Souths Rugby Union Club has officially opened a new clubhouse and upgraded facilities at its Chipsy Wood Oval home in Annerley, completing a $2.1 million redevelopment that brings the Magpies’ infrastructure into line with the club’s standing as one of Australia’s most decorated rugby union clubs.
The Stage 2 redevelopment received $1 million through the Games On! Grassroots Infrastructure Program, with a further $370,000 contributed toward the upgrades. Combined with Queensland infrastructure funding that supported Stage 1, total contributions from these programmes reached $1.65 million across both stages of the project.
For a club that has been part of Brisbane’s southern suburbs since 1948, the new facilities mark a significant moment in a long and storied history. Souths Rugby Union Club fields players from under-6 all the way through to Premier Grade, and the new infrastructure serves that entire community, from the youngest Magpies taking their first steps on the field to the senior men’s and women’s sides competing at the top level of Queensland rugby.
A Club Built on Decades of Excellence
Founded in 1948, Souths Rugby Club competes in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition and has built a strong reputation as a pathway to elite rugby. The club has produced more than 70 Queensland representatives and over 30 Australian representatives. Souths has secured ten Queensland Premier Rugby premierships, highlighted by a dominant run of five consecutive titles from 1991 to 1995. On the national stage, the Magpies claimed the Australian Club Championship in 1987, further cementing the club’s status as a powerhouse of the sport.
The club has produced five Australian captains: Nev Cottrell, David Codey, Andrew Slack, Tim Horan and Jason Little. Andrew Slack led Australia to their Grand Slam in 1984, one of the most celebrated achievements in Wallabies history, and Tim Horan and Jason Little remain two of the most recognised names in Queensland rugby.
The Junior and Senior clubs merged in 2016, and the club now fields players from under-6 to Premier Grade. Training and matches take place across two locations: Chipsy Wood Oval at 104 Frederick Street in Annerley, and Shaftesbury Street Oval at 111 Shaftesbury Street in Tarragindi. The Annerley site carries particular significance as the club’s senior home, and the new clubhouse redevelopment centres on that ground.
What the New Facilities Deliver
The completed redevelopment delivers a new clubhouse alongside purpose-built female changing rooms, addressing two of the most pressing infrastructure needs that the club had been carrying for some time. The clubhouse upgrade benefits every member of the Magpie community: junior players and their families, senior athletes, coaches, volunteers and supporters who give their time to the club across the season.
A modern, well-equipped clubhouse changes the experience of being part of a club on multiple levels. It provides a comfortable gathering space for families on game day, a functional base for the coaches and administrators who keep the club running and a welcoming first impression for new members considering joining. For junior players especially, the quality of a club’s facilities shapes the overall experience of the sport at a formative age.
Souths Rugby Chair of Building Infrastructure and Community Chris Hourigan described the new facilities as a gamechanger for the club across the board, covering the needs of junior boys and girls and senior women and men alike, as well as volunteers and supporters. He acknowledged that the full scope of the redevelopment would not have been achievable without the combined funding support the club received.
Why This Matters to the Annerley Community
For residents of Annerley and the surrounding southern suburbs, Souths Rugby Union Club is more than a sporting organisation. Chipsy Wood Oval has been a fixture of the local landscape for decades, and the club’s junior programme has introduced generations of local children to rugby union, providing them with coaching, teamwork and community in a suburb-level setting that no stadium or elite programme can replicate.
The new clubhouse strengthens that community function at every level. It gives the Magpie Army a home they can be proud of, supports the volunteers whose efforts sustain grassroots sport week after week and signals to families across the southern suburbs that Souths Rugby is invested in its future. With Brisbane building toward the 2032 Olympics and rugby union enjoying growing participation across Queensland, the timing of the Annerley upgrade positions the club well to attract the next generation of players and continue its long tradition of producing representative talent.
For more information about joining Souths Rugby Union Club or attending matches at Chipsy Wood Oval, visit southsrugby.com or call the club on (07) 3848 3215.
Published 17-March-2026.
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