GALLOPERS SPORTING CLUB IS WELL WORTH A VISIT

By Graham Potter | Thursday, April 19, 2012

Race-goers certainly cannot accuse Brisbane Racing Club (BRC) officials of sitting on their hands.

First there was the well designed and well received re-development at Doomben and more recently the undertaking of a similar makeover at Eagle Farm.

Taking those projects from concept through implementation to completion came at a substantial, direct cost to the club, but that was borne in the belief that moving forward, instead of stagnating, was a non-negotiable option for the club and that those changes which altered the ambiance of the race-goers experience for the better was a necessary task.

Now the BRC has completed the renovation trifecta with their unveiling of the new facilities at their Gallopers Sports Club which is situated at the site of the Hamilton Bowls Club.

For too long race-clubs have been disadvantaged in terms of not being able to supply a seven day facility which offers a TAB outlet, pokie machines, bar facilities and both in-door and out-door dining options with a wide range of meals on offer.

For the BRC, that situation changed with the official opening of the Gallopers Sports Club last night. Former BRC Chairman Kevin Dixon and State Treasurer Tim Nicholls officiated at the opening.

BRC CEO Stephen Ferguson put the new venture’s aim in perspective. “There are probably two main aims,” explained Ferguson. “The first is to provide a social environment where members can gather after a day at the races. Many people go for a drink or a meal after the races and we thing this provides a great, new opportunity for them.

“The second aim is obviously for the club to generate revenue so that we can plough that back into the racing side of the business. Here we've got food, beverage, gaming and a TAB offering which we want to maximize as much as we can. The ultimate aim is that what we make here gets ploughed back into tracks and facilities.

“The other important thing too is the level of contribution it allows us to make to the community. This club will pay for maintenance of the bowling greens so that helps provide a sport and recreational outlet for people in the local community.

“Before, the club was in pretty average condition. Now, after substantial renovations, we’d like to think it is a very smart, four-and-a-half star facility. I can see people streaming out of the races and coming down here on a Saturday night. We certainly hope they’ll come back here.

“And of course it’s not only open race-days. It will be open every day … open for breakfast every morning. It’s got everything. It’s got and out-door cafe, in-door dining, probably one of the best TAB’s in Brisbane, 91 pokie machines and a brand new bar.

“I think everybody should come and test drive it. I’m sure they won’t be disappointed.”

BRC director Neville Bell gave further insight into the undertaking.

“We had to do a presentation to the board of Racing Queensland to justify the expense because it was seen as a non-racing expense.

“When we went through the idea, I said we have got to diversify. This is sitting on our doorstep. It’s got a great position and a lot of potential for adding value to the race-club and its members as a non-race-day revenue source.

“We got given a mandate, and there’s far more involved in a far bigger plan within the racing precinct which will take many years to complete, but this is a great start.

“The TAB here was punching above its weight before the renovation so it should go from strength to strength.

“This is a community club and that is it going to live and die by that.

“We’ve got a great chef here. Paul Hoffman is the head chef. He has been the chef at the Cru Bar in James Street in Fortitude Valley for over ten years. The experience and expertise he’s got in preparing the right sort of food is unquestionable. He is an award winning chef, so we’ve got instant credibility in producing good food, which will be one of the things that people will initially be looking for.

“The social membership fee is $1. You need to be a member under the liquor license to be able to come in and have a drink. That is the technicality, but for that $1 you will also get ten club dollars which you can spend within the club at the bar or the cafe.

“It can’t get any cheaper than that. We hope to build membership on the basis.

“We’ve formed a great alliance with the old Queensland Bookmakers Club who are now based here and, of course, the Hamilton Bowls Club.

“We want people to call this their ‘social’ home.”

Bell epitomizes the ‘behind the scenes’ expertise that is intent on driving the Gallopers Sports Club to a successful future.

Bell is a patron of the Caboolture Sports Club which he has helped build over the last ten years to a level where it now rates as one of the largest clubs in Queensland with 280 gaming machines, employing more than 200 people. For the last ten years Bell has been at the coalface of club activity. In his own words, “it’s what I’ve been doing.” His experience will be invaluable in helping direct the growth of new club.

Chris Anderson, the Gallopers Sporting Club Manager, has twice before taken on the similar ‘start-up’ projects and taken them to new heights winning “Best Pub in Brisbane’ for his efforts at the Orient Hotel before putting that expertise to work with involvement with the Crushers League Club which included a significant refurbishment.

“I swore I would never do it again,” said Anderson, who also doubles as a racehorse trainer with a 4am start. “But I got involved here and boy, it’s come up a treat hasn’t it?”

Add the already trumpeted touch of chef Paul Hoffman into the mix, and a host of BRC’s staff ready to go and it seem that the Gallopers Sporting Club has been given every chance of becoming all that the BRC vision expects it can be.

It’s another way of supporting racing.

The least you can do is give it a try!

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