As the new $142 million Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre project reached a major milestone, Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli thanked current tenants Kawana Dolphins and Sunshine Coast Falcons for their understanding.
Both rugby league clubs will soon be relocating for the new centre, which is earmarked to host Olympic basketball preliminaries during the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
With the EOIs for the new Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre managing contractor and principal consultantnow released to market, the procurement process will see shortlisting and invitations to tender later this year with works expected to begin in late 2025.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said, “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.”
The venue is located within the burgeoning 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.
This new centre will create more than 480 full-time equivalent jobs across planning, design, and construction.
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 per cent of procurement from Queensland SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) for the Minor Venues Program, as well as targets for 10-15 per cent 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.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles said, “I want Queensland’s regions to benefit from the opportunity and legacy that comes with being an Olympic and Paralympic Games host.”
“On the Sunshine Coast, that means better transport connectivity through a new direct rail link and upgraded local sporting venues.
“Now, we take the next step to deliver the new $142 million Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre as EOIs go to market.
“We’ve seen how transformation similar infrastructure has been on the Gold Coast, and now the Sunshine Coast will get a turn.”
