Cricket Australia launches bid to axe Gabba for ‘50-year’ venue
Cricket Australia has launched a major push to have the Gabba scrapped as a Test venue and replaced by a stadium that could sustain the sport for 50 years.
Cricket Australia has launched a major push to have the Gabba scrapped as a Test venue and replaced by a stadium that could sustain the sport for 50 years.
Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley has confirmed to this masthead the grand dream is to play the final cricket match of the 2032 Olympics at the Gabba then move to a proposed new venue at Victoria Park.
In conjunction with the AFL’s Brisbane Lions, who are also based at the Gabba, cricket will send this far-reaching proposal to the Queensland government’s 100-day Olympic venue review.
“The Gabba has played a pivotal role in Queensland cricket history and we’re delighted by the strong ticket sales for this Test,’’ Hockley said of Saturday’s Australia-India clash.
“That said, it’s clear the Gabba is coming to the end of its useful life and the Brisbane 2032 Games presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop a world class stadium that delivers strong legacy benefits for Queensland, by providing cricket and football fans with the facilities that they deserve.
“Hopefully, this latest review will provide the certainty that everyone is craving, not least the Games organisers and together with Queensland Cricket, the AFL and the Lions, we will be making a strong case for a new stadium that can accommodate cricket and Australian rules football at Victoria Park into the future.
“It would be amazing to host the Olympic cricket finals at the Gabba and then move straight into a brilliant new stadium where fans can enjoy international and domestic cricket in comfort for the next 50 years or more.
“This would also avoid disruption and costs to fans and the sports from any displacement from the Gabba between now and the Games.’’
The ageing, fading Gabba has hosted 66 Tests since the first against South Africa in 1931 but is now ranked the number five Test venue in Australia behind the iconic Sydney and Melbourne cricket grounds, the grandly redeveloped Adelaide Oval and recently constructed Optus Oval in Perth.
The Gabba will host an Ashes Test next year but, for the first time in 50 years, will not host a Test in 2026-27 as a result of uncertainly over Brisbane’s Olympic plans which Hockley conceded had made it difficult for cricket officials.
“The lack of clarity about elements of the Olympic and Paralympic Games infrastructure has certainly caused a level frustration and uncertainty for sports played at the Gabba.
“Queensland is an enormously important market for cricket, so it was unfortunate we could only plan for the next two years of international cricket in Brisbane in our seven-year international schedule.”
The Lions, who sell out most of their Gabba games and whose popularity will surge further on the back on this year’s AFL premiership win, support the move to the proposed new stadium which could seat 60,000 compared to the Gabba’s 37,000.
The Victoria Park proposal has become a fan favourite but is yet to gain key political support with the former Labor government initially favouring redeveloping the Gabba before endorsing a move to have the Olympic athletics at QSAC Stadium in Nathan.
The new LNP government has espoused the virtues of updating existing infrastructure but is open minded to the findings of the review.
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