Sport is a significant aspect of the Brisbane lifestyle. Activities range from the occasional international event, annual competitions, competitive leagues and individual recreational pursuits.
Across the city there are 20 public swimming pools, many kilometres of dedicated bikeways, ovals and other sports venues. The city's major stadiums and sporting venues include the Gabba (a 42,000 seat round stadium at Woolloongabba), Lang Park (a 52,500 seat rectangular stadium at Milton also known by its corporate name Suncorp Stadium), Ballymore Stadium, the Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre, the Sleeman Sports Complex (swimming), the State Tennis Centre, the Eagle Farm Racecourse and the Doomben Racecourse.
Rugby league is popular in Brisbane and the city hosts the Brisbane Broncos and Dolphins, who play in the National Rugby League competition, and the Queensland Maroons who play in the State of Origin series. In rugby union the city hosts the Queensland Reds who play in the Super Rugby competition. Cricket is popular in the Brisbane and the city hosts the Brisbane Heat who play in the Big Bash League and the Queensland Bulls who play in the Sheffield Shield and the Ryobi One Day Cup.
Brisbane also hosts Delta Gymnastics, along with an A-League soccer team, the Brisbane Roar FC; an Australian Football League team, the Brisbane Lions; a basketball team, the Brisbane Bullets; a baseball team, the Brisbane Bandits; a netball team, the Queensland Firebirds; a field hockey team, the Brisbane Blaze; and water polo teams the Brisbane Barracudas and Queensland Breakers.
Popular sports
Rugby league is the most popular spectator sport in Brisbane. In 2006 565,898 people attended first class rugby league matches at Lang Park. Other popular spectator sports include Cricket, Football (soccer), Australian rules football, rugby union and basketball. The martial arts are also popular in Brisbane, with the more traditional western combative disciplines and also because of the proximity to Asian countries where the arts are historically based. While participation rates are highAustralian Sports Commission, 2004, "Participation in Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey 2003 (ERASS)", Canberra, Australia. it tends not to enjoy the profile of traditional Australia sports, though the olympic sports of boxing, judo and taekwondo are more well known. For the Asian arts there are many places to practice in Brisbane.
Teams in national competitions
Team Sport Competition Home Ground Brisbane Broncos Rugby league National Rugby League Lang Park Dolphins Rugby league National Rugby League Lang Park Queensland Maroons Rugby league Rugby league/State of Origin Lang Park Queensland Reds Rugby union Super Rugby Lang Park Brisbane Heat Cricket Big Bash League The Gabba Queensland Bulls Cricket Pura Cup ING Cup KFC Twenty20 Big Bash The Gabba Brisbane Lions Australian rules football Australian Football League AFL Women's The Gabba South Pine Sports Complex Sunshine Coast Lightning Netball Suncorp Super Netball UniSC Arena Brisbane Roar Football (soccer) A-League W-League Lang Park Brisbane Bandits Baseball Australian Baseball League Holloway Field Brisbane Bullets Basketball National Basketball League Nissan Arena Brisbane Barracudas Water polo Australian National Water Polo League Musgrave Park Swimming Centre Brisbane Blaze Hockey Hockey One Queensland State Hockey Centre Queensland Breakers Water polo Australian National Water Polo League Valley Pool Queensland Fire Cricket Women's National Cricket League Allan Border Field Queensland Firebirds Netball Suncorp Super Netball Nissan Arena Brisbane City Cobras Touch Football National Touch League Quad Park, Kawana Queensland Scorchers Hockey Australian Hockey League Queensland State Hockey Centre Triple Eight Race Engineering Motorsport International V8 Supercars Championship Queensland Raceway
Semi-Professional Sport Teams
Team Sport Competition Home Ground Established Eastern Suburbs Tigers Rugby league Queensland Cup Langlands Park 1923 Norths Devils Rugby league Queensland Cup Albert Bishop Park 1927 Souths Logan Magpies Rugby league Queensland Cup Davies Park 1931 Wynnum Manly Seagulls Rugby league Queensland Cup Kougari Oval 1931 Brisbane Strikers Soccer National Premier Leagues (Queensland) Perry Park, Brisbane 1994 Queensland Academy of Sport Soccer National Premier Leagues (Queensland) Meakin Park 1991 University of Queensland Rugby Club Rugby Union Queensland Premier Rugby University of Queensland 1911 Brothers Old Boys Rugby Union Queensland Premier Rugby 1905 Easts Tigers Rugby Union Rugby Union Queensland Premier Rugby 1947 Sunnybank Rugby Rugby Union Queensland Premier Rugby Biggs Field 1969 Souths Rugby Rugby Union Queensland Premier Rugby Yeronga Memorial Park 1948 Queensland Country Heelers Rugby Union Australian Rugby Shield Regional Centres 2000 Brisbane Capitals Basketball Queensland Basketball League NAB Stadium Auchenflower N/A Brisbane Spartans Basketball South East Australian Basketball League N/A Brisbane Lady Spartans Basketball South East Australian Basketball League N/A Sun State Roller Girls Roller Derby Northern Brisbane Rollers Beenleigh Arena 2007 Brisbane City Rollers Roller Derby Northern Brisbane Rollers Ipswich Show Grounds 2009 South Brisbane Futsal Club Futsal F-League Eagles Sports Complex 2010 Brisbane Wolves Handball Australian Handball LeagueEagles Sports Complex 2016
Attendance figures
2011 Sport Major venues Aggregate attendance Average Events counted Motorsport Surfers Paradise Street CircuitTownsville Street CircuitQueensland Raceway 382,487 127,496 V8 Supercars (3) Rugby league Lang Park 356,585 35,658 Brisbane Broncos home games (5)Gold Coast Titans home games (2)ANZAC TestRugby League State of Origin games (1)Canterbury Bulldogs home game (1) Rugby union Lang Park 301,020 30,101 Queensland Reds home games (10) Football (soccer) Lang Park 235,349 13,075 Queensland Roar home games (18) Australian rules football The Gabba 141,178 28,329 Brisbane Lions home games (5) Cricket The Gabba 55,351 27,675 One day internationals (2) Basketball Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 16,739 3,347 Brisbane Bullets home games (5) Baseball Brisbane Exhibition Ground 5,951 992 Brisbane Bandits home games (6)
2007 Sport Major venues Aggregate attendance Average Events counted Rugby league Lang Park 356,585 35,658 Brisbane Broncos home games (5)Gold Coast Titans home games (2)ANZAC TestRugby League State of Origin games (1)Canterbury Bulldogs home game (1) Rugby union Lang Park 108,608 18,101 Queensland Reds home games (6) Australian rules football The Gabba 141,178 28,329 Brisbane Lions home games (5) Cricket The Gabba 55,351 27,675 One day internationals (2) Basketball Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 16,739 3,347 Brisbane Bullets home games (5) Football (soccer) Suncorp Stadium 32,371 32,371 Queensland Roar home games (1)
2006 Sport Major venues Aggregate attendance Average Events counted Rugby league Lang Park 565,898 35,368 ANZAC TestRugby League Tri-nations TestBrisbane Broncos home games (13)Rugby League State of Origin Australian rules football The Gabba 339,371 26,151 Brisbane Lions home games (11)Melbourne Demons home game (1)Queensland State League grand final CricketThe Gabba299,16124,930One day internationals (3)Queensland Bulls one day match (3)Twenty/20 international (1)Test match (5 days)20/20 interstate match Rugby union Lang ParkBallymore Stadium 245,400 22,309 Queensland Reds home games (8)Wallabies Test matches (2)Premier Rugby Final Football (soccer) Lang Park 250,189 53,971Queensland Roar home games (6)Socceroos home game (1) BasketballBrisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre9,9233,307Brisbane Bullets home games (2)
2005 Sport Major venues Aggregate attendance Average Events counted Rugby league Lang Park 516,103 32,256ANZAC TestBrisbane Broncos home games (12)Queensland Cup grand finalRugby League State of Origin (2) Australian rules football The Gabba 400,468 30,554Brisbane Lions home games (11)Melbourne Demons home games (1)Queensland State League grand final Rugby union Lang ParkBallymore Stadium 162,25620,282 Wallabies Test matchQueensland Reds home games (6)Premier Rugby final Football (soccer) Lang Park 122,983 15,372Queensland Roar home games (8) BasketballBrisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre26,3963,300Brisbane Bullets home games (8)
Sports venues
Lang Park Lang Park in Milton is nicknamed 'The Cauldron' and is the spiritual home of Rugby League in Brisbane. It is the home of Queensland Rugby League, the Brisbane Broncos (Rugby league), the Brisbane Roar (Football (soccer)), the Queensland Reds (Rugby Union) and the annual State of Origin rugby league clash between Queensland (the Maroons) and New South Wales (the Blues). Lang Park became Suncorp Stadium in 1994 after Suncorp became naming rights sponsor. Individual players and officials face stiff fines if they accidentally publicly refer to the venue by its former name, Lang Park.
The Gabba The Gabba hosts domestic and international cricket matches, as well as Australian rules football. Home of the Queensland Bulls (Cricket) and the Brisbane Lions (Australian rules football), the Gabba hosted Olympic football matches for the Sydney 2000 Olympics and was the site of the famous tied test of 1960 between the West Indies and Australia. Teams based there include: Queensland Bulls (Cricket) and Brisbane Lions (Australian rules football).
Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC) The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), formerly known as QEII ('QE2') Stadium and later ANZ Stadium, at Nathan is the third largest sporting arena in Queensland. The stadium was built as a temporary venue for the 1982 Commonwealth Games but endured as home for the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team during the 1990s and hosted the 2001 Goodwill Games.
Brisbane Exhibition Ground The Brisbane Exhibition Ground (also known as the RNA Showgrounds) is the home ground of the Australian Baseball League team the Brisbane Bandits between November and February. It also hosts the Brisbane Ekka that takes place every August. It has also been the home to Cricket, Rugby league, Australian rules football and Speedway style Motor Racing.
Ballymore Ballymore Stadium is the home of Rugby union in Brisbane, and is the former home of the Queensland Reds (who play in the Super Rugby Pacific competition) who moved to Suncorp Stadium and the Ballymore Tornadoes, the local Australian Rugby Championship entrant before the competition folded. It also plays host to Brisbane Premier Rugby finals, and was once home to the Brisbane Strikers soccer club.
Oxenham Park Located in Nundah, Oxenham Park has been the home ground of Toombul District Cricket Club – who play in the Brisbane Premier Cricket competition – since 1892. Oxenham Park was also the original home ground of Norths Devils from 1933–1969, before they moved to Bishop Park, also in Nundah.
Perry Park Perry Park is the spiritual home of Football (soccer) in Brisbane, and is home to the Brisbane Strikers, who play in the local Brisbane competition after being unsuccessful in their A-League bid.
Other sports grounds Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre – team based there: Brisbane Bullets (Basketball) Langlands Park— team based there: Easts Tigers (Rugby league) Sleeman Sports Complex – team based there: Queensland Firebirds (Netball) Downey Park, located in Windsor, is a major location for field hockey and netball games, particularly for school groups and clubs. Lakeside Park located at Dakabin and used for Motor racing. Langlands Park located at Stones Corner. Purtell Park located at Bardon Queensland State Equestrian Centre – equestrian sport venue located in Caboolture Queensland Tennis Centre Victoria Park – an enormous-size park, which contains tennis courts, the Centenary swimming pool, a golf course and a sports ground.