WYNNUM Wolves FC has secured Brisbane City Council approval for its new Football Centre at Carmichael Park, marking a major milestone in the club’s post-flood recovery and future growth.
The redevelopment will replace the old clubhouse – the former Moreton Bay Sports Club – which was destroyed during the devastating floods that hit Brisbane in February 2022.
Since then, the Wolves have worked closely with Brisbane City Council, the Wynnum Manly District Cricket Club and other stakeholders to clean up, masterplan and rebuild the site.
Club president Rabieh Krayem said the new facility – to be named the Clare Polkinghorne Football Centre – will be a major win for both the club and community.
“We’re thrilled to have received approval for a facility that reflects the growth of the Wolves and the needs of our broader community,” Mr Krayem said.
“This project has been years in the making and is a testament to what can be achieved when different levels of government and local groups work together.”
Mr Krayem said it was especially fitting the new centre would honour the club’s most celebrated junior product and most capped footballer.
“We are proud that Clare started her junior football career at our club and are even prouder to honour her stellar career and her significant contribution to the female game in this country by putting her name on our new building at a time when female football is booming at Wynnum,” he said.
Construction is expected to start in October and take approximately a year to complete, pending final funding agreements.
It will include a function space, kitchen, canteen and bar, reception and storage facilities, two new changerooms, a laundry, multipurpose rooms and the first sections of stadium seating.
All elements will be built above Brisbane City Council’s designated flood level to mitigate future weather-
related damage.
Trace Project Management is overseeing the development, following its support for various recovery and improvement works at Carmichael Park, including refurbishment of the Eastern Changerooms, new field lighting and improved drainage.
The design of the new clubhouse is led by JSTN Architects, with Hutchinson Builders engaged under an Early Contractor Involvement agreement.
The project is jointly funded by Brisbane City Council and the Queensland and Federal Governments.
Other future enhancements will see additional changerooms, referee rooms, a gym, lounge, medical facilities and seating.
Wynnum Wolves, a proud 104-year-old club, holds a special place in Australian football history.
From fielding an original Socceroo in Clarence Shenton in 1922, to sending Australia’s first women’s team overseas in 1975, to developing the country’s most capped footballer.
