Roar to say goodbye to Redcliffe, with Suncorp Stadium and Ballymore to host Brisbane’s A-League matches

With its decision to move to Redcliffe having proven unpopular with fans, the Roar is coming home to Brisbane.

Roar fans march down Caxton Street ahead of a match Suncorp Stadium. Picture: Albert Perez / Getty Images

Brisbane Roar’s dalliance with Redcliffe is over, with the A-League club to play home matches at Suncorp Stadium and Ballymore from next season.

Financial reasons led to the Roar abandoning Suncorp Stadium as its home ground at the end of the 2019-20 A-League season.

The three-time A-League champions left Brisbane to move to the smaller and cheaper Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe.

And while the move might have saved the club some money, it proved disastrous in terms of attendances, with three of their Kayo Stadium crowds in the past two years having failed to top 1750.

The Roar made tentative steps this season towards a full-time return to Brisbane by scheduling three matches at Suncorp Stadium, including next Monday night’s clash with Sydney FC.

The Roar is moving home to Brisbane. Picture: Chris Hyde / Getty Images

Next season, the Roar will play the majority of its home matches at the famous Milton venue, widely regarded as Australia’s best rectangular football stadium.

The club will also announce on Wednesday that will play a small number of men’s home matches at the redeveloped 10,000-seat Ballymore, the long-time Herston base of the Queensland Rugby Union.

Ballymore will also be the home venue for the all of the Roar’s women’s A-League matches from next season.

QRU chief executive officer David Hanham said: “This is an exciting day for the future of Ballymore with two great Queensland sporting organisations coming together.

“Having the Brisbane Roar A-League women’s side here for every home match is a big milestone that ensures Ballymore becomes the new home of women’s rectangular sport.

“Our vision for Ballymore is for the iconic venue to be a multi-sport hub and Olympic precinct for the Brisbane 2032 Games as Brisbane’s ‘Silicon Valley of sport’ with the facility set to host a golden runway of major events in the next decade.”

Roar chairman Chris Fong said the redevelopment of Ballymore would “transform our game” by “giving supporters a closer seat to the action in an environment that creates a dynamic atmosphere in a family-centric, cost-effective venue”.

“We’re excited to bring our games back to Brisbane, where we will remain,” Fong said.

It’s the latest rekindling of an on-and-off relationship between the QRU and the Roar, who have previously used Ballymore for training and administrative purposes, as well as for Australia Cup and women’s matches.

Australian Professional Leagues chief executive officer Danny Townsend applauded the Roar’s decision to return to Brisbane.

“To re-energise things going into the future, getting back into Brisbane is really important for that club’s growth,” Townsend said.

“We’re certainly happy about it.”

Originally published as Roar to say goodbye to Redcliffe, with Suncorp Stadium and Ballymore to host Brisbane’s A-League matches