Suncorp Stadium is set to welcome back the NRL tomorrow with the Dolphins playing host to the North Queensland Cowboys in a Queensland derby to kickstart their second season in the competition.
In a sign of the busy year to come, the game follows the second Queensland Reds home game Saturday night against the Chiefs before the Brisbane Broncos return home after their American sojourn to take on the Rabbitohs just 4 days later.
But if you think it’s been a quiet off-season for the Stadium, think again.
Since the Stadium hosted a triumphant Broncos Preliminary Final back in September, nearly 300,000 patrons have attended 5 concerts, 10 Brisbane Roar matches and the start of the 2024 Queensland Reds Super Rugby season at the multi-use venue.
In addition to this, the Stadium has been juggling its ongoing maintenance schedule in between events.
General Manager Alan Graham said he was extremely proud to show off some of the projects his Stadium team, with strong support from Stadiums Queensland, have been working away on including the 360-degree LED ribbon on ground level and the mid-tier, to complete during the ‘not-so-offseason’.
“The team has been working tirelessly delivery some incredible new improvements to the venue including an extension of the LED mid-tier ribbon around the venue and an ongoing seating replacement program starting with updating approximately 23,000 seats on the lower seating bowl.
“The Grounds Team have done a phenomenal job managing an entire upgrade of their irrigation system, a renovation of the field surrounds and a progressive replacement of over 12,000 m2 of turf amongst concert bump-ins and outs and A-League fixtures”, he said.
“Some of our unsung heroes include the Operations, WH&S, Security and Venue Presentation teams who have managed the countless contractors coming through the venue while ensuring the Stadium has been presented immaculately for the events.”
“There are also some projects that patrons may not immediately notice, that will have an impact on their experience including resurfacing near both the North and South entrances and new permanent Bus Station Queuing system which will both decrease wait times and speed up egress for patrons.”
While the Brisbane Roar and Queensland Reds have already benefited from some of the venue upgrades, the Dolphins and Brisbane Broncos will now get a chance to test out some of the new features before a massive NRL Magic Round returns in May.
The upgrades over the ‘off-season’ follow a year of progressive improvements rolled out for the FIFA Women’s World Cup which included Accessibility upgrades and new Free Public WiFi for patrons.