MEMBER NEWS A MESSAGE FROM THE MANAGER THE GABBA A VENUE OF STADIUMS QUEENSLAND ISSUE 31 DECEMBER 2015

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1 MEMBER NEWS THE GABBA A VENUE OF STADIUMS QUEENSLAND ISSUE 31 DECEMBER 2015 A MESSAGE FROM THE MANAGER It was great to see so many Gabba Members enjoying the Test Match this year. While much has been made of the overall crowd attendance, a record 53,572 for a Test against New Zealand, Members continue to tell the Membership team about their enjoyable experiences, which is great to hear, and line up early to get the best seats in the house. Off the back of a disappointing Ashes campaign there was a new look Australian team announced by selectors under the Captaincy of Steve Smith. Queenslanders Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja* performed well on home soil both scoring maiden Test centuries. Centuries in both innings secured David Warner Man of the Match honours with Australia winning the contest by lunch on Day 5 by 208 runs. I must give credit to the work of Kevin Mitchell Jnr and his grounds team. The pitch and outfield played well throughout the five days of cricket despite numerous rain interruptions. Many cricketers and administrators continue to praise the pitch and its status as one of the best in world cricket which is something Kevin and his team can be proud of. Cricket Australia did a great job celebrating the ANZAC tradition and the Ryan Harris** lap of honour was a fitting tribute to our favourite adopted Queenslander. Off the field the Test Match breakfast and lunches were at capacity with Members entertained by Kiwi legend, Sir Richard Hadlee, Greg Matthews and MC Steve Haddan. There is always a real buzz around The Gabba Members on event days which is something our staff continue to work hard to develop. For Gabba Members, the First Test is marked as a must attend event. There has been some talk about the future claim of The Gabba to host this fixture but considering Australia s 27+ year winning record and having what Shane Warne rates as the best wicket in international cricket, it is very much a tradition we want to preserve well into the future. As a venue, we will be sitting down with Cricket Australia and Queensland Cricket to develop a path forward to better promote the Test fixture to the wider public. Historically, there is a big crowd gap between the Ashes and other Test series as we ve seen in recent years, even with strong sides such as South Africa and India. Last year s Big Bash saw more than 100,000 at The Gabba for the Brisbane Heat s four home matches. We re expecting similar numbers this year and hopefully, a few wins will have more fans visiting The Gabba over the Christmas and New Year period. Queensland Cricket have done a great job promoting the Brisbane Heat and the match days are a great attraction for families. The Big Bash is a great opportunity for our Members to introduce a new generation of Members to The Gabba through Family and Junior memberships. To wrap up the International Cricket season is a blockbuster One Day International on Friday 15 January against India. The old rivalry continues and being on a Friday night presents a great opportunity to get down to the Members Reserve and cheer on the Australians. The 2015 AFL season ended with the Brisbane Lions putting in a spirited performance to upset the Finals bound Western Bulldogs. As the young squad continues to develop, there is enough to think that this team will be a competitive unit in the not too distant future. The 2016 AFL fixture has been released with the Brisbane Lions to play premiers Hawthorn, Collingwood, Sydney, Carlton, Geelong and the GC amongst others at The Gabba in We re all working hard to further develop The Gabba Members product with extras including reciprocal rights around the country and at international venues, golf days, ticket offers and sports tours so make the most of your membership and join us at The Gabba or on tour. Blair Conaghan Manager, The Gabba *Khawaja plays for the Bulls and scored a great maiden century so we ll claim him as our own. **Harris is a good bloke with a heart like Pharlap who played for the Bulls so we ll claim him as well.

2 Photo courtesy of AFL Media AFL AT THE GABBA IN REVIEW For the Lions, 2015 has been a year of highs and lows and plenty of learning. While much of the year was disappointing, there were also moments of brightness that gave supporters confidence for the years ahead. It was a trying year due in large part to the extent of injuries suffered by the playing group; the AFL average is 90 injuries across a season, and this year the Lions had 281. These injuries meant that they were never able to get their best team on the park and struggled with consistency as a result. The silver lining however, was that it provided the opportunity for the Club s younger, inexperienced players to get valuable AFL game experience. The Lions unearthed some young talent in Harris Andrews, Jaden McGrath, Billy Evans, Liam Dawson and Hugh Beasley all of whom represent the future of the Club. The Lions hosted two blockbusters at The Gabba against Collingwood and Richmond before securing their first home win of the year against Port Adelaide. Though the Club s next win wouldn t come until Round 20 against Carlton, the home crowd were given reason to celebrate when the Lions finished off 2015 with a win against the Western Bulldogs. The Brisbane Lions are building towards the future, and with successful off season recruiting and a fit squad who commenced training in November the Lions are primed for a better and brighter 2016.

3 AFL FIXTURES 2016 ROUND 2 Lions v North Melbourne Saturday 2 April 3.35pm ROUND 4 Lions v Gold Coast Suns Saturday 16 April 4.35pm ROUND 6 Lions v Sydney Swans Sunday 1 May 1.10pm ROUND 8 Lions v Collingwood Saturday 14 May 7.25pm ROUND 10 Lions v Hawthorn Saturday 28 May 1.45pm ROUND 12 Lions v Fremantle Saturday 11 June 4.35pm ROUND 13 Lions v West Coast Eagles Saturday 18 June 1.40pm 2015/16 CRICKET AT THE GABBA Bigger than ever? The Gabba faithful will be the judge of that over the next few months with superstars of the game at every turn. After the disappointment of seeing rain ruin Australia s only Cricket World Cup game at The Gabba last season, the fans will have their fingers crossed the weather gods have the summer off with Australia set to meet fellow limited overs heavyweights India in a day/nighter on Friday 15 January. The Aussie World Cup champions will be out to maintain a winning record in ODIs as the team begin their preparations for the next campaign. But before that happens, Brisbane will have a holiday period to remember, with the wildly popular KFC T20 Big Bash League in full swing with more action than ever. The Brisbane Heat will play four home matches again these summer holidays, opening the season against Chris Gayle and the Melbourne Renegades in a double-header featuring the newly formed Women s Big Bash League Brisbane Heat team on Saturday 19 December. The Renegades game is part of a revamped schedule of home games for the Heat, which also features a run of three bumper home games in a row in the two week holiday period post-christmas. Sydney Thunder, featuring South African legend Jacques Kallis, will also make just their second appearance at The Gabba, and their first since BBL 01. The Heat will host the Renegades on Saturday 19 December, followed by the Hobart Hurricanes on Tuesday 29 December, the Thunder on Sunday 3 January and the Adelaide Strikers on Friday 8 January. Under the coaching of New Zealand legend Daniel Vettori, the Heat will look to home grown stars like Chris Lynn, Joe Burns, Nathan Reardon, James Hopes and Ben Cutting as well as interstate recruits Andrew Fekete, Alex Doolan and Josh Lalor and international trumps such as West Indian legspinner Samuel Badree, ranked the world s number one T20 bowler. Gabba games will start at the family friendly time of 6.10pm for three of the four home matches with the January 8 match against the Strikers starting 30 minutes later at 6.40pm. Meanwhile the Heat are also set to light up the Women s Big Bash League this summer! Each BBL club will be represented in the WBBL with games to be played across the country from December 5 until the final on January 24. The WBBL is a great way for young female fans to see our home grown talent such as Holly Ferling, Jess Jonassen and Delissa Kimmince on the national stage, while the Heat squad will also feature English internationals Kate Cross and Lauren Winfield. ROUND 17 Lions v GWS Giants Sunday 17 July 4.40pm ROUND 19 Lions v Port Adelaide Saturday 30 July 7.25pm ROUND 21 Lions v Carlton Saturday 13 August 1.45pm ROUND 22 Lions v Geelong Cats Sunday 21 August 3.20pm Photo courtesy of Getty Images

4 2015 ASHES LORDS Earlier this year, 35 Gabba Members secured tickets for the Ashes at Lords and the Kia Oval through The Gabba s reciprocal arrangements. From all accounts, a great time was had, especially by those watching Australia take out a win in the Second Test played at Lords. The 405-run win was the second biggest defeat (in terms of runs) that England have ever suffered at Lords, the Home of Cricket. For those who attended the Fifth Test at The Oval, although they still witnessed a win by the Aussies, it marked the end of the series which England won 3 2. We received very positive feedback on this Gabba membership experience including this one from Mr Leigh Ashman. Thank you for the experience of a lifetime seeing the Australian Team thrash the English in the Second Test at Lords. Our tickets were thanks to the reciprocal arrangement between The Gabba and the MCC at Lords. On Day 1 we travelled smoothly to the ground and found we had excellent seats in the Grandstand under cover. The ground stewards were extremely helpful and friendly throughout the day and this just added to the great experience of Day 1 with Australia well on the way to a big first innings score. At the lunch break we headed down to the food village located on the Nursery Ground and partook of typical English roast beef and a Marsden s Pedigree English Ale a real treat. This solved the mystery of the extensive ground signage displaying Pedigree where I wondered how a dog food company could afford such extensive advertising. The next 2 days saw us in similar excellent seats in the Main Grandstand as Australia consolidated its hold on the game with Steve Smith s and Chris Rogers big scores and the bowlers wreaking havoc with the English batsmen. On Day 4, I had a Rover Ticket which is akin to a mini passport with a photo ID inside. This gave me access to all the Members Facilities including the actual Members Pavilion, a great honour to be able to access this holy of holies. Whilst in the Members area I met some really hospitable MCC members who had travelled to Australia on several occasions previously and were planning to come out again soon. Hopefully we can host them around The Gabba for similar events and return the kind hospitality provided at Lords. Leigh Ashman CRICKET ETIQUETTE During the cricket season, Members and guests are requested to show consideration to others by limiting movement whilst a match is in progress. Members and guests should remain seated until an over has been completed or alternatively, wait until an over is completed before returning to their seat. GABBA MEMBERS SYDNEY WEEKEND TRIP 2016 On the back of the success of the Members trip to Adelaide, another Members trip has now been locked in for the New Year, this time to watch international cricket at the SCG. 35 Members and guests will accompany David Buchanan down to Sydney to watch the One Day International between Australia and India on Saturday 23 January Keep an eye out for details of our first Members overseas trip, as we cross the ditch to Eden Park in Auckland for the Bledisloe Cup in October 2016.

5 50 YEAR MEMBERS LUNCHEON On Day 4 of the Test Match, The Gabba hosted its annual 50 Year Members Lunch with inspirational local poet, Rupert McCall OAM as master of ceremonies and guest speaker Stuart Law OAM. The lunch was the perfect opportunity to celebrate all our 50 Year Members and especially those eight Members, who in 2015 have reached the monumental milestone of 50 Years of Gabba Membership. The Gabba currently has Year Members and the lunch saw a wonderful turnout with 33 of these dedicated Members and their guests. A highlight of the lunch was a very moving speech made by the 14 year old granddaughter of one of our new 50 Year Members, Mr Kevin Carmody. Mr Carmody s granddaughter Julia, had penned a speech to honour her grandfather and other long term Gabba Members. My name is Julia Dodds and thank you, Mr Buchanan so much for inviting me to speak here today. But today isn t about me, it is about the eight men who this year, over a 50 year period have shared in 400 years of cricket viewing combined. Today I want to tell you about one of these men, my grandfather Kevin Carmody who is a Member at The Gabba. My grandfather Kevie is a beautiful, kind, warm-hearted man who never does anything for himself without considering others first. He volunteers with the Prince Charles Hospital every Monday afternoon and makes it his first priority to look after my grandmother Anne Carmody (whom I call Annie ). I am the eldest grandchild of 6 and my grandfather loves us more than you can imagine. When I visited his house on Monday afternoon he was so excited to show me the new lanyard he received that symbolised him being part of the organisation for 50 years. Kevie first bought a membership on the 1st of September 1965 at the age of about 24. Every year he makes a very big effort to catch the bus to The Gabba to watch the first Test Match of the series. But he never forgets to invite my cricket-loving mum to the first day and my grandmother to the second day. I genuinely believe that my love for watching the sport has come from him. Although he may not know it, today Kevie is a very inspirational figure in my life. I believe that even though he has never done anything that has changed the world, the small things that he has done have made all the difference in my eyes. I would like to finish today by congratulating all eight of you on achieving this significant milestone and supporting cricket in Queensland for 50 years. Julia Dodds MEMBERS DAILY GUEST TICKETS Members daily guest tickets are available through Ticketmaster via the Members Information page at Please note that you must have renewed your membership for the 2015/16 membership year to be eligible to purchase daily guest tickets. If you have internet access and a printer, you can have your tickets ed as a printable PDF file ready for scanning at the Members entrance; no fuss, no delay. Members can also purchase daily guest tickets from our Members Match Day Office located at Gate 5, Vulture Street, Monday to Friday 10am - 3pm (credit or debit card only - cash not accepted). Members can still purchase tickets from the Members Match Day Office on the game days, but for popular events, Members may experience delays as queues develop. For all upcoming matches, Members are entitled to purchase up to two daily guest tickets from a pool of 500 tickets which are released for sale prior to the game day. Daily guest ticket availability is based on anticipated attendance of Members and Guest card holders to establish spare capacity. Card holders are always our first priority, whilst purchasing daily guest tickets is a secondary privilege of Gabba membership. Members attending functions in the Member Dining Room on any given game day, will be entitled to purchase tickets to accommodate accompanying guests. The Gabba would like to thank all of their 50 Year Members for their long term support of the ground.

6 MEMBERS FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT Public transport is free when you travel to the cricket at The Gabba (excludes Sheffield Shield). Simply show your membership card or daily guest ticket when boarding the bus or train and take the smart and easy option to and from the venue. For transport information, visit or call MEMBERS DRESS REGULATIONS AND BEHAVIOUR Dress regulations apply in the Members Reserve. Please refer to pages 32 and 33 of your new 2015/16 Gabba Members Handbook for full details. We encourage Members and their guests to behave and support their team in a manner that is positive and not offensive. We are here to uphold a high standard of behaviour in the Members Reserve and we request that any offensive behaviour is brought to our staff s attention on the day, as it is much harder to address after the event. If you are inviting guests to attend the Members Reserve with you, please ensure they too are aware of the Members Reserve behavioural expectations and dress regulations. OPTIONAL RESERVED SEATING The majority of seats in the Members Reserve are available through the traditional method of first in best dressed claimed with your seat reservation sticker. Seating in Section 45 (unlicensed) and Section 48 (licensed) are available for reservation at $10 per seat. To reserve your seats, simply complete and return the Seat Reservation Form available on the Members Information page at Seat reservations will cease 48 hours prior to the game to allow time for management of the seat reservations. GABBA MEMBERS ADELAIDE WEEKEND TRIP 2015 The Gabba hosted its second weekend trip to the newly redeveloped Adelaide Oval for the Lions v Adelaide Crows match on 22 August Members arrived in Adelaide just in time for a long leisurely lunch at Penfolds Magill Estate before venturing to the Adelaide Oval to watch the game. Unfortunately the Lions lost 131 to 44. PRO RATA GUEST CARD Interested in a Members Guest card for the footy season? Keep an eye out for Members Guest cards offered at the pro rata rate of 50% off the annual fee from January. Guest Transferable Membership Office, Gate 5, The Gabba, Vulture Street, Woolloongabba 4102 PO Box 1085, Coorparoo DC, QLD, 4151 P: 1300 THE GABBA (Press 1 for Membership) P: (07) (Press 1 for Membership) F: (07) E: membership@thegabba.com.au Membership Office hours: Monday Friday 10am 3pm and from the Members gate opening time on event days.