Buildcorp Wallaroos get new northern home as Palaszczuk Government funding secures future of Ballymore

The Buildcorp Wallaroos, Australia’s Women’s Rugby team, will call Queensland’s iconic Ballymore home following the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to fund the proposed National Rugby Training Centre (NRTC).

The State’s $15 million commitment matches the existing commitment by the Federal Government towards the Queensland Rugby Union’s (QRU) new high-performance centre.

Rugby Australia has today confirmed the Buildcorp Wallaroos would move to Brisbane to join the St.George Queensland Reds in the NRTC once it is finished in 2022.

The stunning $30 million high-performance centre will replace the McLean Stand and become the centrepiece of a redevelopment of Ballymore as an elite sports precinct.

Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan thanked the Palaszczuk Government for its commitment to rugby union.

“Rugby in Queensland is incredibly strong, with growth in all forms of the game,” he said.

“The NRTC is an exciting project, providing a world-class facility with warmer temperatures as the new home of the Buildcorp Wallaroos.

“It is a major coup for Queensland, which is establishing itself as a national centre of excellence not just for Rugby, but for many other major sports including cricket and netball.

“Rugby Australia recognises the Government’s sports strategy, which is why we want to bring more high-quality events to the State.

“We have another British and Irish Lions tour in 2025, which has the potential to bring more than $40 million into the State from touring fans. Having a world-class training facility can only help Queensland secure these events.”

The NRTC will see Rugby Australia move the headquarters of its women’s XVs program to Queensland, helping to inspire a new generation of female sporting talent. The NRTC will also house the Queensland Reds and the QRU’s academy program as well as other programs including referees, club rugby administration and representative programs.

The redevelopment includes an integrated 3000-seat stand replacing the McLean Stand’s capacity.

QRU Chief Executive Officer David Hanham said: “This is the culmination of many years of work by the QRU to deliver a world-leading high-performance centre that meets the needs of our rugby community.

“Moving our national women’s XVs program to Ballymore will allow female participation to continue to thrive – Queensland now has more than 16,000 women and girls playing the game in Queensland and that’s expected to double in coming years.

“As Queensland prepares major sporting events such as Rugby World Cup bid 2027 and the Olympic bid for 2032, Ballymore will become critical sporting infrastructure to support these events. This will also include the aspiration to create new links across Enoggera Creek with the Newmarket sporting fields that would deliver a sporting complex of more than 100 hectares, less than 5km from the CBD.”

The National Rugby Training Centre

The stunning NRTC has been designed by Michael Rayner of Blight Rayner Architects, who are also responsible for the New Performing Arts Complex (NPAC) at Southbank.

It will feature an integrated stand, replacing the existing McLean Stand which was first built in the 1968 and extended in the 1970s.

Spread over almost 4000 square metres, it will feature changerooms for up to 100 men and women and house cutting edge sports science and recovery facilities.

Construction is due to begin in April 2021.

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