Hockey Major Infrastructure Feasibility Study highlights need for more facilities in Brisbane

A major Infrastructure Feasibility Study has been released today by Hockey Queensland and Hockey Australia to coincide with the release of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic venue Master Plan (the 60-Day Review).

The Feasibility Study has been in development since July 2023 as a joint collaboration between Hockey Queensland, Hockey Australia and appointed consultants Otium Planning.

Hockey Queensland Chief Executive Alison Lyons notes “Both HQ and HA recognised that the 2032 OIympic Games was an opportunity to make the right investment for the sport with fit-for-purpose facilities, which would also deliver value for money for the taxpayer. The temporary facility originally proposed at Ballymore achieves none of those things.

“The Study was commissioned to review options for a new or redeveloped home of hockey in Queensland that would provide expanded playing opportunities for the hockey community.”

The Study highlights the deficit of seven synthetic pitches to meet the playing needs of the Brisbane community now and forecasts the need for 10 more additional pitches by 2042. The Study also identifies six potential sites that could accommodate major hockey infrastructure, with the Brisbane Entertainment Centre being the preferred site.

Lyons adds “The Study demonstrates there is a desperate need for more facilities in Brisbane and there are additional options that can and should be further explored to provide South-East Queensland with the playing facilities that are desperately required.

“The concept outlined for the Brisbane Entertainment Centre is an example of the possibilities available to create a venue suitable for community hockey that can be scaled up for major events, like the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”  

Hockey Australia Chief Executive David Pryles stressed the dual importance of facilities in creating pathway development for athletes, as well as economic benefits for Brisbane and Queensland that flow from hosting national and international events.

Pryles shares “in the absence of facilities, there are no athletes and no legacy. The Study highlights the confronting reality that Brisbane, as a newly minted Olympic city, has no hockey facilities that could host a national let alone an international hockey tournament.

“The absence of international standard facilities also means that Queensland does not receive any of the beneficial economic returns from hosting these events. Brisbane is routinely bypassed for national and international events, which we host in other Australian States and territories with superior facilities. Many of these events have a beneficial ROI greater than 20:1.”

Pryles said he is confident the Study will inform meaningful investment decisions that will create and enduring legacy for hockey and adds “Legacy starts now and extends through the Games period and into the future post-2032. The legacy we seek develops the whole of the sport, not just the elite. But without sensible facilities investment, there is no Green and Gold Runway – there are just potholes of lost opportunities.”

Download the study here