Canberra Brave owner, Stephen Campbell, makes new pitch to Government on a vision for a Larger and BIGGER future home for the Canberra Brave.

With the Brave selling-out home games on a regular basis at the Palace (AIS Arena) since moving in at the end of May, it has become obvious the new Tuggeranong Arena with its 3,700 capacity is not going to be big enough for the Brave to grow.

The Brave have become a hot ticket in Canberra, drawing in the third biggest crowds of any Canberra sporting team. On top of this, the Brave have been drawing large numbers of away fans since the move, up over 20%. A sign of just how passionate ice hockey fans are around Australia.

So with a good problem to have, what do you do next?

The pitch

Stephen Campbell has recently pitched a new $10 million concept to the ACT and Australian Governments. He wants to turn the planned new Convention Centre Indoor Arena into the Madison Square Garden (MSG) of Canberra. The vision is to install the infrastructure system that would allow for an interchangeable ice rink, basketball court and events floor. 8 hours is all you need to make the change, not 2 weeks.

The ACT and Australian Governments are co-funding the new arena, which is in the early stages of planning works. It is to be located on the current Civic Pool site in the city centre of Canberra. A new Civic Aquatic Centre, re-located to Commonwealth Park, recently received funding in the ACT Budget handed down last month. This paves the way for the re-use of the current pool site.

Mr Campbell has argued the MSG concept makes financial sense. It costs a fraction compared to expanding the Tuggeranong Arena plans to meet a larger vision. Tens of millions as opposed to hundreds of millions of dollars difference. It will deliver the right venue for the Canberra Brave and the right venue for other ice sports and tournaments. Giving Canberra a mix of size options for ice events for the first time. The new convention centre arena is likely to have a capacity of 6,000-10,000, depending on final design chosen.

The advantages for the Brave

A larger venue gives greater scope to grow the team’s support and financial strength. The location of the new arena, in Civic South, is one of the most central locations you could ask for. Access from different parts of Canberra will be easy. It is close to hotels, including the Sebel, Meriton and Crowne Plaza. There are various eateries within walking distance. Regular and rapid bus services currently service the area, providing easy public transport for the site. While the arena is also primed to be added to the light rail network in the future. Constitution Avenue, which runs alongside of the arena, has been preserved for a future extension of light rail from the city to the airport.

There are currently lots of parking options nearby, but that will change with new developments in the pipeline. An onsite parking solution will have to be part of the concept for the arena, but the added public transport options should diversify the transport modes used to get to and from games.

Tuggeranong Arena to continue as planned

Mr Campbell also confirmed, as planned, Cruachan Investments would continue to build the new twin-sheet arena in Tuggeranong. The Brave would use the Tuggeranong facility for its training sessions. However, the arena would shift its main priorities away from the Brave. Instead, the arena would prioritise all ice sports at grassroots, community and high-performance levels. Think figure skating, broomball, curling and speed skating.

With Brave games shifted out of the new Tuggeranong Arena, it resolves one key issue raised by Mr Campbell in recent interviews, traffic management. The Tuggeranong site has road capacity issues with local roads surrounding the Arena, rather than a higher capacity arterial road.

To sum up a new pitch for future home of the Canberra Brave

This new concept and direction appears to provide the Canberra Brave with an avenue to grow into the future. It recognises that the bar has been shifted for Australian ice hockey in the capital. It will allow for an easier build of the new twin-sheet ice arena in Tuggeranong, with key concerns now overcome. This should mean a Tuggeranong Arena can be built sooner than otherwise would be the case.

It is a win-win for the Canberra Brave and all other ice sports in Canberra. Lets hope our governments see the advantage of added uses for the new Convention Centre Arena and support the idea.

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