City’s newest sports ground gets formal name
06 July 2021
The home of AFL in Ipswich has received its formal name, following an Ipswich City Council decision to gazette the previously labelled northern sports fields as Springfield Central Stadium.
Like its older, rectangular cousin, known as both Lang Park and Suncorp Stadium, the fields will now be known by both its gazetted name, Springfield Central Stadium, and Brighton Homes Arena, as revealed when the first sod was turned on 17 May, 2021.
Mayor Teresa Harding said the name reflected its geographic location in the community, as well as its significance as an elite-level training and community facility.
“I’m delighted that council has given this new sporting complex a solid identity,” Mayor Harding said.
“Springfield Central Stadium gives the under-construction facility a specific location on GPS systems, as well as a name befitting of the important role it will play as part of Ipswich’s sporting landscape.
“It will confirm Ipswich’s reputation on the national sporting map and is a stadium we will all be proud of. I can’t wait to hear it reverberate around radio and TV broadcasts, and see it splashed across game reports held there in the future.”
Division Two Councillors, Deputy Mayor Nicole Jonic and Cr Paul Tully, welcomed the name, saying it represented an important development for the city.
“I’m really excited to see this major facility underway and being built, and especially looking forward to catching the reigning ALFW champion Lions in season 2022,” Cr Jonic said.
“The name Springfield Central Stadium is a good choice – it gives visitors a sense of direction and where the venue is, while also a sense of scale and importance,” Cr Tully said.
Council has contributed $20 million to this project, and will own the facility once complete, as an investment in high-standard community sports facilities for the whole city.
In addition to several hundred jobs during construction, securing the Lions will bring significant opportunities for small businesses in Ipswich to do business with Queensland’s largest sports club, and an icon of our sporting landscape.
The facility is due to be complete in time to host AFLW competition matches, and AFL men’s pre-season matches from late 2022.