The exciting future home of the Brisbane Lions commenced construction today when chairman Andrew Wellington joined a host of senior political leaders for the official sod turning ceremony for the Club’s $70m Training and Administration Facility at Springfield.
Senator for Queensland Paul Scarr, Queensland Minister for Sport, the Hon Stirling Hinchliffe, City of Ipswich Mayor, Teresa Harding, and AFL Queensland CEO, Trish Squires were on hand to celebrate the commencement of arena construction and reveal Brighton Homes as the official naming rights partner.
Brighton Homes Arena will be the new home of the Lions’ AFLW team and includes the development of a high-performance training and support centre for both men’s and women’s teams with the specially designed equal facilities a first of their kind in Australia.
Brighton Homes Arena will offer modern amenities for up to 10,000 spectators, with a grandstand seating 600 fans and permanent shade, toilets and disabled seating. The public will enjoy access to a range of recreational facilities which will form part of the open community hub all-year round.
Brighton Homes Arena will have live broadcasting of the AFLW Premiership season and other major events through the latest technical media infrastructure.
The project has been made possible thanks to a $20 million contribution from Ipswich City Council, $18 million from the Queensland Government and $15 million from the Australian Government as well as matching investment from the Lions and the AFL.
Mr Wellington thanked Brighton Homes, Ipswich City Council, and the Queensland and Australian Governments for their strong support of the Brisbane Lions and AFL in Queensland.
“Thanks to our funding partners we’ve reached a significant milestone in delivery of what will be a wonderful community asset,’’ he said.
“To have the one home for all our players, coaches, support and administration staff will be a huge boost for the Club.
“In Brighton Homes we have found a partner who shares our ambitions to grow and be successful and is passionate about being connected to the communities they are part of.
“We look forward to partnering with Brighton Homes to make our new home in Springfield a great success.”
Mr Wellington was particularly excited about the prospect of a dedicated home ground for the Lions AFLW side.
“For our premiership winning AFLW players to finally have a dedicated home ground and training base they can call their own is fantastic,’’ he said.
“We have been talking about it and planning for it for a long time, but to see construction commence makes it very real and is very exciting.
“We’re also proud of the role Brighton Homes Arena will play in promoting and supporting the growth in our sport throughout the Ipswich Region.”
Brighton Homes CEO, Brad Collins, was on hand to celebrate the announcement on Monday at the site.
“Brighton Homes is delighted to support the Brisbane Lions with their goals to build a state-of-the-art sporting and community facility,’’ he said.
“We believe Brighton Homes Arena will become the community heart of Springfield.
“The Springfield community has been a great supporter of Brighton Homes and this is one way to give back to the community.
“The Brighton Homes and Brisbane Lions partnership will strengthen over the coming years, as the community of Springfield grows.”
Completion of the project is scheduled for September 2022.
