Is the Gabba's Pitch Moving to the New Stadium?
Yes. A full-sized wicket tray goes into the Gabba in the coming weeks, sits alongside the existing wicket block for about 18 months of trials, and is then trucked to the new 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park after the Brisbane 2032 Games. Same dimensions, same clay base, same soil, same turf. The one thing nobody will say is what it costs.
TL;DR
- What: the Gabba wicket is being replicated in a movable tray and relocated to Victoria Park.
- When: tray installed within weeks, trialled about 18 months, moved after the 2032 Games.
- Ready for: the 2032/33 season, per Stadiums Queensland.
- Cost: not disclosed. Inside the A$7.1 billion Games infrastructure envelope.
- Why: to keep Brisbane hosting the first Test of the Australian summer.
What exactly was announced?
A full-sized wicket tray will be installed at the Gabba in the coming weeks, next to the wicket block that's there now. It's built to the same dimensions and from the same clay base, soil and turf. It gets monitored and trialled through practice and domestic matches for roughly 18 months, then moves.
The destination is the new 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park, and the move happens after the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games rather than before.
Why bother moving a cricket pitch?
Because the Gabba surface is an asset in itself. Premier David Crisafulli said the aim was to bring the "DNA" to the new stadium, and to make a credible case for Brisbane keeping the first Test of the Australian season.
Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne put the sporting case more plainly. "England have struggled on this pitch. And many teams come here and struggle," he said. "We value this surface and the advantage this gives us in any Test series."
How much will it cost?
Unknown, and deliberately so. Asked directly, the Premier declined.
"There is no way I'm going to reveal it," Crisafulli said. "Of course we know how much it is going to cost, but there will always be variations, and one of them is transport, but we have to do it within budget."
He said the figure sits inside the A$7.1 billion funding envelope for Games infrastructure, that it would be "worth every single cent", and that project costs would be published once projects are finished. His reasoning for withholding it: name a number without rigour behind it and "the market will buy the figure, and then they'll get you."
Where this sits on our tracker: confirmed decision, undisclosed cost. It joins a short list of Brisbane 2032 commitments that are firm in principle and unpriced in public. Worth revisiting when the early-works contracts are awarded and the first real numbers surface.
Is everyone happy with it?
Broadly, yes, with one caveat. Labor's shadow Olympic and Paralympic Games minister Grace Grace said she supported the move but that the Premier should reveal the cost.
That's the whole debate. The move itself isn't controversial. The silence on the price is.
How do you actually move a wicket?
Carefully, and probably by truck. Stadiums Queensland chief executive Todd Harris called it a big undertaking and said the wicket would most likely be trucked to its new home.
The tray design does more than enable one move. "The trays will give us great flexibility in the new stadium to move in and out as quickly as possible and transition the venue from cricket to different modes of sport," Harris said. That matters for a ground expected to carry cricket and Australian rules football after 2032.
What's the timeline?
| Stage | When |
|---|---|
| Wicket tray installed at the Gabba | Coming weeks |
| Trial through practice and domestic matches | About 18 months |
| Brisbane 2032 Games | July to September 2032 |
| Wicket transported to Victoria Park | After the Games |
| Ready for play | 2032/33 season |
Does this change anything for 2032 visitors?
No. The tray sits alongside the existing Gabba wicket during the trial, and the relocation happens once the Games are over. Nothing about the competition schedule or the venue list changes.
It matters for a different reason. It's another piece of evidence that Victoria Park is being built as a long-term ground rather than an Olympic stadium that gets awkward afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Gabba pitch really moving to the new Brisbane stadium?
Yes. A full-sized wicket tray will be installed at the Gabba in the coming weeks alongside the existing wicket block. After the 2032 Games it will be transported and installed at the new 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park.
How much will moving the Gabba wicket cost?
Not disclosed. Premier David Crisafulli declined to reveal the figure, saying it sits inside the A$7.1 billion funding envelope for Games infrastructure and that costs would be published once projects are complete.
When will the new wicket be ready?
Stadiums Queensland chief executive Todd Harris said the pitch would be ready in time for the 2032/33 season. The tray is trialled for about 18 months at the Gabba first.
Why move the wicket at all?
To carry the Gabba's playing characteristics to the new ground. The Premier said the aim is to bring the DNA to the new stadium and make a credible case for Brisbane hosting the first Test of the Australian season.
What will the new wicket be made of?
The same dimensions, clay base, soil and turf as the existing Gabba wicket.
How will the wicket actually be moved?
Todd Harris said it would be a big undertaking and the wicket would most likely be trucked. The tray design is intended to let the stadium move wickets in and out and switch between sports.
Does this affect anything before 2032?
Not for visitors. The tray sits alongside the existing Gabba wicket during the trial and the move happens after the Games. Nothing about the 2032 competition schedule changes.
Is BRIS2032 affiliated with the Olympics?
No. BRIS2032 is independent, sourced coverage and is not affiliated with the IOC or the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee.
Source: ABC News, Claudia Williams, 21 September 2026. Quotes from Premier David Crisafulli, Stadiums Queensland chief executive Todd Harris, Marnus Labuschagne and shadow minister Grace Grace as reported there.
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