Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre

GC Sports and Leisure Centre
Interactive map of GC Sports and Leisure Centre
Former namesCarrara Sports and Leisure Centre (2016–2018)
AddressBroadbeach-Nerang Road
Carrara, Queensland
OwnerGold Coast City Council
Capacity5,300[1]
Construction
Broke ground2016 (2016)
OpenedApril 2017 (April 2017)
ArchitectBVN Architecture[2]
Tenants
Brisbane Roar FC (training) (2020–2023)

The Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre (GCSLC) is a multi-purpose arena and sports facility located in the Gold Coast suburb of Carrara, Queensland. The centre is located adjacent to the Carrara Indoor Stadium and forms a part of the Gold Coast Sports Precinct.[3]

Since 2017, the centre has been the training and administrative headquarters of the Gold Coast Suns, which competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). Reserves and practice matches have been played on the training oval located outside the centre's building.

History

Construction of the centre began in 2016 in preparation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[4] It was completed in April 2017.[2]

Seven courts are located inside Hall One, with the grandstand seating for up to 5,300 people, while Hall Two includes eight courts and 350 seats.[1] During the Commonwealth Games, the centre hosted badminton, powerlifting, weightlifting and wrestling competitions.[5]

On 7 July 2018, the GCSLC hosted a Suncorp Super Netball match between Queensland Firebirds and Melbourne Vixens.[6]

In October 2020, A-League club Brisbane Roar FC moved to GCSLC after a dispute with Logan City Council over an unpaid water bill at the Logan Centre of Excellence.[7] The club remained at the centre until returning to Ballymore Stadium in October 2023.[8]

GCSLC hosted both matches of the 2025 wheelchair rugby league Ashes.[9]

During the 2025–26 season, the Brisbane Bullets hosted two regular season National Basketball League games at GCSLC.[10][11]

Other uses for the venue since its construction have included international netball tournaments,[12] regional careers expos,[13] TAFE Queensland sports courses,[14] futsal championships,[15] basketball championships,[16] gymnastics championships,[17] judo championships[18] and cheerleading championships.[19]

The venue will be used in the future for judo and wrestling at the 2032 Summer Olympics and boccia at the 2032 Summer Paralympics.[20]

Carrara Training Oval

The Carrara Training Oval is located directly outside the GCSLC building.[21] It has a capacity of 1,000 people, although spectator facilities are minimal.[22]

Prior to the ground's development, the Gold Coast Suns trained on a natural turf oval on the south-eastern side of Carrara Stadium.[23] However, it was limited by poor drainage and site constraints which the impacted the oval's dimensions.[23]

The new training oval was constructed in 2016 on the north-western side of the stadium.[23] For the 2018 Commonwealth Games, it featured an athletics track to serve as the official warm-up venue for athletics events, which were held inside Carrara Stadium.[22]

In 2021, Carrara Training Oval hosted its first match for premiership points in the Victorian Football League (VFL), when Gold Coast played Southport in round 11.[24] The match was abandoned after ten minutes of play because of the announcement of a snap lockdown affecting south-eastern Queensland.[25][26] Greater Western Sydney hosted Brisbane at the ground in round 15 because of COVID-19 restrictions in New South Wales.[27][28]

Further VFL matches were played at Carrara Training Oval in 2022 and 2023.[29][30] An unofficial AFL pre-season practice match between Gold Coast and Essendon took place at the ground on 23 February 2023.[31][32]

Under naming rights, the ground has been known as Austworld Centre Oval since November 2018.[33][34] The ground has also been referred to as the Council Training Oval.[35][36]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre". Austadiums. Archived from the original on 10 February 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b Cheng, Linda (4 April 2018). "Game on: The architecture of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games". ArchitectureAu. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Venues". Austadiums. 4 April 2018. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  4. ^ Hinchliffe, Stirling (4 April 2016). "Construction on track in race to 2018 Commonwealth Games". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  5. ^ Jones, Kate (16–19 April 2018). "Tourism and Events Mission to SportAccord 2018" (PDF). Parliament of Queensland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  6. ^ Snowdon, Darren (8 July 2018). "Vixens win a one-point thriller over Firebirds". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Logan City Council statement on Brisbane Roar". The National Tribune. 7 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Brisbane Roar secures full time training facility for A-league Men's program at Ballymore". Brisbane Roar FC. 11 October 2023. Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Wheelchair Rugby League Ashes series launched at Queensland Parliament". Department of Sport, Racing and Olympic and Paralympic Games. 5 November 2025. Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Bullets set to Ignite Gold Coast with Two Blockbuster Games". Brisbane Bullets. 25 June 2025. Archived from the original on 8 February 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  11. ^ "NZ dominate Bullets who lose Prather". NBL. 12 November 2025. Archived from the original on 13 January 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  12. ^ "PacificAus Sports Netball Series locked in". Netball Australia. 15 March 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  13. ^ Mulder, Dirk (14 May 2025). "Gold Coast Careers Festival Lights Up with New After Dark Experience". The Koala News. Archived from the original on 9 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Gold Coast SUNS fostering the next generation". Gold Coast Suns. 19 July 2023. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  15. ^ "National Futsal Championships head to the Gold Coast in 2024". Football Australia. 11 May 2023. Archived from the original on 15 February 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  16. ^ "Australia's Biggest School Hoops Event Is Here". Basketball Australia. 30 November 2025. Archived from the original on 29 December 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  17. ^ Wright, Georgia (7 June 2023). "Local Gymnasts Win Gold on the Gold Coast". Echo News. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  18. ^ "Festival of Judo: Mayor Tom Tate welcomes athletes to the Gold Coast". Judo Australia. 13 March 2026. Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  19. ^ "Information Pack 2020" (PDF). Aussie Gold Cheer. June 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  20. ^ "Brisbane 2032 Olympic venues announced". Austadiums. 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 19 November 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  21. ^ Rhodes, Brendan (1 July 2022). "VFL Records Rd14: Demons reach 500 games". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  22. ^ a b "Austworld Centre Oval". Austadiums. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  23. ^ a b c "Natural turf training oval redevelopment". SPORTENG. Archived from the original on 14 October 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  24. ^ Cooper, Aaron (30 July 2021). "VFL Squad: Round 16". Gold Coast Suns. Archived from the original on 14 December 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  25. ^ "AFL and NRL games postponed as Queensland COVID lockdown sends codes scrambling". ABC News. 31 July 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  26. ^ Morris, Tom (31 July 2021). "VFL game cancelled after NINE minutes as Covid-19 mayhem hits Queensland". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 16 June 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  27. ^ Rhodes, Brendan (25 July 2021). "Rance's ring-ins give Sharks a scare, Giants get a grip on top eight". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  28. ^ Rhodes, Brendan (26 July 2021). "Players of round 15: Sun shines brightly, Dons' Foreign Legion a formidable force". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  29. ^ Cheadle, Josh (6 May 2022). "VFL Rounds 11 to 14 confirmed". Gold Coast Suns. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  30. ^ "SUNS VFL fixture confirmed". Gold Coast Suns. 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  31. ^ Whiting, Michael (23 February 2023). "Bombers find answers to small forward woes, Suns draftee shines". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 November 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  32. ^ Cotton, Ben (24 February 2023). "Bombers R1 bolter dazzles in shock comeback; Suns' answer to huge void? 3-2-1". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 22 January 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  33. ^ "SUNS welcome draftees to the Austworld Centre". Gold Coast Suns. 26 November 2018. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  34. ^ "Austworld extends until 2027". Gold Coast Suns. 10 September 2024. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  35. ^ Badkin, Liam (23 April 2021). "State Leagues Preview: All competitions in full swing". Rookie Me Central. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026. The Gold Coast Suns and the Sydney Swans will do battle in a Saturday morning clash at the Council Training Oval.
  36. ^ "VFL Rounds 9 and 10 / VFLW Rounds 13 and 14 fixtures confirmed". AFL.com.au. 29 April 2022. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026. Gold Coast SUNS vs Box Hill Hawks – Council Training Oval, Metricon Stadium, 3.05pm
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