Will 2032 Olympics bring new home for Brisbane Roar?

Australian football has long been asked to present a united front, in response to frequent queries as to why the code doesn’t receive the same comparative public funding as other sports.

Pitching to the Queensland Government’s 100-day infrastructure review, they have done just that. But will they be rewarded?

With the Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympics, the football community is eager to know where their sport sits in the plan for venues – either new or redeveloped – to host this momentous event.

A suitable boutique stadium for the sport in Brisbane tops many people’s list, but as with any event of this magnitude, there are multiple codes for the State Government to consider ahead of releasing their infrastructure plan for the Games.

On taking office in October last year, the new Crisafulli Government announced a 100-day review of the Olympic venue plan, with the outcome of this review due on 25 March.

You can listen to our discussion on the 100-day review on the latest episode of the Round Ball Australia Podcast.

The case for a new home

On the face of it, Queensland’s only A-Leagues football representative has one of the best stadiums in the competition.

After flirting with a couple of seasons at Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe, Brisbane Roar’s A-League Men team relocated back to Suncorp Stadium in 2023, signing a three-year tenancy at the iconic Milton venue.

The problem, as is abundantly clear to anyone who watches a game there, is that Suncorp is just too big for A-League football.

With a capacity of 52,500, Lang Park (as it’s still known locally due to its Rugby League heritage) is often more than three-quarters empty for Roar home games.

And it’s not just the Roar who struggle to achieve crowds close to even half the capacity of the cavernous Brisbane venue.

Despite average A-League attendances rising 9% during the current 2024-25  season, the majority of men’s fixtures in Australia’s premier football competition are played to crowds of under 10,000 people.

Brisbane Roar’s average attendance for A-League men’s games this season is just 7,433 – which is actually up 14% on last season, despite being bottom of the league.

Not exactly the numbers needed to create the kind of atmosphere football fans crave.

Even back in the Postegoclou era of the early 2010’s – when Brisbane won three A-League titles in four years – attendances rarely exceeded 20,000.

Sharing their home with two National Rugby League sides in the Brisbane Broncos and The Dolphins also means the surface is often less than optimal for a sport where the ball is on the ground more often than its illustrious code partner.

Add to that the multitude of concerts, monster truck rallies and other events held at the venue, and it’s not difficult to see why many supporters get frustrated at the quality of the playing surface their team is asked to perform on.

So, what is the solution?

An Olympic Legacy

The Brisbane Roar themselves are not actively complaining about their current home – understandably – but what do they think about the opportunity to capitalise on the Olympics being held in their home city?

Round Ball Australia caught up with Brisbane Roar Chief Operating Officer Zac Anderson to find out his thoughts.

“This is not just about the Brisbane Roar. It’s about creating a legacy from the Games that gives more young Queenslanders the opportunity to play football and see the elite pathway for football in our State,” said Anderson.

Anderson went on to comment that the club have chosen to approach the new State Government in conjunction with both Football Queensland and Football Australia, who submitted a proposal earlier this year.

“Other professional codes continue to speak with one voice to all levels of Government, so we must do the same for the football community. We have worked closely with Football Queensland & Football Australia to do this, and have presented a vision that includes a boutique stadium for football in Brisbane and the Games,” he explained.

The primary request in the submission is for ‘a permanent 17,000 – 20,000 seat venue’, which could be temporarily increased by another 13,000 for the Games themselves.

This would clearly benefit the Roar, as being the only professional football team in the state it would solve many of their current issues.

However, Anderson was keen to point out that it goes beyond just the Roar, as such a venue could be used for Football Queensland finals as well as potentially lower-category international games.

This message was further reinforced by the players themselves last weekend, with several current and ex Matildas and Socceroos throwing their weight behind the proposal.

It seems momentum is building…

The Perry Park Conundrum

Brand new stadiums are expensive, and although not out of the question, redeveloping an existing one might be more cost-effective for a State Government tasked with delivering the Games on a budget.

It’s one of the reasons the Roar have a clear preference, as Anderson outlined.

“Given its history and location, the ideal scenario is a redevelopment of Perry Park,” he stated.

Perry Park currently holds 5,000 spectators and is popular with fans as the regular venue for many Football Queensland competition finals.

The conundrum in the debate for a redevelopment of Perry Park is that the venue already has a club playing there.

Perry Park is the current home of Brisbane Strikers, who were the city’s sole representative in the old National Soccer League (NSL) – the forerunner to the A-League – during the 1990s and early 2000’s.

Strikers Board Director Dino Hasanovic explained to Round Ball Australia that his club has their own plans for their stadium, which is subleased from the YMCA.

“We have our own plans to redevelop Perry Park, which we intend to be a stadium with a capacity of just under 10,000. We are lining up private funding to build without council funds,” said Hasonovic.  

While the Strikers have a cordial relationship with Brisbane Roar – the Roar’s A-League Women team already play there – they are less inclined to see their home given over to the Olympics and have no intention of moving.

“We are working with the current leaseholder YMCA and expect Brisbane Strikers to be tenants for at least the next 10 years,” stated Hasanovic.

So, will football politics get in the way?

What’s the Government’s view?

Despite all the speculation, the decision on whether Brisbane will secure a boutique football stadium for the Games – either Perry Park or otherwise – will be made by the current State Government, who will have to juggle the requests of multiple codes as well as the public purse strings.

Round Ball Australia contacted Queensland Sports Minister Tim Mander for comment, but the Minister was understandably reluctant to comment specifically about the 2032 Olympics venues prior to the release of the review on March 25. 

However, at a recent press conference to announce the Gold Coast as a venue for next year’s Women’s Asian Cup, he had this to say about the speculation:

“I think it’s fantastic that our [Queensland] cities and towns really want the games played in their areas. We welcome that kind of tension.”

It was an interesting answer, and one that may imply that the Olympic Football tournament at the 2032 Games may even be held outside of Brisbane.

Whilst also still speculation, it’s worth noting that the official website of the Games lists North Queensland Stadium in Townsville as the venue for “football preliminary events”.

While debate seems set to intensify in the weeks leading up to the release of the eagerly awaited review, the football community in Queensland must wait patiently for the outcome.

What isn’t in doubt, however, is that the opportunity to develop world-class venues for sport in the city and beyond is immense.  As the biggest participation sport in the country, football has earned the right to have its wishes considered.

Whether a boutique football stadium for Brisbane is secured due to the 2032 Olympics or not, a permanent solution for the City’s one professional football club needs to be addressed.

As the Roar’s Zac Anderson concluded, “to grow the game, we need to have fit-for-purpose infrastructure.”

Whether Brisbane gets that on March 25 is yet to be seen…