Privately Owned Sports Stadiums in Australia

So today, the A-leagues noted that the upcoming stadium in Tarneit would be the “first privately owned stadium” in Australia. This is not entirely true – the following venues are used by the major professional competitions in the country and are all privately held.

Ballymore Stadium – Brisbane, QLD

Owned by the Queensland Rugby Union since founded in 1966, after a grant from the Queensland Government.

Cazalys Stadium – Cairns, QLD

This venue is entirely owned by AFL Cairns. Originally owned by the Australian National Football Council, AFL Cairns purchased the freehold title to the land in 1984-85. This was paid off in 1992.

Kayo Stadium – Redcliffe, QLD

The land was originally owned by the local council, until the RedCliffe Dolphins (Rugby league) purchased the land in 2008.

Marvel Stadium – Melbourne CBD, Victoria

The largest privately owned venue in the country by far, this venue is entirely owned by the Australian Football League. It was originally built by a private consortium on land purchased by the AFL, who took out a long term lease which handed over ownership in 2025 for a pittance. The League bought out the remainder of its lease in November 2016 for more than 200m. In 2018, the state government agreed to fund a 225m redevelopment of the stadium as part of its major stadium plan, and in return for a further 20 years of AFL Grand Final hosting at the MCG.

Pointsbet Stadium – Cronulla, NSW

Originally owned by the Sutherland Shire Council, Cronulla bought the venue in 1968.

There are a range of minor venues that are also privately held including Knights Stadium (owned by Melbourne Croatia Soccer Club Inc.),

Previous private venues include Waverly Park (owned by the AFL) and Football Park (owned by the SANFL).