Carrara Stadium
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| Carrara Stadium | |
|---|---|
| or Carrara Sports Complex | |
| Location | Carrara, Gold Coast, Queensland |
| Broke ground | 1986 |
| Opened | 1987 |
| Closed | Open |
| Owner | Gold Coast City Council |
| Operator | Gold Coast City Council |
| Surface | Grass |
| Tenants | |
| Gold Coast Titans, Kangaroos Football Club | |
| Seats | |
| 22,000 | |
Carrara Stadium or Carrara Sports Complex is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia located in the suburb of Carrara. In 2007 it will be the home ground for the Gold Coast Titans National Rugby League team for their inaugural season. It has previously been the home ground for teams in the Australian rules football (AFL), Australian Rugby League (ARL) and National Rugby League (NRL) competitions. The Queensland Reds rugby union team also play trial games at Carrara.
Contents |
[edit] History
Carrara Stadium was built on the site of pre-existing Carrara Oval by Christopher Skase after the Brisbane Bears were granted a licence to enter the VFL Australian rules football competition. The stadium was built with makeshift stands designed for night games to maximise the television audience. The Fitzroy Football Club defeated the Brisbane Bears in the first VFL game played at Carrara Oval before a sell out crowd of 17,795 in 1987.[1] (The Brisbane Lions website records this crowd as 22,684, however the stadium did not have this capacity in 1987.[2])
The Bears onfield performance proved poor and VFL crowds at Carrara stadium rarely reached these heights again. In 1993 the Bears relocated to the Gabba. The ground was then sold to the Gold Coast City Council (GCCC).
The Gold Coast Clippers played their 1989-90 Australian Baseball League season at Carrara before changing their name to the Daikyo Dolphins and moving to Palm Meadows. For the 1992-93 season they moved back to Carrara as the Gold Coast Cougars. The Cougars stayed at Carrara until the of the abolition Australian Baseball League in 1999.
In 1996 when the Gold Coast Seagulls moved to Carrara from Tweed Heads. They continued to use the ground until the end of the 1998 NRL season, when they were excluded from the competition as a part of the rationalisation of the competition. Rugby league matches continued to be played at the stadium, with pre-season trials being played there annually from 2002 to 2005[3], and NRL premiership matches in 2001 and 2005. The ground's capacity was increased slightly during this time. In 2005 the NRL announced that a licence would be awarded to the Gold Coast Titans, and that the stadium would be their home ground in 2007 until the completion of Gold Coast Stadium, which will be opened in 2008. [4]
The Gold Coast City Council built an indoor sports centre nearby which hosted the Gold Coast Rollers National Basketball League team until 1996, when they were excluded from the competition.
[edit] 2006 Schedule
The following matches are scheduled for 2006 at Carrara Stadium.
| Date | Teams | Sport | Competition | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 February | Brisbane Lions v. Essendon Bombers | Australian rules football | NAB Cup | 13,269 |
| 25 February | Canterbury Bulldogs v. New Zealand Warriors | rugby league | NRL pre-season trial | 12,130 |
| 11 March | Sydney Swans v. Richmond Tigers | Australian rules football | AFL Regional Challenge pre-season trial | 6,277 |
| 18 March | Brisbane Lions v. Collingwood Magpies | Australian rules football | AFL Regional Challenge pre-season trial | 10,117 |
| 16 April | Melbourne Demons v. Adelaide Crows | Australian rules football | AFL premiership | 8,258 |
| 13 May | Hawthorn Hawks v. Brisbane Lions | Australian rules football | AFL premiership | 12,415 |
| June 18 | Canterbury Bulldogs v. North Queensland Cowboys | rugby league | NRL premiership | 16,231 |
| July 15 | Queensland Roar v. Sydney FC | soccer | A-League pre-season | 7,132 |
| 23 September | Southport Sharks vs Zillmere | Australian rules football | Queensland State League Grand Final | 4,842 |
[edit] Attendance records
| Date | Teams | Sport | Competition | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 March 1994 | Gold Coast Chargers v. Brisbane Broncos | rugby league | NSWRL premiership | 22,688 |
| 27 May 2005 | North Queensland Cowboys v. Canterbury Bulldogs | rugby league | NRL premiership | 21,012 |
| 28 February 2005 | St George Illawarra Dragons v. Canterbury Bulldogs | rugby league | NRL pre-season | 18,356 |
[edit] Tenants
| Years | Tenant | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| 1983-1984 | Nerang Bulls | Rugby union |
| 1987-1992 | Brisbane Bears | Australian rules football |
| 1989-90 | Gold Coast Clippers | Baseball |
| 1992-93 | Daikyo Dolphins | Baseball |
| 1993-1999 | Gold Coast Cougars | Baseball |
| 1996-1998 | Gold Coast Chargers | rugby league |
| 2007 | Gold Coast Titans | rugby league |
| 2007 | Gold Coast NRC Team | rugby union |
[edit] Sources
- AFL Attendance Records
- NRL Attendance Records
- Brisbane Lions website
- Gold Coast Titans website
- Nerang Bulls Rugby Union website
- Gold Coast City Council - Carrara Stadium
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Description and aerial view of Carrara Oval at the Gold Coast City Council's web site
- Carrara Stadium at Austadiums
- Bring Carrara Back to Life - But Slowly
| Gold Coast Titans |
|---|
| The Club Representatives | History | Records Honours | Players |
| Titans Seasons 2007 |
| Titans Stadiums Carrara Stadium | Skilled Park |
| Titans Captains Scott Prince (2007 (co)-present) | Luke Bailey (2007 (co)-present |
| Titans Coaches John Cartwright (2007-present) |
