The Reserve, Springfield

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The Reserve
Brighton Homes Arena
Location60 Springfield Greenbank Arterial, Springfield, Queensland, City of Ipswich[1]
Coordinates27°40′10.5″S 152°54′19.7″E / 27.669583°S 152.905472°E / -27.669583; 152.905472
OwnerIpswich City Council
OperatorBrisbane Lions
Capacity10,000
SurfaceGrass
OpenedSeptember-November 2022
Tenants
Brisbane Lions
Administration & Training (2022–present)
AFLW (2023–present)
VFL (2023–present)

The Reserve, Springfield, also known by naming rights sponsorship as Brighton Homes Arena, is an under-construction Australian rules football venue located in the Ipswich, Queensland suburb of Springfield, approximately 30 km south-west of Brisbane. The facility will be the new permanent training and administrative home of professional Australian Football League club the Brisbane Lions, and will also play host to the club's AFL Women's home matches.

History[]

The City of Ipswich has a long association with Australian rules, with some of the earliest matches in the 1860s played there[2] as well as interstate matches between Queensland and New South Wales played at the North Ipswich Reserve.[3][4] Since the collapse of the local competition in the 1890s it became a stronghold for rugby league and soccer. Although it hasn't been played continuously in the area, Australian rules has seen a resurgence since the 1950s and 1960s current clubs date back to this time. In recent years, the western growth corridor had seen a boom in participation and it has produced professional players for the Brisbane Lions, including Rhan Hooper (played for the Ipswich Eagles), Sean Yoshiura and Dakota Davidson (AFLW).

Since its creation as an amalgamated team in 1996, the Brisbane Lions have always trained at the 42,000-seat Gabba during the football season, which is the senior men's team home ground. During the off-season the Lions usually shifted training sessions to grounds in Burpengary, Coorparoo and elsewhere, meaning the club lacked a dedicated and permanent home year-round. When the club entered a women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition in 2017, it played home matches in Burpengary in the north of Brisbane and at Hickey Park in Stafford.[5] Consequently the club sought to establish a permanent training and administrative base for the senior men's team that could also host AFLW and reserves matches.

In 2018, the club settled on vacant land in Springfield. A total of $70 million was required for construction of the facility. The Lions and the AFL contributed $10m, Ipswich Council $12m, Springfield Land Corporation $18m and the Queensland Government $15m. The final $15m stream of funding was secured from the Federal Government in late January 2019, allowing earthworks and preliminary construction of the facility to commence later that year.[6] Major construction commenced in March 2020 and the venue is scheduled to be completed in late 2022.[7][8][9]

Facility[]

The Reserve's main oval will have a capacity of up to 10,000, with several rows of seating around the perimeter, an administration building which includes grandstand seating for 1,000 and balconies surrounding half the ground, grass hill at the other end, four light towers and a scoreboard.[6] A second and smaller oval located directly across the main oval will also be incorporated for use by the Lions.[1]

The broader precinct will encompass training and administration facilities catering for the men's and women's elite players, such as a high-performance gymnasium, extensive learning and teaching facilities, lap pool, aquatic recovery pools, and a cafe and other spaces for community use.[10][11]

Naming rights[]

In May 2021 the Brisbane Lions announced that The Reserve would be known for commercial purposes as Brighton Homes Arena, in a deal signed with home construction company Brighton Homes.[12] The non-commercial name is Michael Voss Arena.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "$70 Million Brisbane Lions Stadium & Training Facility – Springfield Central, Ipswich". Your Neighbourhood. 3 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019.
  2. ^ The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939) View title info Sat 1 Jul 1876 Page 15 Football
  3. ^ "Saturday's Pastimes". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser. Vol. XLVII, no. 7060. Queensland, Australia. 17 May 1906. p. 6. Retrieved 27 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "IPSWICH AND WEST MORETON". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. LXII, no. 15, 085. Queensland, Australia. 18 May 1906. p. 2. Retrieved 27 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex". Austadiums.
  6. ^ a b "Lions secure final funding for $70m Springfield base". Austadiums. 31 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Springfield stadium jobs: Brisbane Lions reveal 1000 positions available at new home". Courier Mail. 18 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Final renders of The Reserve Community Arena at Springfield revealed before construction commences". lions.com.au. 19 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Brighton Homes Arena Coming Together Quickly". Brisbane Lions. 9 September 2021.
  10. ^ "'The Reserve Springfield' New South-East QLD AFL Precinct". Springfield Lakes Hotel.
  11. ^ "FAQ's: The Reserve Springfield". thereservespringfield.com.au.
  12. ^ "Introducing Brighton Homes Arena". Brisbane Lions. 17 May 2021.
  13. ^ "The Return of the Lion King". Brisbane Lions. 13 December 2021.

External links[]

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