EOIs released for new $142 million Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre

Expressions of Interest have today been released for the Managing Contractor and Principal Consultant of the new $142 million Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre.

The new centre is earmarked to host Olympic basketball preliminaries during the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a minimum of 6,000 spectator seats.

The venue is located within the Kawana Sports Precinct and will have 11 multi-sport courts and multifunctional areas that can be used daily by aspiring athletes for a range of indoor sports including basketball, netball, volleyball, pickleball, futsal and badminton before and after the Games.

The Australian and Queensland Governments have jointly allocated funding from the $1.87 billion Minor Venues Program for investment in the new Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre, with the Sunshine Coast Council also committing more than $25 million to fund air conditioning and permanent retractable seats in the main hall, broadcast lighting, cafe, and gym floor area.

To meet the needs of a growing Sunshine Coast population and an increasing demand for indoor court facilities in the region, there is a need to develop a facility capable of holding community sport and staging significant sport, recreational and entertainment events.

Also located at the Kawana Sports Precinct, the upgraded Sunshine Coast Stadium is earmarked to host football preliminaries and quarter-final matches during the Games, making the precinct a major community and elite sport hub.

The Queensland and Australian Governments have committed to sourcing at least 30% of procurement from Queensland SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) for the Minor Venues Program, as well as targets for 10-15% of all the hours on the projects to be undertaken by apprentices or trainees – helping to deliver the pipeline of construction workers our growing state needs.

With the EOIs for the new Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre Managing Contractor (which manages project construction) and Principal Consultant (which oversees design) now released to market, the procurement process will see shortlisting and invitations to tender later this year with works expected to begin in late 2025.

This follows the EOIs released earlier this year for the $148 million Sunshine Coast Stadium upgrade and $215 million new Chandler Indoor Sports Centre and Precinct Works. More than 20 expressions of interest were received from qualified and capable principal consultants and managing contractors, with shortlisting now complete and invitations to tender issued.

Communities across Queensland are set to benefit from the Games, with events to be held in a range of locations including in Cairns, Townsville, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands and the Gold Coast.

Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee President Andrew Liveris shared “this is another significant step forward in the delivery of tangible legacy for the Sunshine Coast, well ahead of the Games in 2032.

“The Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre will be used throughout the Games, but importantly, it will be used by local communities right across the coast and further afield, providing increased opportunities for athletes of all ages and abilities to participate in sport.

“I look forward to following progress and I thank all Games Delivery Partners involved for getting on with the job and supporting the delivery of needed infrastructure for a fast-growing region in south-east Queensland.”

Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli enthused “I am thrilled that our Sunshine Coast venues are first out of the blocks for Olympic infrastructure.

“These venues are set to be ready by 2027, well ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, thanks to support from the Queensland and Australian Governments.

“These are first and foremost community facilities that will provide high-quality spaces for local athletes and para-athletes to train and compete, as well as host major sporting events, boosting tourism and benefiting local businesses.

“I’d also like to acknowledge and thank our current tenants, particularly the Kawana Dolphins and Sunshine Coast Falcons, for their understanding and commitment to working together to ensure their needs are met now, and into the future.

“With eight years to go to Brisbane 2032, I am so pleased that we are already seeing amazing outcomes for our community, and we will continue to work very hard to maximise every opportunity afforded to the Sunshine Coast as a result of the games.”

Images: Concepts for the Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre.