Ballymore Stadium
Encyclopedia
Ballymore is the name of a rugby union
stadium situated in Herston
, a suburb of Brisbane
, Australia
. It was the home of Queensland Rugby Union
, and used to be the home ground for the Queensland Reds
and the Brisbane Strikers
Football Club. The Queensland Reds have since moved to Suncorp Stadium
and the Brisbane Strikers moved to Perry Park
. It is now solely used as a training facility and headquarters for A League club Brisbane Roar FC and a training facility for both the Australian Wallabies and the Queensland Reds
.
The QRU set up headquarters at Ballymore in 1966 under a deed of grant from the state government. The first club game played at the new site was a match between Teachers and Wests. The QRU then officially moved in February 1967. In March of the following year Ballymore's grandstand was officially opened. The Eastern Stand was opened on 21 June 1992. The ground exceeded capacity in 1993 when 26,000 squeezed in to watch the Wallabies play South Africa. A year later the first match under lights was played at the ground. Today the grandstand is known as the McLean Stand (named in 1980), and the Eastern stand is known as the Bank of QLD stand.
The QRU said that the Australian Rugby Union
(ARU), the state government and the Brisbane City Council all supported conducting a feasibility study. It will apparently share traits with the French Rugby Federation's Centre National de Rugby, which is near Paris
. The QRU proposed that the training centre be built on the land adjacent to the headquarters at Ballymore. The new complex would include advanced sports medicine and training facilities, a gymnasium and aquatic facilities, as well as on-site accommodation for visiting teams.
Though the Reds have since moved out of Ballymore, to the Suncorp Stadium, which has double capacity, Ballymore is still the host to many rugby union matches. The Queensland Club rugby final is usually held at the ground, and Queensland XVs and off-season matches for the Reds are also played at Ballymore. The Reds also played both of their home games during the 2006 Australian Provincial Championship
at Ballymore. The stadium also hosted the Ballymore Tornadoes
during the only season of the Australian Rugby Championship
in 2007.
During the 1987 World Cup, the groundsman at Ballymore Stadium was Michael Hayes (An Australia 21's Representative, NSW 1st XV Representative and a QLD 1st XV Representative) .
The reality TV Show Football Superstar
on FOX8
their team Football Superstars play their home games at Ballymore Stadium. They have only played 1 game so far at Ballymore Stadium in a match against the Queensland State League
All-Stars team the Brisbane All Stars in a game which they lost 2-4.
It was announced on 25 October 2010 that the club would move their scheduled home game on 8 December 2010 against Perth Glory from Suncorp Stadium to Ballymore due to world renowned band U2
performing that night.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
stadium situated in Herston
Herston, Queensland
Herston is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 3 km north of the Brisbane CBD.- Geography :Herston is dominated by the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital...
, a suburb of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was the home of Queensland Rugby Union
Queensland Rugby Union
The Queensland Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Queensland. It is a member and founding union of the Australian Rugby Union.-See also:*Queensland Reds*Australian Rugby Union*The Wallabies*Rugby union in Queensland...
, and used to be the home ground for the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
and the Brisbane Strikers
Brisbane Strikers
The Brisbane Strikers are an Australian football club from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia who play in the Queensland State League.-National Soccer League:...
Football Club. The Queensland Reds have since moved to Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
and the Brisbane Strikers moved to Perry Park
Perry Park, Brisbane
Perry Park Stadium is a sporting ground located at Enoggera Park in the Brisbane suburb of Bowen Hills.It is known widely as the "spiritual home of association Football" in Queensland....
. It is now solely used as a training facility and headquarters for A League club Brisbane Roar FC and a training facility for both the Australian Wallabies and the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
.
The QRU set up headquarters at Ballymore in 1966 under a deed of grant from the state government. The first club game played at the new site was a match between Teachers and Wests. The QRU then officially moved in February 1967. In March of the following year Ballymore's grandstand was officially opened. The Eastern Stand was opened on 21 June 1992. The ground exceeded capacity in 1993 when 26,000 squeezed in to watch the Wallabies play South Africa. A year later the first match under lights was played at the ground. Today the grandstand is known as the McLean Stand (named in 1980), and the Eastern stand is known as the Bank of QLD stand.
The QRU said that the Australian Rugby Union
Australian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
(ARU), the state government and the Brisbane City Council all supported conducting a feasibility study. It will apparently share traits with the French Rugby Federation's Centre National de Rugby, which is near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The QRU proposed that the training centre be built on the land adjacent to the headquarters at Ballymore. The new complex would include advanced sports medicine and training facilities, a gymnasium and aquatic facilities, as well as on-site accommodation for visiting teams.
Though the Reds have since moved out of Ballymore, to the Suncorp Stadium, which has double capacity, Ballymore is still the host to many rugby union matches. The Queensland Club rugby final is usually held at the ground, and Queensland XVs and off-season matches for the Reds are also played at Ballymore. The Reds also played both of their home games during the 2006 Australian Provincial Championship
2006 Australian Provincial Championship
The 2006 Australian Provincial Championship , held in September, was the inaugural season of a competition between Australia's four Super 14 rugby union sides...
at Ballymore. The stadium also hosted the Ballymore Tornadoes
Ballymore Tornadoes
The Ballymore Tornadoes were an Australian rugby union football club that played in the now-defunct Australian Rugby Championship. The Tornadoes were formed as one of Queensland's two clubs that will participate in the inaugural season of the championship, starting in August 2007...
during the only season of the Australian Rugby Championship
Australian Rugby Championship
The Australian Rugby Championship, often abbreviated to the ARC , was a domestic Rugby union football club competition in Australia which ran for only one season in August–October 2007...
in 2007.
During the 1987 World Cup, the groundsman at Ballymore Stadium was Michael Hayes (An Australia 21's Representative, NSW 1st XV Representative and a QLD 1st XV Representative) .
Brisbane Roar FC
Brisbane Roar FC signed a 2 year contract to relocate their headquarters to Ballymore Stadium. They continue to still operate there as of the present day.The reality TV Show Football Superstar
Football Superstar
Football Superstar is an Australian reality television series that airs on FOX8. It is hosted by Lee Furlong and Kris Smith. The show aims to find a new football star from male contestants aged 16 to 21...
on FOX8
FOX8
Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms...
their team Football Superstars play their home games at Ballymore Stadium. They have only played 1 game so far at Ballymore Stadium in a match against the Queensland State League
Queensland State League
Queensland State League may refer to:* Queensland State League , a statewide semi-professional association football league...
All-Stars team the Brisbane All Stars in a game which they lost 2-4.
It was announced on 25 October 2010 that the club would move their scheduled home game on 8 December 2010 against Perth Glory from Suncorp Stadium to Ballymore due to world renowned band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
performing that night.