as the landowners and the sporting governing body,” Cavallucci said.

While Bowen Hills was FQ’s preference, Cavallucci said a tier-two stadium could also be located in a Victoria Park sporting precinct, should it proceed in the future.