Industry overview

The Gold Coast’s location and natural environment are at the core of its success as a global sport city. The city has grown into a hub of sporting excellence across high-performance training, international sport events, education, sport science, specialised clinicians, coaching staff, sport management and product manufacturing. The Gold Coast has been awarded Best Newcomer in Sport Business International’s bi-annual Ultimate Sport Cities Rankings and is ranked the 18th top sporting city in the world on the Sportcal Global Sport Index.

Further bolstering the city’s success as an emerging sport powerhouse is the growing number of high-profile sporting teams that choose to train on the Gold Coast, and the international sporting icons that have made it their base. Over the last two years alone, the Gold Coast has hosted elite teams including Manchester City Football Club, Spanish Villareal CF Football Club, English Rugby League Team and the American, Canadian, Chinese and Japanese swim teams.

Major event hosting

The Gold Coast hosts local, national and international sporting events including: Castrol Gold Coast 600 – V8 Supercars, Australian PGA Championship, Australian Surf Life Saving Titles, Gold Coast Airport Marathon, Gold Coast Triathlon, Magic Millions Racing Carnival, Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Pan Pacific Masters Games, Quiksilver and Roxy Pro and Volvik RACV Ladies Masters.

Elite training destination

Australia’s best training environment

The Gold Coast has become a sanctuary for high profile sporting teams looking for a training base away from home. One of the biggest drawcards is the weather, with the city experiencing approximately 300 days of sunshine each year. Unparalleled natural assets also give athletes access to 57 kilometres of coastline, 21,000 hectares of parklands, 200 kilometres of navigable waterways, and heritage-listed rainforests for training and recovery sessions.

History of high-performance sport

The Gold Coast has a long history of hosting international teams and athletes who have come to the Gold Coast to train at its world-class facilities. With a strong local sporting community the Gold Coast is home to national sporting teams the Gold Coast Titans (National Rugby League) and the Gold Coast SUNS (Australian Football League). The Gold Coast is also home to a range of peak sporting bodies including Surfing Australia, Triathlon Australia, V8 Supercars Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport (sprint canoe, triathlon and BMX) and Skateboarding Australia.

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Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games

In 2018, the Gold Coast hosted the largest sporting event to hit the shores of Australia this decade - the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018). In the lead up to GC2018, the city underwent major transformation investing approximately $200 million in new and redeveloped sport infrastructure - providing the facilities to support national and international events and training-camps for years to come.

Additional to the sport infrastructure is the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village - a mixed-used master-planned development that will house 6,500 athletes and team officials travelling from more than 70 Commonwealth nations and territories to the Gold Coast for the Games. The project post Games will remain a permanent residential community with more than 1,200 dwellings and will aim to create future development opportunities, complementary to those activities already within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.

Sport Attraction Program

The City of Gold Coast Sport Attraction Program is a support program for sporting teams wishing to train and conduct sports related business on the Gold Coast. It focuses on connecting teams with the right facilities, accommodation, sport science and local businesses. Since 2013, the City of Gold Coast Sport Attraction Program has supported 174 sporting initiatives contributing $57.1 million to the local economy.

Sport facilities

Sporting teams from around the globe venture to the Gold Coast to train and compete in world-class facilities. The premier venues have been designed with team experience in mind...

Sport science

The Gold Coast is carving a niche as a city recognised for sport excellence and innovation; from cutting-edge research in sport science and leading coaching techniques to innovative product development and manufacturing.

Famous for its sub-tropical climate, the Gold Coast boasts 270+ days of sunshine per year.

Accommodation and innovation

For sporting teams travelling to the Gold Coast there is a wide range of sport-friendly accommodation options available within a short distance of most major sporting facilities. The city is also home to some of the region's leading sport academics who partner with professional athletes to research, design and manufacture leading high-performance sport apparel and equipment.

Accommodation

The Gold Coast offers a variety of accommodation options for sporting teams travelling to the Gold Coast...

Innovation and transformation

The city has become a hub for cutting-edge sport businesses; from manufacturers of high-performance sporting apparel, equipment and nutritional products to experts in sports coaching and management.