Ballymore Stadium

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Ballymore Stadium
Location	Herston, Brisbane, Queensland
Opened	1966
Closed	Open
Demolished	N/A
Owner	Queensland Rugby Union
Surface	Grass
Tenants
Capacity	24,000

Ballymore Stadium is the name of a rugby union stadium situated in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It was the home of Queensland Rugby Union, and used to be the home ground for the Queensland Reds and the Brisbane Strikers Soccer Club. The Queensland Reds have since moved to Suncorp Stadium and the Brisbane Strikers moved to Perry Park before folding.

The QRU set up headquarters at Ballymore in 1966 under a deed of grant from the state government. The first club game played at the new site was a match between Teachers and Wests. The QRU then officially moved in February 1967. In March of the following year Ballymore's grandstand was officially opened. The Eastern Stand was opened on June 21, 1992. The ground exceeded capacity in 1993 when 26,000 squeezed in to watch the Wallabies play South Africa. A year later the first match under lights was played at the ground. Today the grandstand is known as the McLean Stand (named in 1980), and the Eastern stand is known as the Bank of QLD stand.

The QRU said that the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), the state government and the Brisbane City Council all supported conducting a feasibility study. It will apparently share traits with the French Rugby Federation's Centre National de Rugby, which is near Paris. The QRU proposed that the training centre be built on the land adjacent to the headquarters at Ballymore. The new complex would include advanced sports medicine and training facilities, a gymnasium and aquatic facilities, as well as on-site accommodation for visiting teams.

Though the Reds have since moved out of Ballymore, to the Suncorp Stadium, which has double capacity, Ballymore is still the host to many rugby union matches. The Queensland Club rugby final is usually held at the ground, and Queensland XVs and off-season matches for the Reds are also played at Ballymore. The Reds also played both of their home games during the 2006 Australian Provincial Championship at Ballymore. The stadium also hosted the Ballymore Tornadoes during the only season of the Australian Rugby Championship in 2007.

During the 1987 World Cup, the groundsman at Ballymore Stadium was Michael Hayes (An Australia 21's Representative, NSW 1st XV Representative and a QLD 1st XV Representative) .

[edit] Australian National Rugby Academy

In mid-2007 it was announced through a federal government grant that Ballymore would become the Australian National Rugby Academy

The two stage, 12.7 hectare (31.5 acre) Ballymore project will become the internationally recognised centre for Australian Rugby as well as provide significant flow-on benefits to other sports and the local and wider communities including medical and recreational facilities.

As the new home of the Australian National Rugby Academy, Ballymore will accommodate a range of facilities in three broad categories (subject to the necssary approvals):

Sporting facilities including