The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC , formerly known as the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Sports Centre) is a multi-purpose sports facility in Nathan, Brisbane, Queensland, located south-east of the Brisbane CBD.
Its main stadium – formerly known as QEII Stadium, and later ANZ Stadium under a naming rights agreement with ANZ – accommodates 48,500 spectators, while its smaller State Athletics Facility accommodates 2,100 spectators. Both stadiums feature Rekortan running tracks and natural grass fields.
The Queensland Academy of Sport, Queensland State Netball Centre (named as Nissan Arena), and a complex of beach volleyball courts are also housed at the facility. QSAC is owned by the Queensland Government, and its main stadium and State Athletics Facility are operated through its agency, Stadiums Queensland.
History
The land was originally part of the holdings of pioneer South Brisbane land baron James Toohey, until resumed by the government in 1913, for use as a cemetery reserve.
1970s
The facility opened in 1975, providing a synthetic running track for athletics competitions that was unaffected by wet weather, the first in Queensland. It was officially named Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Sports Centre by the Queen in 1977 to mark her Silver Jubilee.Stadiums Queensland – History It was constructed in close proximity to both the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital and Griffith University campus, which provided athlete accommodation.
Originally, the section of the stadium covered by roofing 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 1982 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 (when the club left Lang Park and subsequently returned following its redevelopment). The stadium currently has a capacity of 48,500 people, although the record crowd is 58,912, set during the 1997 Super League Grand Final amid the Super League war which saw the Broncos defeat the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 26–8.1997 Super League Grand Final 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".
2000s
In 2002, ownership transferred to the Queensland Government Major Sports Facilities AuthorityStadiums Queensland and the venue was given its present name.
While the athletics facilities are well utilised, the stands at the stadium have largely stood empty and unused since the Broncos returned to a redeveloped Lang Park in 2003.
In 2017, a dedicated Queensland State Netball Centre was built on one corner of the property.
2020s
In April 2023, a Right to Information application by Brisbane Times revealed plans for QSAC to be modified to become a temporary home for the Brisbane Lions AFL club while their home stadium, The Gabba, is demolished and rebuilt for the 2032 Summer Olympics.
As a possible host to competitions for the 2032 Summer Olympics and 2032 Summer Paralympics, concern on koala habitat destruction was raised especially as the area was part of the greater Toohey Forest.
The stadium is still actively used by athletes at local, state and national levels. Many local clubs such as Thompson Estate and Eastern Suburbs AthleticsThompson Estate and Eastern Suburbs Athletics, Brisbane athletics and cross-country running club. use it regularly for training.
Stadium events
The stadium has hosted a number of events, including: 11 editions of the Australian Championships in Athletics, the most of any existing venue 1982 – 1982 Commonwealth Games 1985 – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – 31 March 1985 1986 – Dire Straits, Brothers-in-Arms tour – 27 March 1986 1986 – World Junior Squash Championships 1986 – Pope John Paul II, Mass – 25 November 1986 1993 – U2 with Big Audio Dynamite II and Kim Salmon and the Surrealists – 20 November 1993 1993 – Madonna – 24 November 1993 1994 – 1994 Rugby League World Club Challenge 1995 – The Rolling Stones – 12 April 1995 1995 – The Eagles – 24 November 1995 1996 – Michael Jackson HIStory World Tour, 40,000 people – 19 November 1996 1997 – 1997 Super League Grand Final 1998 – U2 with Sidewinder – 25 February 1998 1999 – 1999 Davis Cup Semi-Final tie vs. Russia 2001 – Goodwill Games 2001/2002 – State of Origin series games 2002 – An assignment on the third season of The Mole, filmed in early 2002, where the contestants had to draw an animal using the painting machines normally used to mark the playing fields. 2006 – U2 with Kanye West – 7 November 2006 2009 – Pearl Jam with Relentless7 – 25 November 2009 2010 – AC/DC with Wolfmother – 25 and 27 February 2010 2010–2011 – This venue served as an evacuation centre for residents affected by the 2010–2011 Queensland floods 2014 – Matildas vs Brazil – 6 and 9 April 2014 2014 – 2014 FFA Cup round of 16 match between Olympic FC and Central Coast Mariners – 16 September 2014 2015 – AC/DC with The Hives – 12 and 14 November 2015 2017 – Guns N' Roses with Rose Tattoo – 7 February 2017 2018 – International friendly football match between South Korea and Uzbekistan – 20 November 2018 2019 – Eminem with Hilltop Hoods – 20 February 2019
Notable rugby league games Date Result Attendance Notes28 March 1993 Parramatta Eels def. Brisbane Broncos 12–8 51,517 1993 NSWRL season Rd.3 Brisbane Broncos first game at ANZ Stadium. This was the first minor round game to attract over 50,000 fans since Round 4 of 1974.Rd.4, 1974 – Easts vs Manly @ SCG27 August 1993 St George Dragons def. Brisbane Broncos 16–10 58,593 1993 NSWRL season Rd.22 Brisbane Broncos all-time minor round home attendance record1 June 1994 Wigan def. Brisbane Broncos 20–14 54,220 1994 World Club Challenge World Club Challenge attendance record19 May 1997 New South Wales def. Queensland 23–22 (gp) 35,570 Super League Tri-series Final Longest professional rugby league game in history (104 minutes)20 September 1997 Brisbane Broncos def. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 26–8 58,912 1997 Super League Grand Final Brisbane Broncos all-time home attendance record. QSAC all-time attendance record.1 July 2001 Queensland def. New South Wales 40–14 49,441 2001 State of Origin series Game III This match was notable as Allan Langer made his Origin comeback, despite playing for Warrington Wolves in the Super League at the time, inspiring the Maroons to a series-deciding victory on home soil.5 June 2002 Queensland def. New South Wales 26–18 47,989 2002 State of Origin series Game II This was notably Justin Hodges' debut match for Queensland. Despite two in-goal blunders, the Maroons won the match.18 May 2003 Brisbane Broncos def. Melbourne Storm 36–16 15,867 2003 NRL season Rd.10 Brisbane Broncos last game at ANZ Stadium
See also
List of tennis stadiums by capacity
References
External links