Cricket will still be making use of the Gabba until the new stadium is built. Photo: Pixabay
Test cricket will remain at the Gabba while AFL’s Brisbane Lions will move to the new Brisbane Stadium after the 2032 Olympic Games.
A 63,000-seat stadium is to be built at Victoria Park if impending, and reported, legal challenges are dismissed.
A new five-year deal between the state and Cricket Australia will take effect from 2027-28 to 2032-33 and should ensure the Gabba will host its first day/night Ashes Test from December 4-8 this year, the government says.
After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, cricket’s Brisbane Heat and Queensland Bulls (as well as AFL side Lions) will move to the new Brisbane Stadium.
“Cricket is embedded in Queensland’s DNA. Test cricket belongs in Queensland,” premier David Crisafulli said.
Sports and Olympics Minister Tim Mander says the Gabba still has life left in it.
“The Gabba has done a mighty job for 130-years and holds a special place in the hearts of Queenslanders …,” he says.
Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird said they now have the certainty they have been looking for.
“International cricket brings significant economic benefits for Queensland; those benefits will be greatly enhanced by the construction of a 63,000-seat stadium in the heart of Brisbane,” he says.
Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson says the decision is inevitable.
“The Gabba has been a wonderful venue for cricket for many years; however, the challenges the stadium faces are well documented, and we need to look to the future,” said Svenson.
“Today’s decision gives us certainty after many years without clarity. We now stand at the starting line as Queensland prepares to unveil a signature stadium at Victoria Park.”
AFL MOVE
The Victoria Park complex will seat 63,000 people while the Gabba’s AFL capacity is 37,000.
The AFL Premiers will be able to hear an additional 26,000 fans roar when they tackle the rest of the competition in their new den.
“Building the new stadium at Victoria Park was a choice between spending billions on temporary facilities and stands that delivered no legacy, or securing the future of sports, like the AFL, with a new home,” Crisafulli says.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie says it they need to have the right infrastructure in the right places.
“Unlocking urban renewal along our major transport networks also delivers new homes, more jobs and increased investment to supercharge Queensland’s economy,” he says.
Mander claims the new stadium would raise the AFL fanbase and sports participation.
Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann says it will be sad to farewell the Gabba after the Games but it is time.
“The city has outgrown it, the Lions have outgrown it, and the venue is reaching its end of life,” Swann says.
