Designed from the start to provide equal facilities for AFL & AFLW, as well as the first dedicated AFLW Premiership arena in Australia.
EQUITY BY DESIGN
Brighton Homes Arena was designed from the start to provide equal facilities and an elite environment for AFLW and AFL players and coaches.
A key aspect of the design brief was to unite a Club that has previously outgrown its facilities to the point where AFLW, AFL and Academy staff and players worked and trained in different locations across Brisbane; and Administration and Football worked on completely separate levels with few opportunities to interact throughout the day.
Co-location of many aspects of the operation of the Club ensures greater opportunities to reinforce and grow a for positive culture as well as for innovation and idea sharing across all areas of the Club’s operations.
The co-location of key areas for the AFL and AFLW teams also created cost efficiencies for the project through considered planning of shared spaces,
The facility provides a training hub that allows the Lion to engage and support the 600+ families and young players who are members of the Brisbane Lions’ Academy each year.
An important first for women’s football, Brighton Homes Arena and Michael Voss Oval has delivered the first AFLW Premiership arena, rather than retrofitting an existing AFL ground.
The main commercial elements of the brief are organised into a cluster on the north-eastern corner of the site providing maximum exposure and access on the intersection of the two major roads. These include a gym and lap pool, wellness centre and childcare facility; which could be expanded in future to provide additional revenue streams for the Lions
ENGAGING COMMUNITY PRECINCT
The masterplan concept for the greenfield site of the new Brighton Homes Arena, was to create an engaging and active community precinct, one which connects the surrounding residents, schools and business with Springfield Central.
Springfield is Queensland’s second fastest growing region and the fifth fastest growing region nationwide. It has a projected residential population of 115,000 people by 2036, which is predicted to have a higher density of younger people and families compared to greater metropolitan Brisbane.
In addition to the local community, the brief called for the design of a precinct highly integrated with existing infrastructure and public transport, capable of hosting a variety of events that would draw people from wider Brisbane to Springfield. The Brisbane Lions are expecting up to 200,000 visitors to come to Brighton Homes Arena in the first 12 months.
To create an engaging civic precinct and extend the Lions’ relationship with the broader community, the buildings respond at human scale and over 50% of the facility is open and accessible to the public. This ‘community’ design includes spaces normally kept secure for elite players and personnel such as the 25m pool and high performance wellness facilities such as a float tank, infrared sauna, cryotherapy, treatment rooms, additional wet recovery, additional Normatech recovery lounge, reformer pilates, hot yoga, spin room and a functional strength floor.
The three major buildings of the Elite Performance Centre, the Community Facilities and Grandstand are arranged around Michael Voss Oval to ensure all three enjoy uninterrupted views from within. The large plaza and events lawn surrounding the facilities welcomes locals and visitors every day of the week, connecting the precinct with the train station, multi-story car parks, local bike paths and provides spaces for engagement with fans on event days.
The masterplan also maximises the amount of public open space and creates a sense of permeability across the site; extending the green corridor which runs along Mountain Creek and linking with bike trails from the Robelle Domain to Hymba Yumba Community Centre and beyond.
Expansive grass berms and natural landscaping add to the open community parkland, including the large grassy berm which wraps around the northern end of Michael Voss Oval, providing additional seating and enhancing the community parkland feel.The design for each of the buildings creates many multi-purpose spaces which can be utilised on event days to drive commercial revenue; and used by a variety of community organisations throughout the rest of the week such as the Café to meetings rooms and The Cage’s internal training field or ‘auditorium’.
The TotalFusion Lions commercial gym and wellness centre is located on the north-eastern corner of the site, providing maximum exposure at the intersection of two major roads, and offering community access to a of high-performance gym including a Reformer Pilates studio, lap pool, allied health clinic and, coming soon, will be a childcare centre.
LEADING THE PACK
The desire of the Brisbane Lions’ to create equal facilities for their professional men’s and women’s teams as well as the first dedicated AFLW playing arena in the country presented the opportunity to set a new benchmark in the rapidly expanding women’s sport market, while also providing a state-of-the-art facility to cater for its current and future football, administration, academy and community needs.
A comparison of AFL venues led to the decision to replicate the dimensions of Marvel Stadium playing surface in Melbourne for the Michael Voss Oval. The slightly narrower width (129m) serves both to enhance the flow and spectacle of AFLW fixtures, maximises the surrounding development potential within the relatively tight site constraints and will bring members and supporters as close to the action as possible.
The second, ‘Gabba sized’ oval on the adjacent northern site will provide the Lions with an opportunity to train on a wider, longer oval once it has been completed.
An important aspect of both AFL Queensland and the Club’s future growth is the provision of facilities for and integration of the Lions Academy with the elite players and support staff of the broader Club. Over 600 players and families across Southern Queensland are involved annually.
The 50m x 35m indoor training field, known as The Cage, provides a controlled training environment for the club particularly during periods of hot or inclement weather as well as during ground remediation.
With a clear height of 12-15m, The Cage will also serve as a warm-up space for the AFLW team on matchdays and is capable of hosting auditorium style community and corporate events. Its location adjacent the main entry plaza provides great opportunities to for fan engagement and connection with the wider community.
20-25 AFL events will be staged at Brighton Homes Arena each year including AFLW home games, AFL pre-season matches, VFL and Academy games along with non-sporting events, festivals and community gatherings.
Paying homage to Fitzroy’s Brunswick Street Oval, the red brick design of the Grandstand is also strongly linked with Ipswich’s industrial heritage. Former Brisbane Bears supporters will also recognize the expansive balconies and timber as common features of traditional Queenslander architecture.
Designed to meet AFLW match day requirements (Category 4 Venue), the Grandstand includes:
- Covered spectator seating for 640 people
- Away team and officials change rooms
- Food & beverage and public amenities, and
- Media and broadcast facilities:
- TV Broadcasting Studio (including fixed camera location)
- 2 x Coaches Boxes (Home & Away)
- 2 x Radio Boxes
- Champion Data/statisticians room
- Timekeeper/Siren room
- Ground Announcer/PA room
- Venue Control Room
For larger events, multi-purpose spaces in other parts of the precinct can be used for extra media requirements, avoiding over capitalisation on facilities which could only see intermittent use.
An external balcony links all of the Grandstand spaces and provides a small breakout space for media.
The OB compound is located in the north-west carpark.
ELITE PERFORMANCE CENTRE
The Elite Performance Centre houses the Lions’ main Training & Administration facilities. One of the key design considerations included the access, visibility, flexibility and security needed in order to operate an elite sporting club alongside the community.
As the welcoming space for visitors to Brighton Homes Arena, the foyer creates a fully immersible one-stop-shop for Lions supporters and visitors with a café and merchandise shop along with memorabilia and trophies as well as the Lions’ Reception.
The cafe spills out externally into the main plaza and will generate the majority of daily foot traffic from commuters making the journey to and from Springfield Central Station. The bar occupies the space facing Michael Voss Oval and can be utilised as a premium matchday function space as well as a pre-function space for night events.
The use of a rich design palette of earthy colours and natural textures such as timber and brick along with elements from the traditional Queenslander home and Melbourne workers’ cottage enhanced the sense of a warm, familiar place and identity. Strong materials draw a connection into the building from the outside, including the red brick and raw concrete.
The upper level of the Elite Performance Centre houses the entire administration in a combination of cellular offices, open plan workstations and collaboration areas.
One of the other key project objectives was to integrate the entire organisation - football and administration - in a more casual, non-hierarchical environment which is achieved through visual connectivity, common breakout spaces and shared facilities.
The entire Club is connected via an Inner ‘Grandstand’, using a large central void and staircase to allow for both informal small group discussions as well as whole-of-organisation meetings.
The Football Department occupies the entire ground level of the Elite Performance Centre, allowing for secure access only by players, coaches and staff. Each component of the high-performance facility is located to optimise physical and visual connectivity and improve operational efficiencies between the AFLW and AFL teams and personnel.
The Football Department staff including coaches, analysts and administration are all located in a large, open style collaborative workspace. Direct sightlines to both the indoor training field and main oval provides the ability to casually monitor players during training activities.
Private offices are provided for both AFLW and AFL Senior Coaches as well as the Head of Football and Head of AFLW, with a variety of formal and informal meeting spaces also provided for smaller group discussions.
The 50m x 35m indoor training oval known as The Cage provides a controlled training environment for the club to utilise, particularly during periods of inclement weather or ground remediation.
With a clear height of 12-15m, the indoor field will also serve as a warm-up space for the AFLW team on matchdays and is capable of hosting auditorium style scale community and corporate events. Its location adjacent the main entry plaza provides great opportunities for fan engagement and connection with the wider community.
There are equal player locker rooms for the men’s and elite women’s elite football teams, with the interior design reflecting the prestige and honour of playing for the Brisbane Lions. Each room accommodates 50 player lockers with an additional 10 top up spaces.
While the AFLW team currently only has a playing list of 35 and the men a playing list of 45, this future proofs for the growth of the Brisbane Lions’ AFLW team.
The medical and rehabilitation spaces, including physiotherapy and high-performance staff, are located centrally between the players’ locker rooms and the indoor training spaces. A secure doctor’s office and secondary consulting room are provided adjacent to an open massage and rehab area.
A dedicated treatment space contains six treatment bays with the provision for privacy screens to divide the space for concurrent male and female use. The treatment area also feeds directly into the gymnasium to allow for rehab and treatment to occur simultaneously.
The hydrotherapy space is located to allow for direct access from both players locker rooms, and include an endless river style resistance pool and hot and cold plunge pools.
The gym is located directly adjacent to the indoor oval with large openings to facilitate a seamless flow between the two spaces. Visual connections are also provided to the physio treatment space and the high-performance coaches workspace.
The players’ recreational facilities are intentionally separated from the rest of the football department to encourage players to ‘step out’ of the high intensity training environment during rest periods.
COMMUNITY BUILDINGS
The Community building comprises the front-of-house reception area for the Arena including the main public entry to the Brisbane Lions’ facilities, hospitality spaces and shared community spaces which are connected through an internal laneway to:
- Cafe and Bar
- Club merchandise outlet
- Main production kitchen (2 levels)
- Commercial tenancies including Multicultural Australia youth hub
- Club dining and function rooms
- Players’ lounge;
- Community workspaces; and the
- 56 seat auditorium
The Brisbane Lions have formed a strategic partnership with Multicultural Australia (MA), Queensland's largest provider of migrant and refugee support services. Brighton Homes Arena includes MA’s community facility and office space, as well as a range of multi-purpose meeting rooms available for hire by community groups.
A large, flexible community room with a retractable seating tier creates an auditorium space for over 50 people. This also has the ability to function as a large press conference space and is ideally located between the Lions’ and away team facilities. A glass wall connects the space with Michael Voss Oval.
Space on the ground level has been designed for commercial activation. Tenants will create a sustainable financial model for the community assets across the Arena, as well as generating foot traffic within the precinct and activating the main plaza.
Located directly above the main entry lobby, the Upper Tier function spaces form a key operational and commercial space with uninterrupted views of the main oval. Operating as a dining space for all players and staff, the Upper Tier provides function rooms capable of hosting 200 guests for after-hours events.
The Upper Bar and Upper Deck combine to create a single event space capable of hosting up to 400 people. A commercial kitchen services both levels, with access to lifts and an external loading bay at ground level. Designed to connect people inside and outside, there are views from the main plaza through to the playing fields that take in the double height foyer and function spaces.
A second external terrace provides a large covered outdoor meeting and informal workspace for administration staff, also with views across Michael Voss Oval. A kitchenette means the terrace can also be used as a hospitality offering on event days.
A viewing platform into The Cage indoor training fields allows for inner-sanctum viewing for media, match broadcasters as well as for training analysis purposes. A key consideration for the design was to bring fans and stakeholders close to the AFLW and AFL players for both training and after match celebrations.
The TotalFusion Lions commercial gym and wellness centre is organised on the north-eastern corner of the site, providing maximum exposure at the intersection of Eden Station Drive and the Springfield Greenbank Arterial, and offering community access to a of high-performance gym including a Reformer Pilates studio, lap pool, allied health clinic and, coming soon, is a childcare centre for 120 children per day.
FUTURE-PROOFED FOR GROWTH
The Brisbane Lions formed a strategic partnership with Ipswich City Council to develop the site at Springfield and have a 50-year lease to operate and maintain the facilities, with the option to continue up to 99 years.
Brighton Homes Arena precinct is well connected via major arterial roads including the Eden Station Drive and the Centenary Highway which is the main arterial route linking Brisbane to Ipswich. The journey from Brisbane CBD to Springfield Central is typically 30-35 minutes by car.
Located within Queensland's second fastest growing region and the seventh-fastest growing region nationally, Brighton Homes Arena will provide recreation, wellness and meeting facilities to for the expected increase from 195,000 people to between 461,000 and 580,000 by 2031.
Michael Voss Oval has capacity for up to 10,000 spectators now with the ability to create seating for up to 24,000 fans with the addition of an upper northern stand.
A second, ‘Gabba sized’ training field located to the north of Eden Station Drive allows for growth of the elite players, and pathway programs including the Lions Academy and local schools including Springfield Anglican College and Hymba Yumba Independent Schools right next door. The second oval will also unlock greater use of Michael Voss Oval year-round by freeing it up for community and school events while the Lions’ train.
The design includes extensive energy efficiency and water harvesting initiatives, with passive heating and cooling achieved through the extensive use of verandahs, high-ceilings, operable louvres and double-hung windows, covered terraces and the orientation of the buildings allow for afternoon prevailing winds to be captured in summer.
The Lions have approved plans to install a 200-kWh solar array including 5mW battery storage, capable of supplying power to Greater Springfield and aiding local grid stability.
The location of the precinct, adjacent to existing public transport, parking stations and Springfield town centre, with accessible health, wellness and childcare facilities provides opportunities for local residents and community groups to work, live and play at Brighton Homes Arena, extending the impact well beyond a traditional elite training and administration precinct.
The range of shared and community facilities and spaces within Brighton Homes Arena provide significant new revenue streams for the Brisbane Lions, helping them to grow and manage operational and maintenance costs long-term.
The Gabba remains the home ground for Brisbane Lions AFL Premiership and Finals matches.
