Carrara Stadium is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara.
It received substantial redevelopment work prior to the entry of the Brisbane Bears to the VFL/AFL in 1987, but since the Bears relocated to the Gabba in 1993, it has been used for other sports including rugby league, rugby union and even baseball. The stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
History
Early history
In 1983 the Nerang Bulls Rugby Union Club was formed and were located at Carrara oval. During 1983 the Bulls would field one senior team. In 1984 the Bulls would field two senior teams. The Bulls would spend two seasons at Carrara before moving to Glennon Park in Nerang in 1985.
Brisbane Bears
In 1986 it was announced the Brisbane Bears were granted a licence to enter the Victorian Football League for the 1987 VFL season and would use the Carrara oval as their home ground. The financial backer of the Bears, Christopher Skase, redeveloped Carrara oval into a stadium at the beginning of 1987 with makeshift stands designed for night games intended to maximise the television audience. The Fitzroy Football Club defeated the Brisbane Bears in the first VFL game played at Carrara Oval before a crowd of 17,795 in 1987. (The Brisbane Lions website records this crowd as unofficially 22,684.)
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