Other stadiums ‘well ahead’ of Gabba: Cricket Australia

Other capital cities have stadiums “well ahead” of Brisbane, Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley says, as the future of the Gabba remains in limbo.

Hockley’s attack on the Queensland government over its failure to secure a long-term future for the ground, came as a Brisbane architecture firm released its new vision for the Gabba.

Kangaroo Point-based firm Hayes Anderson Lynch Architects’ proposal for a “Gabba Olympic Park” proposes the planned 17,000-seat Brisbane Arena be built across Main Street from a 55,000-seat Gabba.

The Gabba Olympic Park would have the main stadium and arena in the same precinct.Credit: Hayes Anderson Lynch

The venues, and the Cross River Rail station, would be connected via a footbridge.

“Woolloongabba is perfectly located, sized, and serviced to feature Brisbane on the world stage,” architect Elizabeth Anderson said.

“In the short and long term, it is the only location that makes any sense for sports and entertainment in Brisbane.

“All the other Brisbane Olympic stadium locations are a joke.  Why would we destroy koala habitats or change a beautiful inner-city park when we have a superior location on our CBD doorstep?”

“All the other Brisbane Olympic stadium locations are a joke.”

Elizabeth Anderson

The Gabba, which will reach the end of its “useful life” by 2030, has lost its traditional first Test of the summer to Perth.

A new – albeit controversial – stadium is planned in Hobart as Tasmania prepares to enter the AFL in 2028, and Cricket Australia could be tempted to bump Brisbane off the Test schedule altogether if a state-of-the-art venue is built in the Apple Isle’s capital.

Hockley insists Queensland sports fans deserve a long-term solution after the state government rejected a proposal to rebuild the Gabba, as well as an alternative plan for a new stadium to host the 2032 Olympics.

The Gabba is expected to reach the end of its “useful life” in just six years’ time.

“We’ve talked about the Perth Test; we’ve seen how having a city-centre, state-of-the-art stadium can be the catalyst for sport, but [also] more major events,” Hockley said at the MCG on Wednesday.

“The reality is the other major metros, now Tasmania with the prospect of a new stadium there, are well ahead in terms of the fan experience, the provision for players, just the ease of operation.”

Hockley had a role in planning the 2012 London Olympics.

“The Gabba is an iconic ground – there’s not a bad seat in the house,” he said.

“We want to be a really constructive partner with the Queensland government. Having worked on the London Olympics, you don’t get many opportunities for real transformational change and a catalyst to invest.”

“Having worked on the London Olympics, you don’t get many opportunities for real transformational change and a catalyst to invest.”

Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia boss

The independent review of 2032 Games venues, headed by former Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk, recommended the Gabba be demolished and a 55,000-seat oval stadium be built at Victoria Park.

But Premier Steven Miles rejected the Victoria Park proposal, opting instead to upgrade the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (formerly QEII stadium) at Nathan in Brisbane’s south, while also upgrading the Gabba and Suncorp Stadium.

The Gabba will be given a more modest upgrade, largely to bring it in line with modern building codes, at a cost of up to $600 million.

The stadium’s other big tenant, the Lions, have also expressed their disappointment in the government’s swift dismissal of the Victoria Park plan.

“We will continue to work with government to better understand what their capital investment strategy is for the venue [the Gabba] and wider precinct moving forward,” a club statement said.

This week, Miles again defended his decision to reject the Victoria Park plan.

He said the state government did not appreciate the impact tearing down the Gabba and rebuilding it – as previously planned – would have on the cricket and AFL.

“That really blew that one out of the water,” he told Nine’s Today show on Wednesday. “We had to find an alternative.”

Miles said he “made a call last week that when Queenslanders are struggling, we didn’t need two big new multibillion-dollar venues”.

He said his three-stadium strategy would deliver the new Brisbane Arena, to be built in the Roma Street Parklands, “an upgrade at the Gabba, an upgrade at Suncorp Stadium [and] a new athletics stadium”.

He has pushed back on the review’s findings the “tired” Gabba was destined for eventual demolition, even with renovations, telling ABC Radio Brisbane that “I’m not sure that does have to be the case”.

“It has a theoretical end of life, but so do a lot of things and we keep those buildings going well beyond those dates by repairing them, refurbishing them,” he said.

with AAP