The $2.7 billion Gabba, and what bang other stadiums got for their buck

At a projected $2.7 billion, the Gabba will be the third-most expensive stadium in the world.

Now, that comes with some caveats. Costs on such projects are always a little rubbery, and they are also subject to the vagaries of international exchange rates and inflationary forces.

At $2.7 billion, the Gabba will be the third-most expensive stadium in the world.Credit: Illustration by Matt Davidson

But, as it stands right now, only SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles ($8.5 billion) and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas ($2.9 billion) would have cost more to build than the planned Gabba.

Those two American arenas are impressive feats of design and engineering. SoFi Stadium has a capacity of 70,000 (expandable to 100,000), is fully covered, hosts two NFL teams and was the site of the 2022 Super Bowl.

Allegiant Stadium is also fully covered, has a removable field, seats 65,000 screaming Raiders fans and is fully airconditioned to protect them from Nevada’s desert heat.

Given all that, Brisbane residents – and, indeed, Queensland taxpayers – are right to ask: What the hell are we getting for $2.7 billion?

The answer, from what little has been publicly discussed so far, seems to be ... not a whole lot you wouldn’t see at any other stadium across the country.

The announced capacity will be a comparatively modest 50,000 that, in the context of AFL and cricket, is probably about right for the Brisbane market.

Concept designs – and they are very, very preliminary – that came to light at last month’s budget estimates hearings show a roof covering the stands, but not the field.

Initial Gabba concept designs don’t exactly break the mould.Credit: Queensland Government

An international construction expert, speaking on the condition on anonymity due to commercial considerations, told me: “Given the scale of the Gabba, a fully retractable roof could cost in excess of $500 million.”

So, to be anything like the similarly priced Allegiant Stadium, the price tag would increase to $3.2 billion.

(Given the cost has already blown out from the $1 billion originally estimated, perhaps $3.2 billion wouldn’t be so far-fetched, roof or no roof.)

And there are plenty of other, cheaper stadiums we can look to for comparison.

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, home of the NFL’s Raiders, has a capacity of 65,000. It was built at a similar cost to the Gabba.Credit: AP

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, former Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou’s new digs in north London, got some serious bang for its buck – or pop for its pound – coming in about $800 million cheaper than the Gabba.

At £1 billion (about $1.9 billion), Spurs fans got a stadium widely regarded as one of the best – if not the best – stadiums in Europe.

The ultramodern venue’s grass pitch can be removed via innovative machinery, which splits the Premier League playing field into sections that are stored beneath the southern stand for American football matches or concerts.

When the NFL comes to town, the artificial gridiron field is exposed and lifted into place. The stadium’s pristine turf is protected.

It’s awe-inspiring stuff, but the Gabba won’t be getting any of that. In fact, Queensland Cricket is pushing for the permanent pitch to remain a feature in the centre of the field. So, business as usual.

Earlier this year I spoke with AECOM’s Bill Hanway, who was central to the planning and delivery of the 2012 London Olympics and the upcoming 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

He said the Gabba’s pricetag should be considered in context of the wider precinct improvements that would be delivered at the same time.

And he was right.

State Development director-general Mike Kaiser told an inquiry into Olympics preparedness last month the Gabba would be more than just a stadium – it would be the centrepiece of Woolloongabba’s urban renewal.

The Gabba’s $2.7 billion bill may well be for so much more than a stadium. But we don’t know for sure, because the government won’t tell us.

A breakdown of the $2.7 billion cost won’t be released until the project’s validation report – due by the end of the year – is complete. So, for now, it’s a guessing game.

But if we’re going to be left with the world’s third-most expensive stadium, we’d better be getting something that’s beyond amazing.

It would need every bell, every whistle.

Any way you cut it, $2.7 billion is an obscene amount of money. It’s incumbent on designers, and those signing the cheques on our behalf, to make sure it’s not an obscene waste. It will need to look like it should be the third-most expensive stadium on the planet.

Otherwise, Annastacia Palaszczuk’s shock move to shift the Olympic stadium from its originally planned Albion location could be the folly that defines her premiership.