New Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli says she supports an Olympic venue that will lead to the relocation of two rugby league clubs.
Ms Natoli was involved in a briefing session for the Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre, at the Kawana Sports Precinct on Tuesday, when she talked with and listened to sports clubs and community groups.
It came after the Member for Kawana, Jarrod Bleijie, and representatives of the Kawana Dolphins juniors and seniors called on the new-look council to reconsider the location of the sports centre amid fears the clubs would not survive relocation.
“I felt it (the briefing session) was vitally important to bring our sporting and community together so they could hear all the information at the same time,” Ms Natoli said.
“They deserve to be given the facts and to have their questions answered and to understand each other’s concerns.
“We, as a council, want to be open and transparent and I am hopeful that the information session we held has assisted in clarifying the reasoning behind this facility being developed at Kawana and our way forward.”
Mayor Natoli said the project validation process for the region’s Olympic venues demonstrated the venues’ importance to our region, as well as lasting economic and social benefits they would deliver before, during and after the Games.
“Our region has missed out on large infrastructure investment for too long,” she said.
“We have to grab this opportunity with both hands and if we don’t, other South-East Queensland councils are waiting in the wings, vying to take events off us.
“Our region has a chronic shortage of indoor courts and as a result we are having people of all ages and abilities missing out on recreational and social opportunities due to lack of facilities. We cannot allow that to continue.”
Councillor Tim Burns said consultation with the Kawana Senior Rugby League and the Kawana Junior Rugby League clubs was ongoing.
“Council will continue to work with the Kawana Dolphins junior and senior rugby league clubs to ensure their move is a successful one,” he said.
“With the proposed relocation of the Kawana Dolphins to Meridan Fields, I do believe that with council’s support, the club can thrive.
“At the moment, there are only two fields at Kawana Sports Precinct. The Kawana Dolphins’ relocation to Meridan Fields will provide the club with six fields and improved on and off field infrastructure.
“The club can move towards being based at a much improved, first-class community sporting facility.”
Cr Burns said the Kawana Sports Precinct was the only site that met all requirements to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“This includes elements such as size of site, proximity to an athlete village, surrounding transport networks, security overlays, access and egress to the site as well as fitting within the allocated budget,” he said.
“The business case clearly demonstrates the legacy outcomes for our community.
“What we do promise, going forward, is to work very closely with the sporting and community groups, to understand their needs and concerns so that together, we can find solutions.”
EARLIER: There are growing fears for two rugby league clubs that are set to move aside for an Olympic venue.
Kawana Dolphins juniors and seniors are expected to relocate within two years, as their two fields are ripped up and replaced by a Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre, which will host basketball fixtures at the 2032 Brisbane Games.
The Member for Kawana Jarrod Bleijie and representatives from the clubs have called on levels of government to reconsider building the venue.
They said there was a lack of community consultation and that a proposal to relocate the clubs to Caloundra was inadequate.
But the local council and the state government said there had been productive talks with the Dolphins during the past three years. They said the clubs would have access to larger and improved facilities and that the sports centre would provide significant benefits to the region for years to come.
Mr Bleijie, the deputy leader of the Opposition, said the clubs’ relocation would leave locals in the lurch.
“The heart of Kawana is the Kawana rugby league clubs, where juniors and seniors have played for many years,” he said. “This is at risk.”
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“The juniors and seniors will be displaced.
“Kawana kids shouldn’t miss opportunities to get into sport.”
Mr Bleijie said there was “no public consultation”.
“The community was never asked if they wanted a sports centre in this location,” he said.
He said council’s plan to relocate the Dolphins to sports fields at Meridan Plains in Caloundra, 10km away, was insufficient.
“It’s going to be a real challenge for young players to get to the new fields, where council is pushing them to,” he said.
He and the Dolphins urged officials to reassess the location of the sports centre, which is being planned by council and funded by state government.
“We’re asking the new council to reconsider this proposition, which was driven by the former council,” he said.
“We’re calling on the new council to be given time, under new mayor Rosanna Natoli, to reassess this. We’ll see if it is the vision of the new council to proceed with this and displace these community groups.
“We’re calling on the state government to halt the tender process on this program.
“The survival of Kawana rugby league is in jeopardy if it goes ahead.
“Do the public community consultation and bring people from the community on the journey and save our rugby league club.”
Mr Bleijie said the location of the centre was particularly questionable because a planned heavy rail line may not be built to Kawana by 2032.
He said funding for sports infrastructure could be spent elsewhere.
“We’re not saying don’t spend the money in the region,” he said.
“We’re just questioning the location they’ve chosen for that expenditure.”
Former president of the Dolphins juniors and seniors Mark Cohen said people were already leaving the club after realising they would need to relocate.
“The juniors are already losing a few numbers because of the concerns about what’s happening,” he said.
“There is indecision from them. They’re saying they are going to drop out of footy or go to another club.”
The Dolphins are steeped in history. They have won multiple A-grade premierships on the Sunshine Coast and have produced several NRL players. They have made significant financial investments in the facilities at their grounds.
Mr Cohen said local businesses could be less inclined to support the clubs if they relocated.
“I’m concerned we will lose sponsorship,” he said. “It’s hard to get sponsors at the best of times.”
He said there could also be social ramifications.
“It could have a dramatic effect, with kids pulling out of footy and getting into trouble,” he said.
“It could be a situation where kids get bored and get into trouble. We must keep kids interested in sport.”
He said the Dolphins would be unlikely to stay afloat.
“We’ll have to reluctantly move (to Meridan Plains) but I don’t see us surviving after more than a few years,” he said.
“There are too many issues with moving down there.
“We were promised we wouldn’t be disadvantaged but that’s not going to be the case.”
Mr Cohen said they were expected to move by the end of next year.
Cr Natoli told SCN she would seek more information on the situation at Kawana.
“The indoor sports centre was an issue that was raised with me during the election campaign,” she said.
“I have arranged for a briefing on the analysis that has been undertaken to date. When this occurs, I will seek answers to the questions that were raised with me during the campaign.
“Once I have those answers, I will be in a position to provide a response on the new council’s position on the indoor sports centre location.”
But a council spokesperson said the centre would bring significant benefits to the region.
“Our region has a major shortfall of indoor courts, and the new stadium will provide 11 accessible courts for community use and have the capacity to convert to a 6000-plus seat show court that will meet national and international sporting standards,” they said.
“The centre will also support a range of other local clubs and national levels of competition in sports such as netball, volleyball, pickleball, futsal and badminton.
“This will provide an opportunity to design and construct a facility that is leading edge in accessibility and servicing the many para-sports and athletes in our region.
“The project validation process for our Olympic venues was extensive and demonstrated the importance of these venues for our region, as well as lasting economic and social benefits they will deliver before, during and long after hosting the Games.”
The spokesperson said council had been talking with Kawana rugby league officials for years.
“Consultation has been significant and is ongoing,” they said.
“Council commenced consultation with all Kawana Sports Precinct tenants, including the Kawana Senior Rugby League and the Kawana Junior Rugby League clubs, before the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2032 were awarded to Brisbane.
“In fact, before the submission was made to the IOC in 2021, council engaged with precinct tenants who may be impacted by the indoor sports centre decision.
“In early 2023, executives from the committees of the Dolphins indicated a willingness to move to Meridan Fields if certain conditions could be met and upgrades delivered.
“Engagement since this time has been constant and has included site tours at Meridan with the Dolphins … plans for improvements to the new location have been discussed at length.
“Since the announcement of Brisbane hosting the Games, detailed planning work has been undertaken in collaboration with user groups and other stakeholders, to ensure current sporting clubs will have a home and will continue to grow and thrive moving forward.”
The spokesperson said the club essentially required a new base anyway.
“Due to increased membership, the Kawana rugby league clubs have outgrown their two-field facility,” they said.
“Council is working with the Dolphins, investigating an upgrade to Meridan Fields, where they will have full access to six fields and an upgraded clubhouse and changeroom facility which will allow them to better service their existing and future membership.”
The spokesperson also outlined plans for public transport to the Kawana Sports Precinct, which will be home to the indoor sports centre and an upgraded Sunshine Coast Stadium.
They said it will be near a bus network with a high-frequency route, have “front-door access” to the proposed Sunshine Coast Public Transport route, and will have provision for a car park with more than 500 spaces. They also said council would continue to advocate for a heavy rail line to the Maroochydore CBD.
A Department of State Development and Infrastructure spokesperson said the indoor sports centre was worth building and it was endorsed by an independent review.
“The Sunshine Coast Stadium upgrade and the new Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre have both been assessed as providing strong community benefit and good value for money, with detailed traffic, transport and project studies having already been undertaken,” they said.
The spokesperson also said that consultation with precinct tenants had started before the Games were awarded and that communication was ongoing.
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