Major Upgrade for Ballymore Announced by Queensland Government, RA and QRU

The Queensland Government, alongside the Queensland Rugby Union and Rugby Australia, has announced an investment to transform Ballymore into a premier elite rugby precinct.

Commencing later this year, the project involves demolishing Ballymore’s obsolete Eastern Stand to construct the state-of-the-art Teams in Gold Facility. The development will become the permanent, year-round home for Rugby Australia’s National Men’s and Women’s Sevens programs, making Rugby Sevens the first Olympic program to relocate to Queensland since Brisbane secured hosting rights for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Furthermore, the precinct will house the Wallaroos and the Wallabies during Queensland stints, featuring an integrated 2400-seat grandstand and a fourth floodlit training field.

Welcoming the milestone, QRU CEO, David Hanham, said: “This is a day of huge significance for rugby in Queensland and Australia. We set out with a clear and ambitious vision to create a truly world-class high-performance and community sporting precinct. Today, we have realised that vision.”

“This will be one of the best high-performance precincts in the world for rugby and it will stand proudly here in Queensland.

“More than that, it will create a hub for community sport and athlete development.

“Thanks to the vision and leadership of the Queensland Government, led by Premier Crisafulli, the partnership with the QRU and Rugby Australia is laying the foundations for a future of long-term, sustainable excellence for rugby in Queensland.

“The future of Australian Rugby has never looked brighter, and there is no better place to build that future than right here in Queensland,” Hanham said.

Echoing the economic impact of the funding, Premier David Crisafulli, said: “Queensland is the new home of Rugby Sevens and the Wallaroos because organisations want to be part of what we are building here in Queensland.”

“Having national teams based in Queensland at Ballymore only grows the game and encourages more kids to dream of pulling on the green and gold one day,” Hon Crisafulli noted.

Rugby Australia CEO, Phil Waugh, concluded: “This is an historic moment for Australian Rugby and the benefits from today’s announcement will be felt for generations.”

“The major upgrade of Ballymore will ensure the game’s spiritual home in Queensland will evolve into a high-performance centre of excellence to rival any around the rugby world.

“All of this has been made possible because of the strength of the partnership between the Queensland Government, the QRU and Rugby Australia,” Waugh shared.

The upgrade expands Ballymore’s main pitch into an 8000-capacity multi-purpose venue capable of hosting provincial and international fixtures. This funding anchors a broader commercial calendar, bringing events such as the Rugby Australia Summit and the John Eales Medal to Queensland twice over the next seven years.

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