About

Constructed for the introduction of the Gold Coast Suns into the AFL in 2011, Metricon Stadium was built on the old Carrara Oval, which was the home ground for the Brisbane Bears from 1987-1993. Like the Bears, who struggled at the ground before moving away and merging with Fitzroy to become the Brisbane Lions, the future of the Suns looks gloomy, especially as their crowd numbers have fallen away since 2011.

With dimensions of 161 metres long by 134 metres wide, Metricon stadium is just the right size for AFL footy. By no stretch a small ground, the Suns have yet to stand up and reflect the size of the oval in their play, consistently performing like they belong in a lower league.

With another redevelopment taking place after the 2017 season, to increase the capacity from 25,000 to 40,000 in readiness for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the Suns will increasingly feel like they are playing in front of an empty stadium. An average crowd attendance for the 2017 season barely scraping over 13,500 as well as the loss of Ablett to the Cats doesn’t bode well for the Gold Coast side, who are in dire straits.

Unless the Suns can turn their form around, the large investment of redeveloping the stadium looks to have been a mistake. However, in the stadium’s defence, it is one of the better-looking AFL grounds in Australia and has the potential to become a fortress in years to come.