Mass exodus of footy fans from Brisbane for double grand final

Former chair Bob Sharpless says an upgrade to the Brisbane Lions’ training stadium at Springfield while the Gabba is rebuilt for the Olympics would be the best value for money for taxpayers.

Footy tragics, sisters Belinda, 19, and Emma Gough, 17, are gearing up for a ripper weekend of footy madness with of their teams, the Lions and Broncos, making the AFL and NRL grand finals. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Former chair Bob Sharpless says an upgrade to the Brisbane Lions’ training stadium at Springfield while the Gabba is rebuilt for the Olympics would be the best value for money for taxpayers.

Mr Sharpless, the deputy chair of Springfield City Group, says building an entirely new stadium at the RNA Showgrounds would be more costly, with no guarantee that it would be used in the future.

“If the government hadn’t made the decision to demolish the Gabba, the opportunity would not have presented itself, but since that was the decision, an upgrade of the Springfield venue is the best value-for-money proposition, and will be a piece of infrastructure in the significant growth corridor west of Brisbane,” said Mr Sharpless, who was chair of the Queensland AFL club in 2014-17.

The Gabba in Brisbane. It is to be redeveloped to become the major Brisbane Olympics venue in 2032. Picture: Michael Klein

The Queensland government decided in 2021 that the Gabba would be redeveloped to become the major venue for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games, but it has not worked out a solution for the Gabba’s sporting tenants: the Brisbane Lions and Queensland Cricket.

As Brisbane plays Collingwood for the premiership at the MCG on Saturday, sporting administrators and the state government continue to negotiate compensation for the disrupted tenancies.

No location for either sport has been decided, but Queensland Cricket wants a seating upgrade to its Allan Border Field facility at ­Albion.

For Brisbane, there are twice as many reasons to celebrate, with the Brisbane Broncos making the NRL grand final for the first time since 2015. If coach Kevin Walters’ team wins, it’ll be the club’s first premiership since 2006. The Broncos hit the bottom of the ladder as recently as 2020.

Footy fans fled the city in record numbers on Friday for southern capitals, with passenger movements tipped to hit 62,188, making it the Brisbane Airport’s busiest post-pandemic day.

The 97 flights from Brisbane to Sydney had an average capacity of 98 per cent.

For those staying in Brisbane, such as 19-year-old Belinda Gough and her sister Emma, 17, the Lions-Broncos double-header will be a family affair.

The Goughs are hosting back-to-back parties this weekend.

Their parents, Jakki and Jon, would buy them personalised jerseys for their birthdays each year.

“We’d always watch it with dad and he would put us in the fan gear,” Emma said.

“It brings the family together.”