Council commit to Carrara Stadium revamp

Gold Coast City Council has gift wrapped rugby league's bid to set up on the tourist strip with a multi-million-dollar commitment to revamp Carrara Stadium.

By backing the Coast's National Rugby League bid, the council effectively killed off any chance of a second Queensland AFL team in the foreseeable future.

On Friday, councillors met behind closed doors to confirm their support for the Dolphins' NRL bid.

The council's $6 million commitment will help fund the redevelopment of Carrara into a state-of-the-art stadium.

The AFL had requested that Carrara, the former home of the Brisbane Bears, be turned into a multi-purpose stadium.

But most councillors favour a rectangular design, effectively ending any chance of Aussie rules being played there.

The Dolphins had asked the council to reconfirm its support ahead of Monday week's NRL meeting to decide the expansion issue.

Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke said: "At this stage, our priority is rugby league . . . we're forging ahead without the AFL coming on board."

NRL chief executive David Gallop said redeveloping Carrara was a crucial part of the Dolphins' bid.

"They have always accepted that the ground is in need of improvement," he said.

"Carrara has comfortably catered for crowds up to 20,000 over the past couple of years. But turning it into a rectangular arena would improve the facility considerably," he said.

A possible hitch in the bid is the council's proviso that the State and Federal governments chip in $38 million - and how that figure is split.

Cr Clarke said he had held discussions with "AFL interests" as a "backup" to the NRL plan.

"At the moment, we are looking at redeveloping Carrara for a rugby league team. If we can't get the money or funding to support a league team and the Gold Coast misses out on a licence, then we would look at AFL as the second cab off the rank. We want a local team playing in a national competition."

Ironically, Cr Clarke is an AFL fan.

His older brother, Jack, played 263 games for Essendon, playing in two premierships, captained the Bombers and twice won their best and fairest.

Hawthorn has been mentioned as a possible visitor to Carrara in 2006.

AFL media manager Patrick Keane said the league had held discussions with the council but even if Carrara was able to accommodate Aussie rules, it was unlikely the venue would host a premiership match.

"We think Carrara should be a multi-purpose stadium, in the same way as Subiaco, Telstra Dome and Telstra Stadium," Keane said.

"Our view is that we would look at scheduling Wizard Cup games in the pre-season there. There is also a possibility that in 2006, when the Commonwealth Games are being held and the MCG is unavailable, that we may look at scheduling one or two games at the ground.

"But there is no suggestion of a team relocating there," Keane said.

Gold Coast councillor Bob La Castra, who chairs the community services committee, said he could not see AFL at Carrara. "My personal view is for everything to stack up, we would could not cater for the rugby codes and AFL," he said.

"One has a rectangular pitch, the other an oval.

"NRL is played on the ground and AFL in the air.

"I don't think you can build a stadium which is conducive to both codes.

"Given the NRL decision is imminent, rugby league naturally has priority."

But Southport Sharks chief executive Paul Wyatt said the population of the region would easily support another AFL club and Carrara was the ideal venue.

"The population of the region is 500,000 and this is expected to double in the next 20 years," Wyatt said.

"In 2002 the council commissioned the Ogden report, and this report recommended a multi-purpose stadium to be built at Carrara . . . if Carrara was not redeveloped into a multi-purpose stadium, we'd certainly be asking council the question as to why the feasibility paper was disregarded."