Footballer in Brisbane desperately needs a home

Here’s some friendly advice for Queensland politicians: you can’t host the Olympics in your local park.

Paris had the Parc des Princes and the Stade de France, Los Angeles had the Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, and Brisbane had what exactly?

And while the politics of stadium construction will always be controversial for some, at some point the city of Brisbane will have to really invest in sports infrastructure if it is serious about hosting the 2032 Olympics.

How many leagues can make you feel this way? A-League. The Ninja A-League Women’s season starts on November 1st.

Why not kill two birds with one stone and allow A-League club Brisbane Roar to invest in upgrading Perry Park in Bowen Hills?

This was hinted at by CEO Kaz Patafta during the club’s recent season opener at Meakin Park in Logan.

With the A-League women’s team playing all their games at Perry Park this season and the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium simply too big for the men’s team, there is a groundswell of support for the idea of ​​upgrading Bowen Hills Stadium.

Patafta believes his club is well positioned to lead this charge.

“We believe this is the spiritual home of football in Queensland and we want to activate this space for football fans,” Patafta said of his club’s new interest in Perry Park.

“As a professional club, we don’t see ourselves as the main driver of this… but at least an important part of activating this space.”

Why such indecision?

No doubt because, as the long-time home of the Brisbane Strikers, who finished third in FQP1 last season and essentially the second tier of the Queensland football pyramid, there is a complex network of stakeholders to engage.

But anyone in the know will know that Brisbane Roar’s latest management team – Patafta was appointed chief executive in July 2023 and former A-League defender Zac Anderson, born in Queensland, became chief operating officer – has been quietly forging relationships behind the scenes . .

This is important because there was a time when Queensland’s only A-League club had virtually no relationship with the state’s governing body, Football Queensland.

A united front offers a better chance to hit the ground running and see if anyone is ready to match Brisbane Roar’s investment in the Perry Park phase one upgrade.

So how much is this investment worth?

“We believe, at a very high level and just from initial indications, that we could transform the stadium into a high-end modular environment in the first phase with an investment of approximately $10-15 million,” Patafta said.

This is no small change.

But given that current owners The Bakrie Group have invested about $40 million just to keep the club afloat for many years, Patafta says they are willing to make that investment.

“From our point of view as a club, it is simply not economically viable for us – given where the A-League is – to play at Suncorp Stadium for the entire season.”

“It’s just a fact. It’s not something we’re trying to hide.”

Brisbane Roar have been at home just once in the first six rounds of the men’s A-League season, with their Round 16 clash with Adelaide United rescheduled for a Tuesday night in April to accommodate a country music concert.

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So why not move to Ballymore – the former home of Super Rugby team the Queensland Reds and the stadium where the Roar hosted both men’s and women’s games last season?

Because aside from the huge cost of renting the venue, it’s simply not a viable long-term option for fans.

The club’s only men’s match at Ballymore last season attracted one of the lowest attendances in its 20-year history. Fans have made it clear that the lack of transport links and adequate seating is not something they are willing to deal with.

That’s not to say Perry Park doesn’t have its own problems, including rampant inaccessibility and corporate developments.

However, it is the preferred option for football fans.

One of them is Chris McCoy, co-founder of an online advocacy group for fair finance in football.

“Given that the Queensland Government happily spent millions of dollars building a boutique AFLW stadium in Springfield, as well as millions transforming Ballymore into a Rugby Union training ground, we have concluded that football deserves a seat at the table, both from an infrastructure perspective. and in terms of financing,” he said.

“We just want football to get its fair share.”

That sentiment is echoed by Patafta, who is quick to point out, however, that any talk of upgrading Perry Park is just that, talk at this point.

But it is a wonderful dream that will allow Brisbane to host football and other rectangular sports at the 2032 Olympics.

“While there is no confirmed government spending, we are well positioned to invest capital in Perry Park because from a business standpoint it makes sense for us,” Patafta said.

“It has to embrace the community, it has to integrate professional sports, it has to be exclusive and it has to be fit for purpose.

“We need to get this right.”