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Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium remains flooded, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. AAP Image/Miles Godfrey
Fellow Roarers, I write this from the comfort of my lounge room, in my Queenslander house on the outskirts of Ipswich. Luckily, we have escaped the floodwaters which have so tragically devastated central Queensland, other areas of Ipswich, and almost all of Brisbane.
Cut off from the city, I have heard remarkable stories from friends who have been affected, some of whom have had to evacuate, others who are stuck and without electricity due to water in surrounding streets.
These are the stories you must all be familiar with, thanks to the continuous coverage of this natural disaster. And here I am, ready to write my article for the week.
However, I find it difficult to pull myself away from the television and radio, eagerly awaiting new information. This is truly gripping.
So what do I write about when all I can think about is the flood, the people affected, the dead, the missing, the houses destroyed, the iconic places across the city where I had such fond memories? Or the buildings destroyed, the clean up involved, the time this will take, and the effect on Queensland’s people in the aftermath?
Well, there is another side to this flood: the effect this disaster has had, and will have, on sport in this state, particularly in the city.
Firstly, there is Suncorp Stadium.
This historical sight, formerly known as Lang Park, is a mess. Over a metre of muddy floodwater now completely covers the previously pristine turf, with water even penetrating the first few rows of seating.
Furthermore, shortly after the river levels began to rise, an explosion of a transformer caused a small fire in the stadium’s underbelly, but damage was minimal.
The concern now lies in the frantic rescheduling which will have to take place as the top of the table Brisbane Roar alter their playing fixture.
They were supposed to host Wellington this weekend, so initially the match was pushed back a fortnight to be held at the Queensland Sports and Athletic Centre.
Thing is, that venue is now a major evacuation centre, so the match has been postponed until Australia Day. Brisbane Roar’s W-League team were also meant to play this Saturday, but the dire state of Suncorp means that Melbourne will now host the match.
This solves the issue over the next few matches, but until the water recedes and the damage is properly evaluated, who’s to know how many other games will be affected? With the NRL beginning in March, will it be in order before then?
Or more importantly by February 20, when the Western Force are scheduled to play the Queensland Reds?
Across the state, sporting facilities have been hit hard. Often on low-lying, flat areas, these places are the first to flood.
At the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus, where the Brisbane Broncos regularly train, the main sporting fields were engulfed by the Brisbane River. The swimming centre, athletics track and 21 tennis courts were also soiled with mud and debris.
Just last week, Robin Soderling held his Brisbane International trophy high at Queensland’s Tennis Centre at Tennyson. Today it looks just like Suncorp with brown floodwater soaking the main court and going in several rows back.
The Brisbane Lions’ training venue at Coorparoo is under water. And only four weeks until the NAB Cup begins the club is looking for a suitable training alternative, and fast.
But then there are the players. How are they supposed to cope with the reality of losing or having to fix their homes and at the same time maintain the focus required for elite level competitive sport?
Training for most sports around the state have been cancelled either due to venue issues or personal reasons related to the floods.
The Gold Coast may not have been flooded, but the BMW Magic Millions racing carnival due to occur tomorrow, is still in doubt. Stewards have said the track is unsafe but flooding is also preventing some horses and their owners from travelling to the event.
The NBL have been doing their bit in the fundraising effort, but they have also had to make some schedule changes. The WNBL game featuring Logan Thunder vs Bendigo Spirit is to be played on Sunday instead of Friday this week, so Logan players can attend to their homes and family affected by the floods.
Baseball is also on hold for the moment. The Brisbane Bandits’ clash against Canberra which was to be held at the RNA Showgrounds (now the city’s largest evacuation centre), has been postponed with no indicator as to when or where the matches will eventually be played.
Working for the Brisbane Cricket Ground, we were given confirmation last night that this Saturday’s scheduled QLD vs NSW Twenty20 Big Bash has been rescheduled to Monday, 24th of January.
Even though the Gabba escaped water damage, the Queensland Government, Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia came to this unfortunate decision to reschedule after extensive road closures brought the city to a halt and there is also the very real fact that many BCG staff have been affected by the floods.
This will mean that the Gabba will now host three matches in seven days, including the QLD vs NSW Twenty20 (24/01/2011), QLD vs WA Twenty20 (25/01/2011) and the England vs Australia One Day International (30/01/2011).
But the turnout for these events will be telling.
And that’s the question.
In these events, when people are faced with such traumatic circumstances, with no end in sight, and with no idea where to begin, is sport really on our agenda? You’d like to think so, but then, having seen how much destruction has occurred, I’m not too sure.
The Queensland Speedcar Racing Association seem to think this is no time to be having race meets. They’ve cancelled tomorrow night’s sprint car race at Brisbane International Speedway, Archerfield blaming the “economically trying times” we now face.
The support of the NRL, AFL, ARU, Cricket Australia, Tennis Australia, NBL and the many other sporting bodies have certainly helped, as have the efforts of the public and the individual sportsmen and women, such as Tim Cahill, Sam Stosur, Lance Armstrong and ‘The Ego’ Kevin Pietersen.
Some have been more hands on than others.
Queensland Reds rugby players were helping locals at Stafford filling sandbags and tried to stop floodwaters reaching their Ballymore training facilities. Brisbane Broncos players also visited evacuation centres to lift spirits.
Among all this despair, there is some good news for Queensland sports fans, particularly NRL supporters (who are many in numbers up north). NSW NRL clubs are planning exhibition matches against local Queensland teams in late February, with Rockhampton suggested as the venue.
Before the floods, the Sydney Roosters had scheduled to fly up to Queensland in early February for a trial match against their feeder club, the Ipswich Jets. It was to be a relaxing day out, but it’s now expected to be an all out fundraiser, and popular community event for the distraught city.
I predict that when Queensland finally gets back on its feet, we will have more events like this, and we definitely will need them.
We love our sport here, and seeing what people have been through, it’s going to be a much-needed escape for many. But these floods have certainly shaken up the sporting calendar. It not only affects our sportspeople, professional teams and their fans, but also our local economy and tourism.
How long will take till everything gets back to normal?
Who knows. I sure hope it’s soon though.
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