Suncorp Stadium to be pushed to the limit with more concerts, games

The number of concerts allowed at Suncorp Stadium in a year could significantly increase under a Queensland government proposal to exempt multi-show runs from its annual cap.

And the legislated definition of a “major sport event” may be rewritten to allow more big games at the venue, despite one football code already raising concerns over damage to the playing surface.

The government is reviewing the rules for the stadium – meant to balance the rights of local residents with the desire to boost the tourism and hospitality sectors – as it awaits a separate review of proposed venues for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Coldplay at Suncorp Stadium in 2016.Credit: Glenn Hunt

Almost 18 months ago, the government doubled the number of concerts allowed in a calendar year at Suncorp Stadium from six to 12, in what it said was a temporary post-COVID measure for 2023 and 2024 only.

Now, the government has flagged making that change permanent, while also allowing a concert series to be counted as a single show under the cap.

That would mean Pink’s two shows this weekend would count as one, under the rules, as would Ed Sheeran’s three-night run at the venue last year.

A spokesman for Sports Minister Michael Healy said Queenslanders would have the opportunity to give input into the proposed changes, which were detailed on the state government website on Friday morning.

“Once we receive that feedback we will work through what needs to be done to deliver the best outcomes for entertainment and sporting events,” he said.

The number of concerts allowed at the venue in a year increased from four to six in 2015.

Caxton Street Development Association president Sarosh Mehta said business boomed along the famous strip every time there was a major event.

“It’s not just about the traders on Caxton Street, it’s all of Brisbane,” he said.

“It’s people booking accommodation, ride-sharing, more employment for more staff and security. All in all, I see it as a very beneficial thing to have.”

The stadium is already home to the Brisbane Broncos, Dolphins, the Queensland Reds and the Brisbane Roar. As outdoor stadium tours typically occur during over summer, allowing more concerts would affect the Roar more than the others.

Late last year, a Paul McCartney concert and a Def Leppard-Motley Crue double-header, damaged the playing surface for A-League men’s and women’s matches, drawing the ire of the players’ union, Professional Footballers Australia.

Roar chief operations officer Zac Anderson said while he understood the commercial benefit of hosting more concerts, having a good quality pitch was vital for soccer.

“Being a sport that’s played on the turf, it’s very different to other codes. We really rely on that surface being of pristine quality,” he said.

PFA co-chief executive Beau Busch questioned whether Suncorp Stadium should be considered for major games – including the Matildas and Socceroos – if it could not guarantee a quality surface for football.

Australian Olympics strongman John Coates, in dismissing the need for a $2.7 billion rebuild of the Gabba for the 2032 Games, recently suggested Suncorp Stadium could be used for the opening ceremony.

But in doing so, Coates acknowledged the National Rugby League could rightly demand the stadium be upgraded before then, raising the question of where games and events would be held during a redevelopment.

There are also doubts over the planned Brisbane Arena entertainment centre, and temporary Olympic swimming venue, meant to provide another inner-city venue for concerts and events.

As the government awaits the outcome of the review of Olympic venues, Anderson repeated football’s call for another, smaller rectangular stadium in Brisbane.

Anderson said such a venue in Brisbane was “absolute no-brainer”. Petitions to the Queensland government and Brisbane City Council for such a facility have attracted thousands of signatures.

In addition to the proposed change to the concert cap, the number of big-drawing sporting events would increase. Currently, Suncorp Stadium can host 24 “major sport events” a year, defined as those which drew a crowd of 35,000 or above.

Under the proposed regulatory changes, a major sport event would be redefined as one that attracted a crowd of 45,000 or above.

In 2023, there were 20 major sport events at Suncorp Stadium. Using the proposed new definition, there would have only been 12.

Questions to Healy about football’s concerns for the playing surface, and the calls for a secondary rectangular stadium in Brisbane, went unanswered on Friday.

Opposition sports spokesman Tim Mander said: “The LNP has been calling for the appointment of an independent Infrastructure Delivery Authority, which would assess and deliver the infrastructure needed for our future, including to host world-class events.”

Comment was sought from Suncorp Stadium.

The NSW government last year announced plans to increase the concerts allowed at Allianz Stadium in inner-Sydney from five to 20 a year.

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