“We have the opportunity to utilise both Australian and international concepts. We can bring back things to Australia that may not have been seen or thought of here yet. That has to be a good thing.”
Simply Great Leisure (SGL) Group provides quality advice, research, consultation and implementation strategies to clients within all areas of the sport, recreation, leisure and tourism industries. Focussed on the front-end of development, SGL completes feasibility and strategies that drive successful facilities and events. The firm also supplies management, operation and financial business plans to help organisations understand the impact and implications of their project.
SGL plans sporting, leisure and entertainment facilities, programs and events throughout Australia, New Zealand, China, India and the United Arab Emirates. The Group has both Australian and New Zealand offices – an extensive spread that benefits the company’s broad range of clients. Over the past 20 years, SGL has earned a solid reputation for its expertise and experience. The firm also enjoys a respected international profile, with a proven track record of providing quality services for a variety of major sporting facilities. Major projects have included:
- Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games India - Venues Support Design Team
Part of the Australian design and development consortium working in association with the Delhi Development Authority on four competition and training sport venues
- Beijing 2008 Olympic Games China - National Swimming Centre Design Team
Part of the project consortium working in association with local design and engineering companies
- Doha 2006 Asian Games Qatar
Member of the Swimming Centre concept design team
- Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre Australia - Stages One and Two Development
Led feasibility for Stage One and part of the business planning and design team for Stage Two to develop facilities for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games and Melbourne 2007 World FINA Swimming Championships swimming venues
- Victorian State Netball and Hockey Centre Australia
Completed feasibility and business planning for the Victorian State Hockey and Netball Centre.
SGL’s involvement in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was to provide advice on legacy planning for pre and post Games. Legacy included revised facilities and activities to be incorporated into the National Swimming Centre for its post Games 30 to 40 year operations.
”Often the easiest part of planning for a major sports event venue is the actual facility brief – because it is so controlled and specified,” says SGL Company Director, Michael King. ”But often no one considers what’s going to happen before and after that event. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games spanned a total of 15 days, but the life expectancy of the facility was 40 years. We needed to look at how people could get the best use of the facility as a legacy return from the money spent.”
Next for SGL in international projects came the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, with the company winning a bid for four projects in association with Australia’s Peddle Thorp Architects from the Delhi Development Authority. ”Once again we needed to look at legacy management for the Games,” says Michael. “The role was to look at pre and post Games activities and plan for improvements that would allow the facilities to be used in the future. For example, in India netball is not a major sport so the Thyagaraja Sports Complex is not needed for this sport after the Games. By working with the Delhi Development Authority we have made some design changes that will allow this centre to be used as a major function centre – meaning that a lot of the special events components such as seating for 5,000 had to be removable. The centre is able to divide up into seven different function spaces, that will be used primarily for Indian wedding ceremonies, which attract large numbers of people.”
SGL completed legacy planning at four newly constructed Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games facilities:
- Delhi University Sports Facilities – Rugby Sevens
- Thyagaraja Sports Complex – Netball
- Siri Fort Sports Complex – Squash and Badminton
- Yamuna Sports Complex – Table Tennis
Being involved in the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games gave SGL the opportunity to ultilise their skills elsewhere in India, with a major sports facility review based in the Punjab following on.
”Working in both China and India has allowed us to understand the countries and the people better, to understand how things work and what you need to deliver. It’s a different way of doing business and that’s been challenging and good for us. What works in Australia is not always going to work in with other country’s culture or lifestyle.”
With more than 500 projects under the company’s belt, there are few challenges at the early stages of planning and considering the feasibility of major sport and leisure facilities that SGL is not able to handle. That said Michael firmly believes that the Group always must look forward and think ahead of the trends.
”Currently we are consolidating our successful SGL Funding Services in New Zealand which has been used to assist local councils partly fund major sport and event facilities such as the Rotorua Events Centre and the Baywave TECT Aquatic Leisure Centre. We plan to expand this part of our business and bring this service to Australian and other international markets.We have also been looking at business opportunities at the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.”
SGL Group
Michael King, Company Director
Ph: (+61) 3 8623 2840
E: mking@sglgroup.net
www.sglgroup.net
