BRISBANE: The iconic Australian cricket venue, ‘The Gabba’ in the city of Brisbane seems to be all set in getting a makeover amidst growing speculation that its naming rights will be sold for the first time in history, Sydney Morning Herald reports.
In May, the state government of Queensland was given recommendations in a report released as part of a grand Sport and Recreation master plan on rectifying the various shortcomings Brisbane is suffering from at present, news.com.au had reported. This is believed to be a major reason why the venue wasn’t considered for a Test match against India later this year, which is a shocker considering that it has usually hosted the first Test of the Australian summer.
Australia haven’t been defeated at Gabba in nearly 30 years and the record might remain intact since the report claims that the ground suffers from ‘below standard’ facilities and a ‘lack of atmosphere and experience for spectators’. There are plans to upgrade seats, video screens and building a ‘grand entrance’.
With ‘The Gabba’ being cash-strapped, the idea of floating naming rights for an estimated $2 million AUD ($1.49 million) to a sponsor has been considered by the government. In response, it has claimed that if a sponsorship agreement is agreed upon, a clause will be worked out which will ensure that the ‘The Gabba’ name will be retained for the ground, Australia’s News Corp claims.
“There are some recommendations in the report about sponsorship but I gather when the government considers any sponsorship, we think it should be about how do you promote this sport and how do you make the facilities better for spectators and the players,” Queensland education minister Grace Grace was quoted as saying to reporters.
“So, I think we will consider the recommendations and we will come to some decision, but I think that at the end of the day The Gabba will always be known as The Gabba.”
The opposition, Liberal National Party (LNP) is supportive of the move and could push for the return of the India Test match to the venue, on a condition that the ground won’t be named after a politician. It opines that stadiums in the state of Queensland need to be managed better and fans need to be put first, in the wake of the government sacking the Stadiums Queensland Board, which has run The Gabba in the past on its behalf.
“If the naming rights do get flogged off, they need to guarantee it’s not going to be named after a politician, and every red cent gets ploughed into improving The Gabba, in the hope we can at least get the First Test back,” LNP leader Deb Frecklington said.
