News Gabba Upgrade & Olympics News

[Section 5]

I know I have no idea about these things but I would have thought that all of the major stadiums and events to be held at them would have been part of the bid? Obviously not I guess. Seems a strange way to run a multibillion-dollar enterprise.

Yes, it was.
The IOC are not going to give the games to a city without some sort of plan and details.

The original new stadium was to be at Albion Park Paceway.
And the equal next biggest ticket item Brisbane Arena at Roma Street was to be a private build and run site.

 

[Bjo187]

from Brisbane times

People can now have their say on the 100-day Olympic Games infrastructure review​

ByFelicity Caldwell​

A website has been launched to allow community members, business and industry to provide insights to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority, as part of its 100-day review.
The public consultation period will run for almost five weeks until January 10, 2025.
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The authority’s interim CEO, David Hourigan, said he was looking forward to receiving submissions via www.gamesreview.com.au.
“The review is being informed by the public submission process – as well as targeted consultation and relevant advice from stakeholders and experts,” he said.
Last week, reporter Cameron Atfield reported the authority would “imminently” open its doors to public submissions, while Save Victoria Park and other groups questioned why more information about the process was not already available.

Zero chance the committee read more than 5 of these, I know because my company writes submissions to government all the time and we know they don't read 90 percent of them, let alone when they only have 100 days.

 

[Saucery]

Yes, it was.
The IOC are not going to give the games to a city without some sort of plan and details.

The original new stadium was to be at Albion Park Paceway.
And the equal next biggest ticket item Brisbane Arena at Roma Street was to be a private build and run site.

So does that mean the IOC can veto any plans that might bring disrepute to their brand? Must they be consulted on the proposed changes (whatever they might be)?

 

[magic_johnson!]

The LNP government will get a draft of this report on or before 22/2/25. See below for reasoning.
Thats not much time considering the submissions close on the 10/1/25.
However most decent submissions will be sent in the next week or so now that it is open.

View attachment 2185113

These days seem to align suspiciously well with the opening match of the afl season on 6th of March, which just happens to be in Brisbane.

 

[Perrip]

So does that mean the IOC can veto any plans that might bring disrepute to their brand? Must they be consulted on the proposed changes (whatever they might be)?

They can. They're highly unlikely to veto any plans relating to 2032 though.

 

[Section 5]

So does that mean the IOC can veto any plans that might bring disrepute to their brand? Must they be consulted on the proposed changes (whatever they might be)?

Like everything in life it's complicated.
There is a 48-page Host City Contract a 93-page Host City Questionnaire a 62-page IOC Feasibility Assessment (all 2021)

Basically, the city/state makes the calls on venues following the guidelines.
The state/city/commonwealth and the IOC then have to come to an agreement on venues
Once the venues are selected it is up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee (OCOG) to make the games happen. That's Cindy Hook CEO and Andrew Liveris President.

Seeing most BF comments are on a new stadium below is taken from the Host City Contract.

15.3.
In line with their Pre-election Commitments, the Hosts, the Host NOC and the OCOG shall maximise the use of existing and planned infrastructure in the Host Country (or, where relevant, outside the Host Country under the conditions set forth in the Olympic Charter) and consider temporary and demountable venues in all situations where new permanent venues are not supported by viable business plans and fulfilling long-term legacy needs of the Host Country, as further defined in the “OHC – Operational Requirements – Venues”. Where new permanent venues need to be constructed, the Hosts, the Host NOC and the OCOG shall ensure that they are not located in or adjacent to statutory nature, cultural protected areas or World Heritage Sites
.......................................
Everything in contracts is up for interoperation but my 2 cents worth.

They should be able to get a "viable business plan"
Legacy is for Lions AFL, Cricket and concerts and The Gabba at end of life by 2032
Not a world heritage site, but does have heritage buildings and a stone wall somewhere
Cultural protected arears. First Nations interest in the area but i doubt it is in the "protected" category Still needs consultation.
Not sure about the "not located in or adjacent to statutory nature"
However, it's possible protests and maybe future court action that could be an issue.

 

[Walshawk]

These days seem to align suspiciously well with the opening match of the afl season on 6th of March, which just happens to be in Brisbane.

And happens to be sold out already!

 

[Gadzorks]

And happens to be sold out already!

Wow. That's great, but if the whole year is sold out membership prices will skyrocket.

 

[Section 5]

Regarding the Cats game being sold out that is not the case yet.

I think you will find it is about processing the Lions membership.
They are in the process of finalizing seat moves and new membership waiting to be processed.
That should be close to being finished although the above just started yesterday.
From what i have been told this process is done by 1 person.
That is from someone that worked in membership for a number of years but left 2 years ago.
So maybe things have changed a bit since then

Once finished there will be quite a few tickets available.
Like all the seats for the Cats allocation to start with.

 

[notliondown]

Yeah my understanding that corporate and VIP ticketing packages are sold out...

Member tickets and public sales will be next year closer to the game.

 

[Perrip]

Cricket Aus & the Lions have formally submitted their submission to the 100 Day Review, wanting to move from Vic Park to the Gabba.

Cricket Australia launches bid to axe Gabba for ‘50-year’ venue - Robert Craddock

Cricket Australia has launched a major push to have the Gabba scrapped as a Test venue and replaced by a stadium which could sustain the sport “for 50 years.’’
Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley has confirmed to this masthead the grand dream is to play the final cricket match of the 2032 Olympics at the Gabba then move to a proposed new venue at Victoria Park.
In conjunction with the AFL’s Brisbane Lions, who are also based at the Gabba, cricket has sent this far-reaching proposal to the Queensland Government’s 100-day Olympic venue review.
“The Gabba has played a pivotal role in Queensland cricket history and we’re delighted by the strong ticket sales for this Test,’’ Hockley said of Saturday’s Australia-India clash.
“That said, it’s clear the Gabba is coming to the end of its useful life and the Brisbane 2032 Games presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop a world class stadium that delivers strong legacy benefits for Queensland, by providing cricket and football fans with the facilities that they deserve.
“Hopefully, this latest review will provide the certainty that everyone is craving, not least the Games organisers and together with Queensland Cricket, the AFL and the Lions, we will be making a strong case for a new stadium that can accommodate cricket and Australian rules football at Victoria Park into the future.
“It would be amazing to host the Olympic cricket finals at the Gabba and then move straight into a brilliant new stadium where fans can enjoy international and domestic cricket in comfort for the next 50 years or more.
“This would also avoid disruption and costs to fans and the sports from any displacement from the Gabba between now and the Games.’’
The ageing, fading Gabba has hosted 66 Tests since the first against South Africa in 1931 but is now ranked the number five Test venue in Australia behind the iconic Sydney and Melbourne cricket grounds, the grandly redeveloped Adelaide Oval and recently constructed Optus Oval in Perth.
The Gabba will host an Ashes Test next year but, for the first time in 50 years, will not host a Test in 2026-27 as a result of uncertainly over Brisbane’s Olympic plans which Hockley conceded had made it difficult for cricket officials.
“The lack of clarity about elements of the Olympic and Paralympic Games infrastructure has certainly caused a level frustration and uncertainty for sports played at the Gabba.
“Queensland is an enormously important market for cricket, so it was unfortunate we could only plan for the next two years of international cricket in Brisbane in our seven-year international schedule.”
The Lions, who sell out most of their Gabba games and whose popularity will surge further on the back on this year’s AFL premiership win, support the move to the proposed new stadium which could seat 60,000 compared to the Gabba’s 37,000.
The Victoria Park proposal has become a fan favourite but is yet to gain key political support with the former Labor government initially favouring redeveloping the Gabba before endorsing a move to have the Olympic athletics at QSAC Stadium in Nathan.
The new LNP government has espoused the virtues of updating existing infrastructure but is open minded to the findings of the review.

 

[Elixuh]

Cricket Aus & the Lions have formally submitted their submission to the 100 Day Review, wanting to move from Vic Park to the Gabba.

Cricket Australia launches bid to axe Gabba for ‘50-year’ venue - Robert Craddock

This is obviously the best option by daylight for us, not least because it would mean no interruption between playing at the Gabba and the move to Vic Park.

Genuinely a shame that Tay Tay isn't touring at the moment and snubbing Brisbane because of no suitable venue. Would have made a nice current example to assist the business case.

Is it even possible to build a 60k stadium at the Gabba without major infrastructure works to the site, eg potentially putting roads below ground. I assume as soon as you touch the Gabba it becomes non-compliant with about 10,000 codes that are currently grandfathered in and the requisite pedestrian space amongst a million other things would make a knock down and rebuild almost a non-starter.

 

[BrisVegasDru]

Brisbane Times today

Push to scrap Gabba backed by Cricket Australia​

ByWilliam Davis​

A push to scrap the Gabba and build a new venue at Victoria Park for the 2032 Olympic Games has been backed by Cricket Australia.
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The organisation told today’s Courier-Mail it hoped to move matches to the proposed stadium at Victoria Park after the Olympics.
“It’s clear the Gabba is coming to the end of its useful life,” boss Nick Hockley told the masthead.
Cricket Australia confirmed its position to Brisbane Times but declined to comment further.
A cricket pitch has existed on the Gabba site in Woolloongabba since 1895. It hosted the first Test match in 1931.

 

[Perrip]

Is it even possible to build a 60k stadium at the Gabba without major infrastructure works to the site, eg potentially putting roads below ground. I assume as soon as you touch the Gabba it becomes non-compliant with about 10,000 codes that are currently grandfathered in and the requisite pedestrian space amongst a million other things would make a knock down and rebuild almost a non-starter.

That's generally what the Quirk Review found.

If you opted to renovate the Gabba, the cost would be almost as expensive as a rebuild, and, the general public wouldn't notice any difference to their match day experience.

The review also found that rebuilding the Gabba, on the allocated site, would give us a sub-par stadium when compared to other international stadiums.

 

[The Flying Belgian]

This popped up on one of my feeds. This is Boston where they moved the freeway that ran through the city underground . Not exactly the same as being proposed at Vic Park, but the effect is the same - creation of community space and removal of barriers.

 

[Billy ray]

This popped up on one of my feeds. This is Boston where they moved the freeway that ran through the city underground . Not exactly the same as being proposed at Vic Park, but the effect is the same - creation of community space and removal of barriers.

hey me too! same feed.
i like when govts decide to keep open space when something is sunk rather than be all greedy with development.

 

[Black Panther]

This is Boston

The Boston 'Big Dig' is regarded as one of the world's greatest engineering project ****ups

Something not for Brisbane to try to emulate

 

[Johnny Bananas]

hey me too! same feed.
i like when govts decide to keep open space when something is sunk rather than be all greedy with development.

We could have lots of open space if we built more densely.

 

[dlanod]

The Boston 'Big Dig' is regarded as one of the world's greatest engineering project ****ups

Something not for Brisbane to try to emulate

The process was an absolute debacle, for many reasons.

The actual result was a success.

 

[briztoon]

We could have lots of open space if we built more densely.

The “hard part” is a significant portion of our population have for generations lived the “Australian Dream” of owning/living on their own quarter acre block.

This is also very attractive to many immigrants, who have lived in densely populated cities and don’t want to go back to such a lifestyle. Well not until it’s time to go in to a nursing home or retirement village.

Then there’s the issue of transportation in our car reliant cities, if we’re looking at higher density rates.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

The “hard part” is a significant portion of our population have for generations lived the “Australian Dream” of owning/living on their own quarter acre block.

This is also very attractive to many immigrants, who have lived in densely populated cities and don’t want to go back to such a lifestyle. Well not until it’s time to go in to a nursing home or retirement village.

Then there’s the issue of transportation in our car reliant cities, if we’re looking at higher density rates.

The government needs to have the stones to tell people to move to regional towns if they want that lifestyle now. The alternative is our major cities keep sprawling and we have one continuous urban area from Noosa to Coolangatta to Toowoomba.

 

[notliondown]

The government needs to have the stones to tell people to move to regional towns if they want that lifestyle now. The alternative is our major cities keep sprawling and we have one continuous urban area from Noosa to Coolangatta to Toowoomba.

I'm not sure that's really the answer as someone who actually lives in regional towns can attest.

A sprawling urban area isn't the issue - we do genuinely have the luxury of space here - it's what appeals to people.

The issue is consecutive short sighted governments who had/have zero desire or ability to plan for that sprawl. Providing avenues and pathways to transport people via road, bus, train etc quickly and efficiently shouldn't be such a challenge in 2024 and yet here we are.

 

[briztoon]

I'm not sure that's really the answer as someone who actually lives in regional towns can attest.

A sprawling urban area isn't the issue - we do genuinely have the luxury of space here - it's what appeals to people.

The issue is consecutive short sighted governments who had/have zero desire or ability to plan for that sprawl. Providing avenues and pathways to transport people via road, bus, train etc quickly and efficiently shouldn't be such a challenge in 2024 and yet here we are.

And to decentralise our cities. Build urban business hubs, etc.

And make inner cities car free zones. You want to live inside a certain radius, commute or pay for the privilege of owning & parking a car in your own residence.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

I'm not sure that's really the answer as someone who actually lives in regional towns can attest.

Are they all doing perfectly well for themselves and don't need any more people?

A sprawling urban area isn't the issue - we do genuinely have the luxury of space here - it's what appeals to people.

It is the issue when our capital cities stretch for 50-60km in every direction. Do people really enjoy commuting an hour or longer each way for work? Are we really best served as a society by bulldozing forests and farmland for more and more sprawl? It all requires lots and lots of energy and resources to sustain, and at some point that's going to cost us, monetarily or environmentally.

The issue is consecutive short sighted governments who had/have zero desire or ability to plan for that sprawl.

We're certainly not good at planning ahead in Australia, but to be fair to our governments, sprawl is not easy, or cheap, to plan for. Many more roads, power lines, water pipes and comms cables have to be built when distances are greater between everything.

Providing avenues and pathways to transport people via road, bus, train etc quickly and efficiently shouldn't be such a challenge in 2024 and yet here we are.

It is a challenge because we generally don't have corridors reserved for them and building underground costs lots of money. If we were continuously building them maybe we'd get very efficient at it, but that hasn't happened yet.

Also, building more roads does not solve congestion, due to the induced demand effect. It's been observed many times that when a new highway is built, more people start driving, so the congestion quickly becomes the same as before. Getting people out of their cars is the only way to solve congestion. But who wants to walk, cycle or catch a bus when everything is spread out and far apart?

 

[Johnny Bananas]

An Indian journalist's assessment of the Gabba:

The Gabba was supposed to be pulled down and rebuilt according to the needs for that global event. But that $ 2.7billion dollar rebuilding plan is now on hold as Gabba has proved an architectural nightmare. It’s almost sandwiched amidst a cluster of buildings that surround it and there is a school nearby. The entire arena’s footprint doesn’t apparently match Olympic requirements. A review is on.

Inside the stadium, the dust on the India-Australia series has just kicked up after it went even-steven at Adelaide and the caravan moves to the Gabbatoir. It’s an unimpressive character-less stadium that won’t look out of place somewhere in the interiors of India. All concrete with no air blowing across as there aren’t any gaps in the structure. It does have a feel of a cauldron, as a result. The coloured bucket seats and the amenities might make it look modern, but it’s not going to be in contention amongst the pretty cricket stadiums in the world.

Is Akash Deep set to play instead of Harshit Rana at the Gabba?

At the Gabbatoir, grass on wicket, hot conditions and possible rain in coming days

indianexpress.com