History
The facility opened in 1975, providing a synthetic running track for athletics competitions that was unaffected by wet weather, the first in Queensland. It was officially named Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Sports Centre by the Queen in 1977 to mark her Silver Jubilee.[1] It was constructed in close proximity to both the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital and Griffith University campus, which provided athlete accommodation.
Originally, the section of the stadium covered by roofing was intended to be the only permanent seating facility. The remainder of the stadium seating was built as "temporary" seating and was intended to be removed after the Commonwealth Games had finished. Public opinion resulted in the unroofed temporary seating being retained as permanent.
The stadium was named ANZ Stadium from 1993 to 2003 when it was the home of the Brisbane Broncos rugby league football team. The stadium currently has a capacity of 48,500 people,[2][3][4] although the record crowd is 58,912, set during the 1997 Super League Grand Final which saw the Broncos defeat the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 26–8.[5] The capacity can be increased to 60,000 with the use of extra temporary seating in front of the Eastern and Western grandstands. These were removed when the running track was relaid for the 2001 Goodwill Games.
In 1999, ANZ Stadium hosted eventual champions Australia in their Davis Cup Semi-Final win over Russia 4–1. Temporary grass courts were erected up one end of the field and temporary stands on 3 sides. The crowd capacity for this event was 10, 600. 1999 Australian Open Champion and Russian Davis Cup player Yevgeny Kafelnikov described the court "like playing on a potato field" and "that court is just not acceptable for this kind of event."[6]
In 2002, ownership transferred to the Queensland Government Major Sports Facilities Authority[7] and the venue was given its present name.
While the athletics facilities are well utilised, the stands at the stadium have largely stood empty and unused[8] since the Broncos returned to a redeveloped Lang Park in 2003.[9]
The stadium has hosted a number of events, including:
The stadium is still actively used by athletes at a local, State and National level. Many local clubs such as Thompson Estate and Eastern Suburbs Athletics[13] use it regularly for training.
The stadium has also permitted students of the neighbouring Griffith University (Nathan campus) to use its expansive carpark, free of charge. This is due to the relatively low availability of parking as well as the cost of parking on the campus (there is no free parking). Students who don't mind the ten-minute walk from the stadium take advantage of the large carpark.
In April 2023, a Right to Information application by Brisbane Times revealed plans for QSAC to be modified to become a temporary home for the Brisbane Lions AFL club while their home stadium, the Gabba, is demolished and rebuilt for the 2032 Summer Olympics.[14][15]
- 11 editions of the Australian Championships in Athletics, the most of any existing venue[10]
- 1982 – 1982 Commonwealth Games
- 1985 – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – 31 March 1985
- 1986 – Dire Straits, Brothers-in-Arms tour – 27 March 1986
- 1986 – World Junior Squash Championships
- 1986 - Pope John Paul II, Mass - 25 November 1986
- 1993 – U2 with Big Audio Dynamite II and Kim Salmon and the Surrealists – 20 November 1993
- 1993 – Madonna – 24 November 1993
- 1994 – 1994 Rugby League World Club Challenge
- 1995 – The Rolling Stones – 12 April 1995
- 1995 – The Eagles – 24 November 1995
