Sunshine Coast Stadium – design description

What does Sunshine Coast Stadium look like?

Sunshine Coast Stadium is located in Bokarina, a southern suburb of the Sunshine Coast located along the Pacific Ocean coastline. It is the main stadium of the Kawana Sport Precinct complex. The facility was built in 2007, initially as a modest pitch, which was enhanced in 2011 with the addition of an indoor stand to the west, capable of accommodating 1,046 spectators.

In late 2016 and early 2017, berms with gentle grassy slopes were created on the other sides of the pitch. Although these are not true stands, they allow matches to be watched by 10,000 or more spectators.

With the expansion, the stadium has grown to become the Sunshine Coast's premier facility, featuring a rectangular playing field for football and rugby. The facility has occasionally hosted A-League and National Rugby League matches, among others. In early 2020, the stadium received floodlighting.

What are the plans for further expansion of Sunshine Coast Stadium?

The local authorities were planning further expansion of the arena. A concept was presented in December 2019, according to which the capacity of the venue was to increase to 16,618 spectators. The stand was to receive new segments on the sides and its capacity would increase to 3,533 seats.

On the opposite side would stand a second, even higher, partially covered stand with a capacity of 8085 spectators. Behind the gates, there would still be hills from where the matches were to be watched by around 5,000 people.

The cost of the extension was estimated at A$ 68 million. 20 million was to come from the Queensland state budget, A$ 17 million from the Sunshine Coast and A$ 11 million was to be contributed by private donors. The missing A$ 20 million was intended to come from the federal budget, but the refusal put the whole project in doubt.

The local authorities did not give up, however, and in April 2021 presented an updated concept, which remained essentially unchanged in its main ideas.

What are the latest plans for Sunshine Coast Stadium?

In July 2021, Brisbane was announced as the host of the 2032 Summer Olympics, and Sunshine Coast Stadium was shortlisted as an Olympic football arena, which meant that the missing funding for its expansion was likely to be found.

In early 2023, a further update of the stadium expansion concept was presented. It shows the stadium in a layout with new stands behind the gates, as temporary structures are to be erected there for the duration of the Games to increase the capacity of the venue to 20,000 spectators.

In addition, a new arena is planned near the stadium, where basketball games will be played during the Games. The arena will have a capacity of 6,000 people; in an alternative configuration, it will accommodate up to 11 courts.

When will Sunshine Coast Stadium be expanded?

Expansion of Sunshine Coast Stadium is expected to begin in 2024 and construction of the new arena in 2025. The project also includes the transformation of the entire surroundings. The upgraded complex should be ready in 2027.