Sport in Brisbane
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Sport is an important aspect of Brisbane lifestyle.
Contents |
[edit] Popular sports
Rugby league is the most popular spectator sport in Brisbane. In 2006 565,898 people attended first class rugby league matches at Suncorp Stadium. Other popular spectator sports include Australian rules football, cricket, rugby union and football (soccer).
[edit] Teams in national competitions
[edit] Attendance figures
[edit] 2006
| Sport | Major venues | Aggregate attendance | Average | Events counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby league | Suncorp Stadium | 565,898 | 35,368 | ANZAC Test Tri-nations Test Brisbane Broncos home games (13) Rugby League State of Origin |
| Australian rules football | The Gabba | 339,371 | 26,151 | Brisbane Lions home games (11) Melbourne Demons home game (1) Queensland State League grand final |
| Rugby union | Suncorp Stadium Ballymore Stadium |
245,400 | 22,309 | Queensland Reds home games (8) Wallabies Test matches (2) Premier Rugby Final |
| Cricket | The Gabba | 121,694 | 20,282 | One day internationals (3) Queensland Bulls one day match (2) Twenty/20 international (1) |
| Football (soccer) | Suncorp Stadium | 92,189 | 19,971 | Queensland Roar home games (6) Socceroos home game (1) |
| Basketball | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre | 9,923 | 3,307 | Brisbane Bullets home games (2) |
[edit] 2005
| Sport | Major venues | Aggregate attendance | Average | Events counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby league | Suncorp Stadium | 516,103 | 32,256 | ANZAC Test Brisbane Broncos home games (12) Queensland Cup grand final Rugby League State of Origin (2) |
| Australian rules football | The Gabba | 400,468 | 30,554 | Brisbane Lions home games (11) Melbourne Demons home games (1) Queensland State League grand final |
| Rugby union | Suncorp Stadium Ballymore Stadium |
162,256 | 20,282 | Wallabies Test match Queensland Reds home games (6) Premier Rugby final |
| Football (soccer) | Suncorp Stadium | 122,983 | 15,372 | Queensland Roar home games (8) |
| Basketball | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre | 26,396 | 3,300 | Brisbane Bullets home games (8) |
[edit] Brisbane sports venues
[edit] Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium in Milton is the spiritual home of Rugby League in Brisbane, and is the home of Queensland Rugby League, the Brisbane Broncos, the Queensland Roar FC, the Queensland Reds and the annual State of Origin rugby league clash between Queensland (the Maroons) and New South Wales (the Blues). Lang Park became Suncorp Stadium in 1994 after Suncorp became naming rights sponsor. Teams based there include: Queensland Roar FC (Football (soccer)), Brisbane Broncos (Rugby league), Queensland Reds (Rugby Union). Individual players and officials face stiff fines if they accidentally publicly refer to the venue by its former name.
[edit] Brisbane Cricket Ground (The Gabba)
The Gabba hosts domestic and international cricket matches, as well as Australian rules football. Home of the Queensland Bulls (Cricket) and the Brisbane Lions (Australian rules football), The Gabba hosted football matches for the Sydney 2000 Olympics and was the site of the famous tied test of 1960 between the West Indies and Australia. Teams based there include: Queensland Bulls (Cricket) and Brisbane Lions (Australian rules football).
[edit] Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC)
The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), formerly known as QEII ('QE2') Stadium and later ANZ Stadium, at Nathan is the third largest sporting arena in Queensland. The stadium was built as a temporary venue for the 1982 Commonwealth Games but endured as home for the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team during the 1990s and hosted the 2001 Goodwill Games.
[edit] Brisbane Exhibition Ground
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground (also known as the RNA Showgrounds) is the home of the Brisbane Ekka that takes place every August. It has also been the home to Cricket, Rugby league, Australian rules football and Speedway style Motor Racing.
[edit] Ballymore
Ballymore Stadium is the home of Rugby union in Brisbane, and is the former home of the Queensland Reds, who play in the Tooheys New Super 14 Rugby Union series. It also plays host to Brisbane Premier Rugby games, and was once home to the Brisbane Strikers soccer club.
[edit] Perry Park
Perry Park is the spiritual home of Football (soccer) in Brisbane, and is home to the Brisbane Strikers, who play in the local Brisbane competition after being unsuccessful in their A-League bid.
[edit] Other sports grounds
- Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre — team based there: Brisbane Bullets (Basketball)
- Langlands Park— team based there: Easts Tigers (Rugby league)
- Sleeman Centre — team based there: Queensland Firebirds (Netball)
- Brisbane sports and recreational parks and reserves
[edit] Brisbane sports events
- 1982 Commonwealth Games are held in Brisbane
- 1985, 1987 Brisbane Bullets win National Basketball League (Australia) title
- 1992, 1993 Brisbane Broncos won consecutive New South Wales Rugby League premierships
- 1997, 1998 Brisbane Broncos won consecutive Super League and National Rugby League (NRL) premierships
- 2000 Brisbane Broncos win the NRL premiership
- 2000 Olympic football matches during Sydney Olympics
- 2001 Goodwill Games are held in Brisbane
- 2001-2003 Brisbane Lions won consecutive Australian Football League premierships
- 2003 Hosted matches during Rugby World Cup, including semi-final
- 2006 Brisbane Broncos win their 6th NRL
- Annual Brisbane Cricket Ground (Gabba) Test Cricket match
- Annual State of Origin rugby league football series at Suncorp Stadium
- Besides spectator sport and sports teams, Brisbane hosts several mass participation events each year, including the Bridge to Brisbane fun run each year in August and the Brisbane Marathon in April each year.
[edit] Brisbane sports highlights
- 1960 - the Brisbane Cricket Ground the Test Match between Australia and the West Indies ended with a tie on 14 December, 1960.
It was the first Tied Test in the history of cricket. - 1980 - the first ever Rugby League State of Origin match was held in Brisbane at Lang Park, with the Maroons winning 20-10.
- 1982 - the Commonwealth Games, which were held at QEII Stadium and other sports venues in Brisbane, were very successful. The Duke of Edinburgh opened the Commonwealth Games, and Queen Elizabeth II closed them. The mascot for the Commonwealth Games was Matilda, a giant-sized 13-metre high mechanical kangaroo who winked at the spectators.
- 1997 - the Brisbane Broncos won the Super League premiership at ANZ Stadium in front of more than 58,000 people. It was the first
(and to this day, only) Australia-wide Rugby League Grand Final held outside of Sydney.
[edit] Notable Brisbane-born sportspeople
Brisbane is the birthplace of many well-known and famous sportsmen and sportswomen.
[edit] Australian Rules
[edit] Cricket
Matthew Hayden and Michael Kasprowicz
[edit] Cycling
[edit] Rugby league
[edit] Rugby union
[edit] Swimming
Jodie Henry, Alice Mills, Susie O'Neill, Kieren Perkins, Giaan Rooney and Jessicah Schipper
