Brisbane Lions Brighton Homes Arena

INNOVATION. The arena is the first purpose-built AFLW Premiership match facility in Australia. It features three distinct buildings arranged around the Michael Voss Oval to ensure uninterrupted views from within. These are the Elite Training Facility, the Community Facilities and the Grandstand.

Because of the buildings design, many multi-purpose spaces generate commercial revenue during event and non-event days, including the café, meeting rooms and the internal training field.

The elite training facility houses the Lions’ training and administration facilities. It features a rich design palette of earthy colours with natural textures such as timber, brick and traditional elements to enhance a sense of a warm, familiar place and identity. The football department occupies the entire ground level which optimises physical and visual connectivity and improves operational efficiencies between the AFLW and AFL teams and personnel. The 50m x 35m indoor training field, known as The Cage, provides a controlled training environment for the club, particularly during inclement weather or ground remediation.

In the level above, the football department staff – including coaches, analysts and administration – are in a large, open-style collaborative workspace. Direct sightlines to both the indoor training field and the oval allow the monitoring of players during training activities.

A standout feature of BHA is its unwavering commitment to accessibility, evident from its very perimeter. BHA incorporates signage and communications with visibility and legibility at the forefront. The selection of colour and contrasts caters to sensory needs, ensuring signage is easily discernible from a distance. Each wayfinding element forms part of a broader suite of signage which reflects the Club’s colours and branding to establish a clear identity upon entry to the precinct.

The continuous concourse, doubling as an exercise loop on non-event days, contributes to the overall patron experience. 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 precinct setting and landscape plan responds to the notion of an “oval in a forest”, providing a continuation of the existing riparian corridor which connects back into the urban heart of Springfield. Natural grass berms wrapping around the northern end of Michael Voss Oval provide additional seating and enhance the boutique community parkland feel of the arena. The design also has a strong emphasis on creating a First Nations link through a proposed educational walking trail from within the precinct to the Hymba Yumba Independent School to the north.

IMPACT. The Brisbane Lions Brighton Homes Arena is a unique example of a sports and entertainment venue seamlessly integrating elite sporting and community-focused elements to create a destination precinct in an emerging urban environment.

The co-location of many aspects of the operation of the Club ensures greater opportunities to reinforce and grow a 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.

Michael Voss Oval has capacity for 8,000 spectators now with the ability to create seating for 24,000 fans with the addition of an upper northern stand. It is listed as an IOC approved venue for the Ipswich region for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics.

The $80 million project was delivered in partnership with the Australian Government, Queensland Government, Ipswich City Council, AFL, and Brisbane Lions. It officially opened on 27 November 2022 when the Brisbane Lions AFLW advanced to the Grand Final, allowing the home team to host their inaugural game in their brand-new venue.

Brighton Homes Arena is a testament to the transformative potential of thoughtful design, inclusivity, and community integration in creating an exceptional sporting destination. It invites visitors to witness sporting events and become a part of something greater – a vibrant community space.