Skilled Park is a sports stadium located in Gold Coast’s suburban region called Robina. It is the home venue for rugby team Gold Coast Titans. Skilled Park is a rectangular field that is apt for rugby and soccer. The stadium was mainly constructed for the inclusion of Gold Coast Titans into the 2008 National Rugby League competition. The park is well connected to other regions of Gold Coast through public transportation facilities including buses and trains.

Construction

In 2004, discussions were held in Gold Coast for the formation of a professional rugby team. The team applied for participation in the 2007 National Rugby League Tournament. However, the bid was rejected saying that a team should possess a quality homeground that can accommodate more audiences. The Government of Queensland stepped in at the right time to offer about AUD$100 million to Gold Coast for the construction of a new stadium.

Following the approval from Queensland Government, construction of a new rectangular stadium started in 2006 at Robina. Construction works for the stadium was completed in 2008 before the inauguration of the 2008 NRL. The new stadium, which can accommodate more than 27 thousand visitors, was named “Skilled Park”. The park was designed to be suitable for various sports including rugby, soccer, and all other rectangular field sports.

Features of Skilled Park

Skilled Park has various facilities including member areas, catering facilities, beverage outlets, function rooms, press facilities, corporate suites, and corporate boxes. Skilled Park, which is said to be a smaller version of Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, drew a record crowd of 27,176 for the NRL match between the Titans and Brisbane Broncos. As the official homeground of Gold Coast Titans, Skilled Park has the advantage of drawing in more crowds from tourist locations in Gold Coast.

During the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, two matches were held in the Skilled Park stadium. The match between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea drew a crowd of more than 11 thousand people and the qualifying final match between Fiji and Ireland drew about 8 thousand people. Besides hosting rugby matches, Skilled Park is all set to host a new A-League soccer match in the 2009/10 season.