Brisbane 2032 Olympics: Jason Akermanis backs rebuild of Gabba

AFL great Jason Akermanis has unloaded on 2032 Olympic Games officials and urged the government to “get on with it”.

A Lions AFL hall of famer has called on the state government to stop wasting time and fork out whatever funds are necessary to transform the Gabba into the centrepiece of the 2032 Games.

AFL great Jason Akermanis said it was time for the government to “get on with it” and set out a plan to make the Gabba a 60,000-seat Olympic stadium to provide a lasting legacy item for his former team.

“First things first, get on with it,” he said.

“Stop wasting everyone’s time, don’t worry about the money, don’t worry about the haters, the Olympics are coming and people will come and see it.”

The call to action comes after cricket legend Allan Border said the government should turn the Gabba into housing and build a brand new 60,000-seat stadium to suit rugby, cricket, Australian rules and the Olympics.

“I’d be knocking down the Gabba and building a new venue from scratch at Victoria Park,” he said.

Insiders say frustrations are growing within the Lions over the stadium’s unknown future, with the club rapidly outgrowing the Gabba.

Brisbane Lions AFL legend Jason Akermanis at the Gabba

The 129-year-old venue is also due to reach its end of life by 2030, according to the Quirk report, and will need a facelift ahead of the Olympics regardless of whether it is utilised for the Games.

Akermanis said the government was missing a prime opportunity to fix up the iconic stadium and make it the sporting centrepiece of Brisbane 2032.

“QSAC is the dumbest, stupidest idea I’ve heard ... but the Gabba is a no-brainer,” he said.

“You’d be an idiot to not keep it there and you’d be a dumber politician to not do it up and put the AFL, cricket and concerts there in the future.

“It’s driving me nuts. If you want my vote, put the Gabba as the 2032 centrepiece.”

Lions chief executive Greg Swann said getting a new stadium was currently the club’s biggest priority.

AFL participation rates are skyrocketing in Queensland, with the state now the third top jurisdiction for up and coming players, and expected to overtake Western Australia for second spot within five years.

“That’s a big challenge,” he said.

“We’ve gone through 62,000 members, this is our seventh sellout (game).

“For this club to get where it should be, we need a stadium.

“If they built one that had 55,000 capacity, I think we could fill it.”