- The Crisafulli Government has pulled off a major coup, relocating Australia's Men's and Women's Rugby Sevens programs and the Wallaroos to Queensland, as part of a deal with Rugby Australia.
- The teams will be permanently headquartered at Ballymore, with upgrades to deliver a new high-performance facility and a new Eastern Stand as part of the Games Legacy Fund.
- The deals have been secured as part of the Crisafulli Government's mega-deal with Rugby Australia, which is also delivering ANZAC Day Bledisloe matches for six years and major international tests held in regional Queensland.
- The Rugby Australia Awards, including the John Eales Medal, will also be held in Queensland twice in next seven years.
- The Crisafulli Government is delivering more major events and raiding other states to bring more jobs to Queensland, after a decade of decline under Labor.
Queensland is the new home of Australia's Rugby Sevens and the Wallaroos, after the Crisafulli Government secured their relocation to the Sunshine State as part of a mega-deal with Rugby Australia which includes a major upgrade of Ballymore and ANZAC Day Bledisloe tests.
In the latest major sporting coup by the Crisafulli Government, which continues to aggressively raid other states for major events, up to 90 Rugby Australia athletes and staff will move to Queensland from New South Wales to have the Sevens and Wallaroos headquartered in Queensland.
A major upgrade of Ballymore will be delivered by the Crisafulli Government, transforming the spiritual home of Australian Rugby with world-class high-performance training facility and an upgraded Eastern Stand, delivered through the Games Legacy Fund.
The transformation of Ballymore will also provide a year-round base for the Wallabies when in Queensland.
The Rugby Australia Awards, including the John Eales Medal which honours the best Wallabies player, is also coming to Queensland, with the award to be held here twice over the next seven years.
The Crisafulli Government's upgrades to Ballymore also have significant economic benefits, with Queensland now set to host additional events including the Rugby Australia Summit, the Oceania/World Rugby Summit and SANZAAR Board Meeting.
Today's announcement follows major rugby events locked-in for Queensland, with ANZAC Day Bledisloe Cup matches in 2027, 2029 and 2031, as well as the 10 matches during the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup.
Premier David Crisafulli said Queensland continued to cement its standing as Australia's home of sport and major events.
"We said we would unashamedly pilfer major sporting events from other states, and we're doing exactly that, to deliver more jobs and more events for Queensland," Premier Crisafulli said.
"Queensland is the new home of Rugby Sevens and the Wallaroos because organisations want to be part of what we are building here in Queensland.
"Having national teams based in Queensland at Ballymore only grows the game and encourages more kids to dream of pulling on the green and gold one day."
Minister for Sport and Racing and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander said Ballymore's upgrades would see more Queenslanders take up Rugby.
"This partnership is a major coup for Queensland and another example of the Crisafulli Government attracting sport to our state," Minister Mander said.
"As we build toward the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we want Queensland to be a place where athletes can train, compete and thrive, while giving more Queenslanders the opportunity to get involved in sport."
"This is exactly what our strategy 'Queensland Spirit' is about, making Queensland the home of Australian sport, attracting high-performance programs and major sporting events to our state, and inspiring more Queenslanders to get active."
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh welcomed the new facility to be built at Ballymore.
"This is an historic moment for Australian Rugby and the benefits from today's announcement will be felt for generations," Mr Waugh said.
"An upgrade of Ballymore will ensure the game's spiritual home in Queensland will evolve into a High-Performance centre of excellence to rival any around the rugby world.
"All of this has been made possible because of the strength of the partnership between the Queensland Government, the Queensland Rugby Union and Rugby Australia."
Queensland Rugby Union Chief Executive David Hanham said this was a day of huge significance for rugby in Queensland.
"This will be one of the best high-performance precincts in the world for rugby and it will stand proudly here in Queensland. More than that, it will create a hub for community sport and athlete development," Mr Hanham said.
"The future of Australian Rugby has never looked brighter, and there is no better place to build that future than right here in Queensland."
