Lack of venue robs Brisbane Roar fans of home final

A lack of a suitable venue in Brisbane has robbed Roar fans of a home final, with Suncorp Stadium unavailable because of ground maintenance.

Brisbane Roar earned their place in the decider with a 1-0 semi-final win over Melbourne Knights in Victoria on Sunday.

The Roar’s last home final, in May 2014.Credit: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The club could have hosted its first national final since, almost a decade ago, 51,153 fans packed into Suncorp Stadium for their 2-1 A-League grand final win over Western Sydney Wanderers in 2014.

The Australia Cup would have been unlikely to draw such a crowd, but it would have been a welcome fillip for a club struggling to reconnect with its fan base after three seasons playing outside the city in Redcliffe.

Football Australia’s decision to play the match at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium has drawn into sharp focus the lack of a secondary stadium in the river city.

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson, a Queenslander, said he understood the decision would be disappointing for Roar fans.

“For a number of years now, Football Australia has consistently highlighted the need for a second rectangular stadium in Brisbane to cope with the growing demand from elite sport and other major events,” he said.

“The fact that Brisbane is unable to be considered to host this year’s Australia Cup final is an example of this infrastructure shortfall, something we truly hope is addressed as part of any Brisbane 2032 [Olympic Games] planning.”

In its submission to a federal inquiry into Australia’s preparedness to host the Games, Football Australia pushed for a feasibility study into an upgrade of Perry Park, at Bowen Hills, into a boutique stadium.

That venue hosted the Roar’s quarter-final victory over Western Sydney Wanderers, with 3926 fans squeezed into the ageing ground watching the home side win 4-2. A lack of capacity and corporate facilities ruled it out of contention to host the final.

The Queensland Rugby Union-owned Ballymore was also ruled out because of its capacity.

This masthead revealed in March the venue could hold only 8000, as its eastern stand was considered unsafe.

“With a tightened focus on commercial returns by Stadiums Queensland, availability for football content at Suncorp Stadium is proving ever more difficult,” Football Australia said in its submission to the inquiry.

The Australia Cup final was a case in point, much to Roar chief operating officer Zac Anderson’s disappointment.

“It’s frustrating, but we understand FA’s position on it,” he said.

Anderson said, with a state election next year coming off this year’s hugely successful FIFA Women’s World Cup, it was important for the game’s stakeholders to seize the moment.

“The bigger picture here is that football’s the highest participation sport, yet funding goes into bigger stadiums, round stadiums, and unfortunately, the commercial viability and the match-day product is what’s affected,” he said.

“... I’ve had approaches from other private investors around looking at smaller stadiums and where those stadiums might be, but it has to be a collective effort, both from private and public, to come together.”

The Australia Cup final, at Allianz Stadium, will kick off at 7.45pm on Saturday, October 7. Tickets will go on sale through Ticketek on Friday.

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