Australia Blog

Suncorp Stadium

I was deciding what to do with my Saturday evening when my next door neighbour called and asked if I would like tickets to the Broncos v. Manly rugby league game at Suncorp Stadium. It wasn't a difficult decision.

Since he had two season tickets, I called around the folks I knew to see if anyone else wanted to go. Since it was 4pm and kick off was at 5:30pm, it wasn't too surprising that I ended up going on my own.

Getting to the stadium is very easy on the train. A wide walkway from the train station over the main road to the stadium entrance means fans can pour into it in large numbers and not have to effect the traffic.

The stadium has only recently been re-opened after a couple of years of renovation and despite all the controversy surrounding the decision to make it bigger, better, best, I have to say they've done a fantastic job. Plenty of staff are on hand to direct you where you need to go, there's heaps of bars and food places (charging stadium prices, of course), and there's not a bad seat in the house.

The seats I had were fantastic, and the huge screens at either end of the park means that you can watch the live action and then catch perfect replays of all the exciting stuff.

Also displayed on these acreens are public service annoucements which are concurrently read out over the public address system. I laughed out loud at one that advised patrons that the seats in Suncorp Stadium are of the "flip-up" variety, meaning they naturally flip up when no one is sitting on them, and advised caution when sitting to make sure the seat is down. I mean, how stupid would you have to be to not realise that little nugget?

However, after jumping up to celebrate a Brisbane try in the corner, I sat down without thinking and nearly doused the person in front of me with my beer as my bum hit the flipped up part of the seat.

Last night the stadium was fairly empty, only 18,500 fans of a 52,500 capacity. Probably due to all the other sport going on at the same time. And after giving a friend of mine so much shit over the years for the horse mascot of the USC Trojans running up and down the field after a touchdown, I'll now have to shut my mouth as the Brisbane Broncos have the same thing. Except instead of Tommy Trojan, it's riddne by a chick in Driz-a-Bone gear.