Suncorp Stadium limited to 24 big games. Finals threatened.

[DIEHARD]

Success of Brisbane's Roar and Reds threatens to deny Broncos finals crowds at Suncorp Stadium

The success of the Queensland Reds and Brisbane Roar threatens to deny the Brisbane Broncos the opportunity to play finals footy in front of a packed house at Suncorp Stadium.

In an extraordinary outcome for Brisbane sports fans, the popularity of the three teams has put the stadium at risk of breaching its annual cap on big games.

Under the little-known terms of Lang Park's development approval, the stadium is permitted to host only 24 big games each year - a crowd of more than 25,000 people - due to concerns over noise and traffic congestion.

However, as of Friday night the 52,500-seat stadium had already hosted 19 "big games" this year.

With Friday night's Broncos-Gold Coast Titans game drawing 31,035 fans and similar crowds tipped for Brisbane's remaining four regular-season games, and given the Wallabies' Bledisloe Cup match on August 27 will be a near sell-out, the stadium will hit the cap before the NRL finals.

The Broncos, third on the ladder after their 30-10 win, have exceeded 25,000 people for seven of their nine home games this year and still have to play the Warriors, South Sydney and Manly.

After that, stadium operators have tentatively scheduled a Broncos qualifying final, semi-final and preliminary final in September, not knowing where the team will finish or the draw for the finals.

There are also eight A-League home games scheduled for the Roar this year at the stadium - including a grand-final replay in round one against Central Coast Mariners, followed by a derby against Gold Coast United.

To comply with the terms of the development approval - set 10 years ago when the Reds still played at Ballymore and the Roar did not exist - the stadium would either have to abandon some games or limit ticket sales to fewer than 25,000.

Both scenarios would cause problems for the teams and their governing bodies.

If the Broncos had to move a final to a Brisbane venue with more than 25,000 seats, they could potentially use the Gabba.

The only other way around the strict terms would be for the state government to introduce special legislation to ditch the cap on big games.

While a precedent may have been set five years ago when the government controversially amended the law to allow up to three concerts a year at the stadium, any move to increase the number of big games at Suncorp would reignite the debate over noise and congestion.

A spokesman for the Minister for Sport, Phil Reeves, told The Weekend Australian the matter was "under review".

The Australian

[DIEHARD]

Surely this would have been envisionaged. Especially with another SEQLD NRL team on the cards at least in the long term.

Much like other legislation in the past, I am sure the Goverment will remove it. Such as the Gabba upgrade clause.

Next year things will get tighter with the Reds and Roar bound to draw more.