Carrara Stadium (Gold Coast)

[McKenna for PM]

Back in the early nineties I recall some great games of footy I had the pleasure of watching back at Carrara - the old home of the then Brisbane Bears.

Perhaps I remember them fondly because I am a West Coast supporter!
But nowadays I still pass the ground and every time I wonder what the future holds for it. It has a great deal of potential to play home to a Gold Coast team.

Many people on the Gold Coast, like me, are ex-Victorians longing for some AFL. Every Gabba game I went to in the last few years I'd pass heaps of cars on the highway with Brisbane BEARS bumper stickers.

And in pre-season 1999, the Lions played a scratch match against Geelong at the Southport Sharks home ground, and there was hopeful talk of as many as 10,000 expected to show up. As it turned out, something in the range of 15-20,000 people ended up attending.

There is plenty of support for an AFL team on the Gold Coast, and I heard last year that they are looking to promote the Southport Sharks in the next few years. The AFL will apparently be spending a lot of money on improving the Southport club facilities.

But the money would be far better spent on Carrara stadium. It is a better ground than Southport, and would cost less to improve to AFL status. Carrara is more central than Southport and its immediate area is less built up - meaning less development protests from residents and far better parking and accessibility.

Any AFL development gurus out there know the likelihood of any of this occurring?

 

[Mr Ripper]

I thought Carrara was redeveloped into a rug beleaguered sized stadium. Or am I just getting confused with Bruce in Canberra?

Anyway, from what I've been told, the proposed Southport AFL side would play their home games at the Gabba.

 

[Roylion]

The AFL have made it very clear to Southport that IF they were ever to enter the AFL competition, their home matches would be played at the Gabba. There doesn't seem to be any future for Carrara as an AFL venue in the near future.

 

[ShereKahn]

I think carrara was more a novelty than anything else,people turned up at first but then dropped off.
But there is a certain melb based team who might HOP into carrara if things get any worse.

-------------------------------------------
"Ye choose and ye do not choose! What talk is this of choosing? By the Bull that I killed, am I to stand nosing into your dog’s den for my fair dues? It is I, Shere Khan, who speak!"
Rudyard Kipling

 

[McKenna for PM]

Southport or North, either way there is an untapped supporter base on the Gold Coast who will not like being forced to travel all the way to Brisbane to watch their team play.

Carrara stadium is a promising venue that simply needs a little work. It is big enough to "perform" at AFL level after it has been given more seating. But I guarantee that a Gold Coast team is starting off on the wrong foot if it begins its life in Brisbane.

 

[Pessimistic]

I reckon one of the reasons they want a second team in brisbane is the AFL have done a 'deal' for more games up there to help pay for the recent ground improvements.

 

[Matchu]

Wow, McKenna for PM was way ahead of his time. Always interesting to read back and see what people thought before things happened but this thread was made 10 years before the Gold Coast entered the AFL! Ironically enough, this guys user name is a take on the current Gold Coast coach, if I'm not mistaken.

The AFL have made it very clear to Southport that IF they were ever to enter the AFL competition, their home matches would be played at the Gabba. There doesn't seem to be any future for Carrara as an AFL venue in the near future.

Even a current BF mod was involved! Roylion chiming in with his thoughts about Carrara and a Gold Coast team. I guess he had a good point given AFL footy didn't actually return to the stadium for a few years after this thread was made bu still interesting to read the comments.