The Gabba

The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located.

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

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). The seating capacity of the ground is now 42,000. In its appearance the Gabba now almost resembles a mini Melbourne Cricket Ground complete with light towers and a gigantic modern grandstand ringing the ground providing an intimidating and noisy atmosphere for visiting teams.