Gabba

The Gabba is Brisbane’s premier oval sports stadium and primarily hosts Australian football and cricket. Home of the Brisbane Lions, Brisbane Heat and Queensland Bulls, the venue was traditionally known as the Brisbane Cricket Ground, but now officially known as The Gabba, named after the suburb in which it is located - Woolloongabba.

The land on which the ground sits was first set aside for use as a cricket ground in 1895 and the first cricket match was held on the site on 19 December 1896, between Parliament and The Press. The Gabba shared first-class cricket matches with the Brisbane Exhibition Ground until 1931, with the first international test played at the Gabba on 27 November 1931 between Australia and South Africa. The ground remains the home of Queensland Cricket with test and one-day matches played at the venue, while domestic teams Brisbane Heat (BBL) and the Queensland Bulls also play at the venue.

It has hosted multiple sports over its history including rugby league, rugby union and soccer. The ground also embraced bicycle racing and greyhound racing, with a dog track once located around its perimeter. Australian football has had a long association with the Gabba, with state league games played at the venue, and in 1993, it became the new home of the Brisbane Bears (now Lions). It became the first venue outside of Victoria to host the AFL Grand Final when it hosted the game on October 24, 2020, due to Covid-19 forcing the game to be relocated from the MCG.

The Gabba's facilities have been progressively renovated since 1993 with new bleachers, grandstands, light towers and video screens. The sixth and final stage of the $128 million redevelopment was completed in 2005, when a 24-bay grandstand replaced the old Brisbane Lions Social Club, to increase the stadium's seating capacity to 42,000. In 2020, the venue received a $35 million upgrade to modernise its facilities, with upgraded public, corporate and media facilities, including new bars and venue entrances. Other improvements in recent years have included larger video screens and LED lighting.

The stadium hosted seven football matches during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, including the quarter-final between Brazil and Cameroon in front of a capacity 37,332 fans. Rugby League holds the attendance record at the ground, with 47,096 people attending a 1954 Test Match between Australia and Great Britain. The highest cricket crowd is 39,874 for a one day international between Australia and South Africa in 2006, while the highest AFL crowd is 37,478 for a 2019 Finals game between the Brisbane Lions and Richmond. While the stadium's capacity is officially 41,974 according to the venue, it has been reduced due to a number of factors including a temporary deck area behind the goals. The current capacity for AFL matches at the venue is approximately 37,000.

Note: The Gabba has two ticketing partners: Ticketmaster for AFL and Ticketek for Cricket.