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The Gabba
Brisbane Cricket Ground

Ground information
Location	Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates	27°29′9″S 153°2′17″E / 27.48583°S 153.03806°E / -27.48583; 153.03806Coordinates: 27°29′9″S 153°2′17″E / 27.48583°S 153.03806°E / -27.48583; 153.03806
Establishment	1895
Capacity	42,000 (36,000 for international cricket matches)
Owner	Queensland Government
Operator	Stadiums Queensland
Tenants	Queensland cricket team, Brisbane Lions, Brisbane Heat
End names
Stanley Street End Vulture Street End
International information
First Test	27 November – 3 December 1931:  Australia v  South Africa
Last Test	23–27 November 2017:  Australia v  England
First ODI	23 December 1979:  England v  West Indies
Last ODI	19 January 2018:  Australia v  England
First T20I	9 January 2006:  Australia v  South Africa
Last T20I	13 February 2013:  Australia v  West Indies
Team information
Queensland (1896–present) Brisbane Bears (AFL) (1991, 1993–1996) Brisbane Lions (AFL) (1997–present) Gold Coast Suns (AFL) (2011, 2018) Brisbane Heat (BBL) (2011–present) Brisbane Heat (WBBL) (2015–present)
As of 14 December 2017 Source: ESPN Cricinfo

The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba,^[1][2] is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located.

The land on which the ground sits was set aside for use as a cricket ground in 1895 and the first match was held on the site on 19 December 1896, between Parliament and The Press. Prior to this, cricket was played at a ground in the area then known as Green Hills (beside Countess Street Petrie Terrace opposite the Victoria Barracks – now occupied by the Northern Busway),^[3] since at least the early 1860s.^[4]

The Gabba shared first-class cricket matches with the Exhibition Ground until 1931. The first Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba was scheduled to be played between 31 January 1931 and 4 February 1931, but it was washed out without a ball being bowled. The first Test match at the Gabba was played between Australia and South Africa between 27 November and 3 December 1931.

Over the years, the Gabba has hosted athletics, Australian rules football, baseball, concerts, cricket, cycling, rugby league, rugby union, soccer and pony and greyhound races.

Between 1993 and 2005, the Gabba was redeveloped in six stages at a cost of A$128,000,000. The dimensions of the playing field are now 170.6 metres (east-west) by 149.9 metres (north-south) to accommodate the playing of Australian Football at elite level. The seating capacity of the ground is now 42,000; however, for international cricket matches, the seating capacity is reduced to around 36,000 due to new bigger screens and the addition of a pool deck, as well as wider sight screens.^[5]

On 15 December 2016, Australia hosted Pakistan for the first day-night Test at the Gabba,^[6] and the first Australian day-night Test hosted outside Adelaide Oval.

Sports played at the ground

Cricket

The Gabba in 1899

The First Test between Australia and England is played nowadays at Brisbane. Nobody seems to know why, and all sorts of arguments are ventilated for and against more cricket Tests on the Woolloongabba ground. I am all in favour of robbing Queensland of its greatest cricketing occasion, for the ground depresses. It is not a cricket ground at all. It is a concentration camp! Wire fences abound. Spectators are herded and sorted out into lots as though for all the world this was a slave market and not a game of cricket. The stands are of wood and filthy to sit on. The dining rooms are barns, without a touch of colour or a picture on the wall. Everywhere there is dust and dirt...Forgive me if I am bitter about the Woolloongabba ground...the city has many good points, and the people who live there are generous and hospitable to the highest degree, but once one goes to the cricket ground the advantages are overwhelmingly lost in the mass of rules and regulations...^[7] – John Kay, 1950–51 Ashes series

The Gabba is used from October to March for cricket and is home to the Queensland Cricket Association, the Queensland Cricketers Club and the Queensland Bulls cricket team. The venue usually hosts the first Test match of the season each November in addition to a number of international one-day matches usually held in January. The pitch is usually fast and bouncy.

The Gabba's amenities were greatly improved in the 1980s from a very basic standard, especially in comparison with the other Australian cricket grounds. Test cricket was first played at the ground in November 1931, the first Test of the series between Australia and South Africa. In December 1960, Test cricket's first-ever Tied Test took place at the ground when Richie Benaud's Australian team tied with Frank Worrell's West Indian side. Queensland clinched its first-ever Sheffield Shield title with victory over South Australia in the final at the ground in March 1995.

The Gabba was the first Australian venue to host an International Twenty20 cricket match.^[8]

In November 1968 Colin Milburn scored 243 – in the two-hour afternoon session he scored 181- in a Sheffield Shield match for Western Australia vs. Queensland ^[9]

For the first day of the first Test of the 2010–11 Ashes series between Australia and England the Gabba was almost sold out.^[10]
Australia's Michael Clarke holds the record for number of runs scored in one Test innings at the Gabba with 259 not out, breaking the previous record set by Alastair Cook.^[11]

Australia has a formidable test match record at the ground. In the 55 matches played at the ground, Australia has won 33, drawn 13, tied 1 and lost 8. Australia has also not lost at the Gabba in 28 matches, a record dating back to 1988.^[12]England have a notoriously poor record at The Gabba, and have only won two test matches at the ground since the end of the Second World War. Many of their defeats have been heavy^[13] and only seven England players have scored centuries at the ground.

Panorama of the Gabba on the 2nd day of the 2006–07 Ashes series

Australian rules football

Australian Football Premiership Finals at the Gabba, 1907

An Australian Football Match at the Gabba in 2008.

The grave of David Newitt, who died from injuries received in a cycling race at the Gabba in 1922.

The Gabba was the home ground for the Brisbane Bears from 1993 to 1996 and since 1997 has been the home of the Brisbane Lions AFL team. The record crowd for an Australian rules football match is 37,224 between the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood in Round 15 of the 2005 AFL season.

Australian football has a long association with the ground. The Queensland Football League, a precursor to AFL Queensland played matches at the Gabba from 1905 to 1914, 1959 to 1971, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s. AFLQ matches resumed in 1993 as curtain-raiser events to AFL games, along with occasional AFLQ Grand Finals.

Interstate games, including the 1961 national carnival have also been played there, as was a demonstration game during the 1982 Commonwealth Games. In 1991 the Gabba was host to Queensland's only victory over a Victorian side.

Soccer

In the early 1900s, the Gabba hosted numerous matches between Australia and various touring nations.^[14] During the 1950s and 1960s the Gabba hosted soccer matches for English first division and Scottish clubs including Blackpool FC, Everton FC, Manchester United and Heart of Midlothian.^[15]The Chinese and South African national teams also played at the ground. During the 2000 Summer Olympics, the Gabba hosted association football group games.^[16]

Rugby league

On 8 May 1909 the first match of rugby league was played in Brisbane at the Gabba. Norths played against Souths before a handful of spectators at the ground.^[17]
The Gabba hosted its first rugby league Test match on 26 June 1909, when Australia defeated New Zealand Māori 16–13.^[18] The Kangaroos continued to play Tests at this venue until 1956, and a ground record crowd of 47,800 people saw Australia play Great Britain in 1954. From 1932 to 1959 the Gabba was also used to host interstate matches and International Rugby League Finals from 1909 – 2003.

Rugby league Test matches

The Gabba hosted 11 rugby league test matches between 1912 and 1956.^[19]

Date	Opponents	Result	Attendance	Part of
14 August 1909	Māori	16–13	8,000	1909 Māori tour
6 July 1912	New Zealand	13–10	8,000	1912 Trans-Tasman Test series
18 June 1932	The Lions	15–6	15,944	1932 Ashes series
4 July 1936	The Lions	7–12	29,486	1936 Ashes series
12 June 1948	New Zealand	13–4	23,014	1948 Trans-Tasman Test series
1 July 1950	Great Britain	15–3	35,000	1950 Ashes series
30 June 1951	France	23–11	35,000
28 June 1952	New Zealand	29–45	29,243	1952 Trans-Tasman Test series
9 July 1954	Great Britain	21–38	46,355	1954 Ashes series All time Gabba attendance record
2 July 1955	France	28–29	45,745
23 June 1956	New Zealand	8–2	28,361	1956 Trans-Tasman Test series

Rugby union

The Gabba has hosted six rugby union Test matches.

Year	Home team	Away team	Result	Score	Crowd
1907	Australia	New Zealand	Lost	14–5	not known
1914	Australia	New Zealand	Lost	17–0	not known
1950	Australia	British and Irish Lions	Lost	19–6	not known
1951	Australia	New Zealand	Lost	16–6	not known
2001	Australia	British and Irish Lions	Lost	29–13	37,460
2002	Australia	South Africa	Won	38–27	37,258

2000 Olympic Games

The Gabba hosted seven games of the 2000 Olympic Games Men's Football tournament including a Quarter final match.

Date	Time (AEST)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Attendance
13 September 2000	19:00	Cameroon	3–2	Kuwait	Group C	26,730
14 September 2000	19:00	Brazil	3–1	Slovakia	Group D	24,616
16 September 2000	19:00	Czech Republic	2–3	Kuwait	Group C	22,182
17 September 2000	19:00	Brazil	1–3	South Africa	Group D	36,326
19 September 2000	19:00	Czech Republic	1–1	Cameroon	Group C	23,442
20 September 2000	19:00	Brazil	1–0	Japan	Group D	36,608
23 September 2000	19:00	Brazil	1–2 (a.e.t.)	Cameroon	Quarter final 2	37,332

Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing was also conducted at the Gabba prior to the redevelopment.^[20]

Awards

In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Gabba was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "structure and engineering feat".^[21]

Largest crowds at the Gabba

• Concerts – 65,000 – Adele Live 2017, 4/5 March 2017


• Rugby League – 46,355 – Ashes Test Match: Australia v Great Britain, 9 July 1954


• International Cricket – 38,874 – 2006 VB Series T20I: Australia v South Africa, 15 January 2006


• Rugby Union – 37,460 – 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia British and Irish Lions vs Australia, 30 June 2001


• Association Football – 37,332 – 2000 Olympic Football (Men's) Brazil v Cameroon, 23 September 2000


• Australian Football – 37,224 – 2005 AFL Season Brisbane Lions v Collingwood, 9 July 2005


• Domestic Cricket (Big Bash League) – 35,564 – 2017–18 BBL Season: Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers, 5 January 2018

VFL/AFL records

Players

• Most games played: Simon Black (Brisbane Lions), 170


• Most goals kicked: Jonathan Brown (Brisbane Lions), 323


• Most goals kicked in a match: Billy Brownless (Geelong), 11.4 (70) vs. Brisbane Bears, 14 April 1991


• Most disposals in a match: Tom Rockliff (Brisbane Lions), 47 vs. Gold Coast, 26 July 2014

Teams

• Highest score: Brisbane Bears 33.21 (219) defeated Sydney 8.9 (57), 16 May 1993


• Lowest score: Brisbane Bears 5.8 (38) defeated by Carlton 9.8 (62), 15 June 1996, Brisbane Lions 5.8 (38) defeated by North Melbourne 16.14 (110), 25 July 2015


• Biggest margin: Brisbane Bears defeated Sydney, 162 points, 16 May 1993


• Longest winning streak: Brisbane Lions, 18 games, 2001–2002

Last updated: 19 May 2015.^[22]

Gallery

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  Test match between Australia and South Africa at the Gabba in Nov 2012
  

  
  

  
  


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  The Gabba prior to redevelopment
  

  
  

  
  


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  Shane Warne in action at the Gabba
  

  
  

  
  


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  The Gabba in 2006–07 Ashes series
  

  
  

  
  

See also

• List of Test cricket grounds

References

• History of the Gabba


• Overview of Information about the Gabba


• Brisbane Lions information

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brisbane Cricket Ground.

• 
  Official website


• 
  Brisbane Cricket Ground – Queensland Government Legislation Act, 1993 (.pdf file)


• 
  Brisbane Cricket Ground – Statistical Overview (Test Cricket) – HowSTAT! Grounds Statistics


• 
  "Brisbane Cricket Ground Redevelopment, Brisbane, QLD". Archived from the original on 20 September 2006. 
  


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  The Gabba at Austadiums


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  "Woolloongabba Busway Station map – includes showing some of the surrounding area" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2006. 
  


• Satellite photo of the Gabba


• Brisbane Lions


• World Stadiums