The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major multi-purpose sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Australia. From 1993 to 2003, QSAC was the home of the Brisbane Broncos, who play in National Rugby League. The venue is one of Olympic Stadium options in planned South East Queensland bid for 2032 Summer Olympics with Brisbane Cricket Ground to host ceremonies and athletics. It had earlier also bid for 2009-2013 World Athletics Championships.
QSAC, QE2 Stadium | |
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| Former names | ANZ Stadium (1993–2003) Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Sports Centre (1977–1993) |
|---|---|
| Location | Cnr of Mains and Kessels Roads, Brisbane, Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°33′30″S 153°3′44″E / 27.55833°S 153.06222°E |
| Owner | Queensland Government |
| Operator | Stadiums Queensland |
| Capacity | 48,500[1][2] |
| Record attendance | 58,912 – 1997 Super League Grand Final[3] |
| Surface | Grass, Athletics track |
| Opened | 1975 |
| Tenants | |
| Queensland (State of Origin) (2001–2002) Brisbane Broncos (NRL) (1993–2003) Brisbane Roar (W-League) | |
History
The facility opened in 1975 providing a synthetic running track for athletics competitions that was unaffected by wet weather. It was officially named Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Sports Centre by the Queen in 1977 to mark her Silver Jubilee.[4] 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. [citation needed]
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,[5] 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. 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:
- 11 editions of the Australian Championships in Athletics, the most of any existing venue[10]
- State of Origin series games
- 1982 Commonwealth Games
- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – 31 March 1985
- U2 – 20 November 1993 with Big Audio Dynamite II and Kim Salmon and the Surrealists; 25 February 1998 with Sidewinder; and 7 November 2006 with Kanye West
- Madonna – 24 November 1993
- 1994 Rugby League World Club Challenge
- The Rolling Stones – 12 April 1995
- The Eagles – 24 November 1995
- Michael Jackson – 19 November 1996 HIStory World Tour – 40.000 people
- 1997 Super League Grand Final
- 1999 Davis Cup Semi-Final tie vs. Russia
- 2001 Goodwill Games
- An assignment on the third season of The Mole, filmed in early 2002, where the contestants had to draw an animal using the painting machines normally used to mark the playing fields.
- Pearl Jam – 25 November 2009, with Relentless7
- AC/DC – 25 and 27 February 2010, with Wolfmother
- Matildas vs Brazil 6 and 9 April 2014
- 2014 FFA Cup round of 16 match between Olympic FC and Central Coast Mariners, 16 September 2014.
- AC/DC – 12 and 27 November 2015, with The Hives
- This venue served as an evacuation centre for residents affected by the 2010–2011 Queensland floods.
- Guns N' Roses – 7 February 2017, with Rose Tattoo[11]
- International friendly football match between South Korea and Uzbekistan, 20 November 2018.[12]
- Eminem - 20 February 2019, with Hilltop Hoods
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.
Notable Rugby League Games
| Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 March 1993 |  Parramatta Eels def.  Brisbane Broncos 12–8 |
51,517 | 1993 NSWRL season Rd.3 Brisbane Broncos first game at ANZ Stadium |
| 27 August 1993 |  St George Dragons def. Brisbane Broncos 16–10 |
58,593 | 1993 NSWRL season Rd.22 Brisbane Broncos all-time minor round home attendance record |
| 1 June 1994 |  Wigan def. Brisbane Broncos 20–14 |
54,220 | 1994 World Club Challenge World Club Challenge attendance record |
| 19 May 1997 |  New South Wales def.  Queensland 23–22 (gp) |
35,570 | Super League Tri-series Final Longest professional rugby league game in history (104 minutes) |
| 20 September 1997 | Brisbane Broncos def.  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 26–8 |
58,912 | 1997 Super League Grand Final Brisbane Broncos all-time home attendance record |
| 1 July 2001 | Queensland def. New South Wales 40–14 |
49,441 | 2001 State of Origin series Game III This match was notable as Allan Langer made his Origin comeback, despite playing for Warrington Wolves in the Super League at the time, inspiring the Maroons to a series-deciding victory on home soil.[14] |
| 5 June 2002 | Queensland def. New South Wales 26–18 |
47,989 | 2002 State of Origin series Game II This was notably Justin Hodges' debut match for Queensland. Despite two in-goal blunders, the Maroons won the match.[15] |
| 18 May 2003 | Brisbane Broncos def.  Melbourne Storm 36–16 |
15,867 | 2003 NRL season Rd.10 Brisbane Broncos last game at ANZ Stadium |
See also
References
- ^ "Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre". Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "About Us". Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
- ^ 1997 Super League Grand Final
- ^ Stadiums Queensland – History Archived 20 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "QSAC - Frequently Asked Questions". Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ Whyte, Derrick (24 September 1999). "Tennis: Kafelnikov angered by `pathetic' grass court". The Independent. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ Stadiums Queensland Archived 20 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Atfield, Cameron Atfield, Cameron. "Brisbane's Commonwealth Games stadium gathers dust". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Atfield, Cameron. "Is there life in the white elephant yet?". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre". Athletics Track Directory.
- ^ Branco, Jorge. "Guns N' Roses review: Axl brings originals to Brisbane". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Church, Michael. "Koreans brush aside Uzbekistan in Brisbane friendly". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Thompson Estate and Eastern Suburbs Athletics, Brisbane athletics and cross country running club.
- ^ Paine, Chris (1 May 2020). "'I won't let my state down': Inside the secret 'MI6-grade' mission to deliver all-time Origin comeback". Fox Sports. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ "Hodges laments Origin debut". Special Broadcasting Service. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
External links
