Next month will mark the very first matches on the grounds of the brand new “home of the Brisbane Lions”, as construction ends in the coming weeks on the multi-million-dollar, state-of-the-art, and newly-named Brighton Homes Arena.
“It is late in the final quarter of construction at Brighton Homes Arena,” Jake Anson, General Manager of Infrastructure, Strategy, and Government Relations for the Brisbane Lions, said.
“Buildings are nearly ready for furniture fit-out, our pool to be filled, and our oval to be turfed. Plenty to get excited about as we approach our opening.”
Located just metres from the Springfield Central railway station, the stadium is conveniently accessible to the wider community and will herald a new era for elite sport in the Greater Springfield region.
“The Brisbane Lions are excited to move to the region and look forward to deepening our engagement with our new neighbours,” Mr Anson said.
“Project completion will be in the second week of October, with Brisbane Lions moving in in the following days.”
The Brisbane Lions Women’s team will play its home AFLW matches on the new Michael Voss Oval, with highly sought-after tickets soon to go on sale.
The venue will surely be a big test of the new park \’n’ ride, which opened in April and is located just around the corner.
Mr Anson also revealed that the Arena’s community hub will open immediately.
“It features our Wilde Kitchen café and a Lions-themed bar and public function and meeting rooms, an auditorium, and space for programs run by Multicultural Australia,” he said.
“We also look forward to Auskick and other sporting events being staged in the large indoor training field that opens onto the Arena’s plaza.
“Further public facilities including the TotalFusion Lions gym and wellness centre will open progressively toward the end of 2022.
“[These amenities] include a childcare centre, playground, and outdoor exercise equipment, in addition to sporting events, markets and festivals that will be held there.”
The 10,000-capacity main oval – named after the Brisbane Lions player and 1996 Brownlow Medalist Michael Voss – is a special tribute to one of the most successful and influential AFL players of all time. Voss captained the Lions for their back-to-back-to-back premiership wins in 2001, 2002, and 2003.
The relocation of the Brisbane Lions from Woolloongabba to Springfield originated in 2011, when they first voiced their need for a new training and administration base.
This dovetailed with the decision last year to demolish and rebuild the Gabba when Brisbane was officially awarded the 2032 Summer Olympics.
From 2018 to early 2019, the facility eventually secured the $70 million it needed, thanks to contributions from The Lions and the AFL ($10m), Ipswich City Council ($12m), Springfield Land Corporation ($18m), the Queensland Government ($15m), and the Federal Government ($15m), allowing preliminary construction to commence later that year.
Major construction began in March 2020 when the Lions Club awarded the Head Contract to Brisbane-based Hutchinson Builders.
In early 2021, the Lions announced a partnership with Brighton Homes (NXT Building Group) for exclusive naming rights.
Families and children making use of the stadium’s fields and training facilities in the coming years can hope to be among the next generation of AFL or AFLW superstars – and maybe even represent their country at the Brisbane Olympics.
Brighton Homes Arena is located between Springfield Central railway station and Eden Station Drive, on the cusp of Springfield Central and Brookwater.
