“Because football is a big part of the Olympics.”
Last week,Brisbane Roar announced a homecoming of sorts,returning to Suncorp Stadium for three matches in the 2022-23 season after playing at Redcliffe’s Moreton Daily Stadium for two seasons.
However,a lack of availability at the Suncorp Stadium— there will be Guns N’ Roses,Justin Bieber,Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ed Sheeran concerts during the A-League season,along with the Nitro World Games over an entire weekend — limited the number of matches that could be played in their namesake city.
While that highlighted the need for a secondary venue in Brisbane,Queensland Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said that was “unlikely to happen” in the short to medium term.
“We want to see good dedicated facilities,particularly if you can see more national programs in Queensland — that’s one of the ambitions one of the legacy aims of the government in relation to 2032 overall,” he said.
“It’s about having national programs based here,so we look forward to continued good conversations with football about that.”
But when presented with the prospect of Queensland’s spiritual home of football,Perry Park,being upgraded for Olympic hockey to take advantage of its public transport links — every train line goes through Bowen Hills station,right across the road — Hinchliffe left the door open for a change in approach.
“In terms of venues for the Games,they are matters that will be ultimately matters that the organising committee will consider,” he said.
“The bid documents are the bid documents,but that doesn’t mean they won’t change.
Loading
“We’ve seen significant change in other things,so proposals like that[Perry Park] are certainly worth considering.”
Spectator facilities at Perry Park date back to the 1970s,and corporate facilities are almost non-existent.
Comment was sought from Brisbane Roar.
Johnson was in Brisbane this week to announce two international matches at Suncorp Stadium.