Bandits on the run? Team weighs up Logan move, as softball makes own pitch

Logan City Council’s vision for a new diamond sport stadium, developed with the aim of attracting Olympic baseball and softball to the city in 2032, could see Brisbane’s only professional baseball team pack up their gear and move south.

But it has also attracted pleas from softball’s governing body not to be forgotten in the venue planning and design.

The Australian Baseball League’s Brisbane Bandits play at Holloway Field at Newmarket, having previously played at the RNA Showgrounds and, for a period in the 1990s, at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre at Nathan – then known as ANZ Stadium.

Bandits general manager Stuart Masters said the team was open to the idea of moving to a new facility at Logan, but he stopped well short of any commitment.

“We’ll wait and see how things develop before making any decisions. Right now, our focus is firmly on preparing for the upcoming ABL season,” he said.

“It’s too early to speculate, but we’ll always explore opportunities that benefit the Bandits and the game in Queensland.”

Last month, this masthead revealed Logan Mayor Jon Raven had secured an agreement with Griffith University for a ballpark to be built on its Meadowbrook campus, which would give baseball and softball a home for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. The Crisafulli government’s delivery plan did not include a venue for the diamond sports.

Raven has said his preference was for a Logan team to call the proposed ballpark home, which Baseball Australia chief executive Glenn Williams said would be on the cards if it was built.

Armed with new imagery, Raven took new his ballpark vision to Asia last week as he courted would-be investors to fund the stadium, which could cost anything from $30 million to $100 million depending on its scale. Raven was not seeking government money for the project.

Williams said the new renderings of the facility were “incredibly exciting” for the sport.

“They highlight the potential of what baseball in Logan could look like for the Brisbane 2032 Games,” he said.

“Across the world there are outstanding ballparks, and this vision reflects the standard of facility that could one day be realised here in Logan, attracting international events and baseball activity to the region.”

But Softball Australia chief executive Sarah Loh said there was one thing missing from the images that had so far been released.

“I’m excited, but that’s a picture of baseball, which doesn’t excite me too much,” she said.

“Give me some drawings of how softball is going to look. Tell me how that’s going to work.”

Loh said, for her sport, it was more important to have a legacy community facility than a stadium that would be used for other major events.

“It can’t just be how many events are we going to be able to run on it – that’s what investors are going to ask,” she said.

“There’s still questions that need to be answered in relation to a permanent home – like a centre of excellence – for baseball and softball in the future.

“That’s the legacy the Olympics provides, right?

“So if the mayor and Logan council can get these investors, that would be wonderful – it’ll be ready before 2032, but I want to know the next part.

“How does this impact the community at the end of the day? It’s on university land, how does all that work?

“It’s an amazing venue. I think it’s going to be great for the university, it’s going to be great for the residents. It’s going to be great for both sports.”

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