General News
25 November, 2025
Council sells leagues club
MAREEBA Leagues Club has been given the go-ahead to buy the property upon which its club is built so that it can push through with a major expansion of its facility.
A divided Mareeba Shire council narrowly voted to support the proposal at its meeting last week.
With a 3-3 count (with deputy Mayor Lenore Wyatt absent), Mayor Angela Toppin used her casting vote to get the sale plan over the line.
“After much discussion and deliberation, council believes this decision is the best outcome for ratepayers, the sporting community and users of the facilities,” she said.
“The Mareeba Leagues Club will be able to invest in the building to make it a fantastic asset for the community to enjoy for years to come.”
MLC first applied to expand the clubhouse in February 2024, with plans to extend the existing lounge and veranda and increase dining and functions areas.
A new grandstand was also to be built next to the existing one, and a new changeroom and set of offices would be built behind it.
Almost two years later, council has elected to sell the property to MLC, rather than renew the lease, as a means of encouraging its planned redevelopment. This would mean foregoing an annual rent revenue of over $40,000 a year.
In a complicated proposal, MLC can buy Lot 13 Doyle Street at (or above) market valuation in an as-is condition. A new tenure arrangement would be established so the community has secure access to the areas and facilities that complement Davies Park.
The agreement would be in the form of a 100-year lease to council over the grandstand, change rooms and amenities and adjacent land adjoining Davies Park.
Council would also have the right to repurchase the property should the club choose to sell in the future.
But the move has sparked concerns in the community that the sale would mean a loss of a community asset, loss of the annual rental income to the council, fears that Davies Park access would be limited, and that the MLC could sell the property off to other larger clubs at a later date.
In speaking against the proposal, Cr Amy Braes said it was not a vote against the MLC as a significant contributor to the community, but a vote against selling off a council asset that provides an annual return.
“When we compare the Mareeba Leagues Club to the majority of council’s $1 billion worth of assets, this one stands apart as one which delivers a financial return,” she said.
Cr Braes argued that a 30-year lease would provide adequate security of tenure for the club to carry out its expansion, and council could continue as owner of the asset and receive rental payments for decades onwards.
“I cannot see how a one-off cash injection in the immediate term outweighs the long-term impact on financial sustainability, and therefore, the community benefits of owning an asset that provides a rental return over a 30-year-period and beyond.”
Cr Nipper Brown agreed, saying “the other sticking point” was the grandstand and the facilities used by the community at Davies Park.
“I’m not 100% confident that the action within the sale can maintain them for future use,” he said.
Cr Ross Cardillo also opposed the recommendation, saying a “short-term injection of cash does not compensate for what we are losing in the long term”.
“In 10 years’ time, we would have collected rent and would still own the building. In 20 years’ time – same,” he said.
In contrast, Cr Mladen Bosnic argued that in current-day terms, the original lease and conditions would be unacceptable to “any business entity”.
“Put bluntly, MLC needs to develop, increase and invest in its facility to meet future demands. It follows, therefore, that it would be a poor investment for them or any other entity, for that matter, to make such a major investment in a building, for which they only have rental status,” he said.
As for the “flurry of emails over recent weeks” about public access to Davies Park facilities, that was covered in the strict sale and lease conditions.
Further, the “speculation that other Cairns-based leagues clubs or similar operators could be interested in taking up the occupancy, flies in the face of reality”, he continued.
“I believe earlier propositions put forward to Brothers for the MLC club and the now defunct and re-purposed Mareeba Bowls Club failed because they were deemed financially unviable.”
In casting the final vote, Mayor Toppin said owning and managing commercial properties was “not the core business of council” and it did not have the capacity or desire to invest community funds into a multi-million expansion.
Nor was it socially acceptable for a council to obtain funds derived from gambling and alcohol sales.
On the weekend, the MLC sent out communication to its members, thanking councillors for “their vision”, and Davies Park stakeholders and users for their ongoing support.
“The Leagues Club building, constructed in 1993, is in much need of upgrade. With this decision of council, we can now move forward with staged improvements to modernise our facilities, enhance the experience for members and guests, and continue supporting local not-for-profit sporting clubs and associations,” the post stated.
“Our plans have been on display for nearly two years, and we look forward to bringing them to life in stages over the coming years as funds permit.”
