The Future of Sharks
Southport Sharks continues to rapidly progress realisation of its vision for the development of world class community, housing, sports and events facilities at Queensland’s Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP).
Enriching the Community & Precinct
The project objective is to partner with the GCKHP and all tiers of Government to create outstanding community assets, social infrastructure and new innovation opportunities that will serve and enrich the precinct and region for generations to come.
The project is aligned with the Queensland Government’s and City of Gold Coast’s full vision for the GCHKP as a vibrant place to live, play, learn and work. It will create new opportunity for community participation, generate jobs and be a powerful catalyst for Precinct growth, innovation and future investment.
The project’s value and need directly contributes to GCHKP Strategic Plan for 2022-27, Queensland Governments Innovation Precincts & Places Strategy, Activate Queensland! and the Federal Government’s Sport 2030 Plan.
Breeding Innovation In Sports & Technology
The new facilities will enable the further development of partnerships supporting innovation and investment in sports science and technology, contributing to Queensland’s position as a global leader in this burgeoning industry.
The project will foster;
- MedTech initiatives and sports technology innovation through new and existing partnerships,
- deliver opportunity and potential for precinct partners and Southport Sharks to further develop joint education and research programs in sports health and sports science,
- provide a new platform for sports technology and biotechnology research and development by creating a breeding ground for collaborative ventures,
- contribute to the Australia sports technology ecosystem by supplying the means for testing and development of new sports technology offerings from conception to commercialisation.
Creating a home for women's sport on the Gold Coast
Expanded and redeveloped sporting facilities that will accomodate a wide range of sports, with a particular focus on delivering a dedicated home for girls’ and women’s’ AFL to cater to exceptional levels of current and projected growth in the region.
Supported by the AFL as a partner, the project will provide purpose-built facilities for girls and women’s participation in AFL at all levels from entry to elite. The upgraded facilities, which include national standard lighting and broadcasting capacity, will create a future primary venue for AFLW games on the Gold Coast.
At Southport Sharks, over 50% of the junior clubs participants are girls, well over the state and National average. This project directly addresses the inadequate facility provisions for girls’ and women’s sport in the Precinct and Southport area.
The facilities will help to cultivate talent and foster participation across women’s sport in general by providing a high performance centre capable of hosting athletes from different codes.
Developing a Precinct Housing Solution
The project unlocks opportunity for investment in new housing solutions, addressing current shortages that are inhibiting the precinct growth and vibrancy.
Utilising existing assets and delivering innovative development solutions to relieve housing and accommodation shortages, this masterplan will impact the precincts ability to attract and retain staff by increasing the capacity of housing for Gold Coast University Hospital in particular.
Following the direction of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Athlete Village, which is now Australia’s first build-to-rent community accomodating 2500 people, Southport Sharks masterplan will include investment in new housing solutions. These solutions aim to combat the need for a housing volume increase in order to meet existing and future needs of the GCHKP, which once fully developed is projected to support jobs of up to 26,000 people.
Generating Jobs & Visitor Economy Impacts
With the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the horizon and the Gold Coast’s ever growing prominence as a world leading location for major events, development of flexible sports and entertainment facilities at the GCHKP will provide significant ongoing social and economic value to the state and region.
The project will address a lack of mid-tier boutique entertainment and cultural venues capable of hosting outdoor events in the Precinct and region. The new capacity with place the venue between HOTA, People First Stadium and CBus Super Stadium. The increase in capacity will allow for 10,000 spectators to watch regular sports, cultural and entertainment events.
This increase in events will be a key attractor for the precinct and region, creating jobs and delivering benefits to the visitor economy.
Promoting Youth Engagement & Healthy Lifestyles
The project will deliver new capacity to the Precinct to engage young people in healthy activity and sport, nurturing inclusion and positive social connection.
Southport Sharks aims to promote participation of young people through sports activity due to it being recognised as a powerful means of countering social disengagement, building self-worth, improving mental health and boosting school and employment retention rates.
The project will enable the Club to expand its AFL offerings and accomodate other outdoor sports in the Precinct, increasing the diversity of participants. Another addition will be the delivery of expanded programs for young people focusing on leadership, education and mental health.
With the additions, Southport Sharks will become an accessible sporting venue, and will be able to deliver regional sports programs for people with disability.
Contact Us
Whether you’re reaching out to talk about our restaurants, gaming, football teams or fitness centre, we want to hear from you. All enquiries and feedback are welcome; contact us today.