Sport and Recreation Strategy to evaluate stadiums management

A taskforce consisting of industry and commercial experts will evaluate the management of State Government venues as part of Queensland’s first Sport and Active Recreation Strategy, due to be released by the end of 2018.

Sports Minister Mick de Brenni today announced the taskforce would be headed by experienced sports administrator John Lee, who will lead a thorough assessment of the operations of the state’s nine venues.

“There’s no question that we love sport in Queensland, and we want to see more of it everywhere,” Mr de Brenni said.

"At the last election, we made a commitment to develop an overarching Sports and Active Recreation Strategy for sport in Queensland, from grassroots level right up to how we manage our venues through Stadiums Queensland.

“A key part of the strategy is about figuring out how to get these stadium assets performing better, and I think that is really the crux of the issue.

“I’ve been looking for the right person to lead that part of the work, and John looks like he has the goods.

“He’s uniquely placed as someone who gets the issue from the perspective of both the clubs and the stadium managers.”

Mr de Brenni said the taskforce would consider all fees and charges levied to hirers, including transport and policing costs.

“One of the important factors in making this choice has been his knowledge of interstate operations and experience with topics such as transport levies,” Mr de Brenni said.

“John will lead a team of infrastructure, finance and commercial experts from within government and external consultancies."

Stadiums Queensland manages, operates and promotes the use of nine major facilities, including The Gabba, Suncorp Stadium, Metricon and CBUS Super Stadium on behalf of the Queensland Government.

“Each facility is different, and the nature of a facilities portfolio of this scope presents a unique set of complex challenges for both venue managers and hirers to navigate,” Mr de Brenni said.

“What we want as a result of this is to make it more attractive for both clubs and fans to utilise our venues more.

“It’s important that our stadiums offer opportunities for Queenslanders to see the very best in state, national and international events.

"These assets belong to Queensland, and we want to make them work for Queenslanders."

John Lee

John Lee is the CEO of Australian Sailing and has enjoyed a highly successful career working in Sport, Major Events, Tourism and Transport. He has extensive experience in Sports Administration, Facilities/Asset Management, Venue Leasing and has a deep understanding of the needs of fans and the community.

Mr Lee’s recent experience with Sports Stadia, sporting clubs and leasing arrangements include:

• Director of the North Queensland Cowboys
• CEO of two NRL Clubs (Rabbitohs & Roosters)
• Commissioner of the Australian Sports Commission
• Director of Events NSW
• CEO of the Tourism & Transport forum (a national advocacy body)

John was a Director of the Parramatta Stadium Trust for seven years (2001 – 2008) and importantly delivered the major events transport levy for ANZ Stadium following the Sydney Olympics in 2000. This involved extensive negotiations with the major sporting codes and Clubs to ensure a workable and sustainable model was put in place following the Games.

ENDS

Media contact: Cat Milton 0447 117 132