Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre

Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre
QSAC, QE2 Stadium
Former names ANZ Stadium (1993–2003)
Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Sports Centre (1977–1993)
Location Cnr of Mains and Kessels Roads, Nathan, Queensland
Coordinates 27°33′30″S 153°3′44″E / 27.55833°S 153.06222°E / -27.55833; 153.06222Coordinates: 27°33′30″S 153°3′44″E / 27.55833°S 153.06222°E / -27.55833; 153.06222
Owner Queensland Government
Operator Stadiums Queensland
Capacity 49,000
Surface Grass, Athletics track
Opened 1975
Tenants
Queensland (State of Origin) (2001–2002)
Brisbane Broncos (NRL) (1993–2003)
1982 Commonwealth Games
Brisbane Roar (W-League)
Crowd gathering for the Pearl Jam show being played at the QSAC on 25 November 2009
The QSAC was formerly known as ANZ Stadium. ANZ now holds the naming rights for Sydney's Stadium Australia.

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, Queensland, Australia. From 1993 to 2003, QSAC was the home of the Brisbane Broncos, who play in National Rugby League.

History

The facility opened in 1975 and 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.

The original roofed stadium 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 48,400 people, 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"

In 2002, ownership transferred to the Queensland Government Major Sports Facilities Authority[2] and the venue was given its present name.

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[3] use it regularly for training.

The stadium has also permitted students of the neighboring 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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Stadiums Queensland - History Archived 20 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ Stadiums Queensland Archived 20 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Thompson Estate and Eastern Suburbs Athletics, Brisbane athletics and cross country running club.
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