 Interactive map of Clive Berghofer Stadium | |
| Address | Arthur & Mary Sts,Toowoomba |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 27°33′33″S151°57′58″E / 27.55917°S 151.96611°E /-27.55917; 151.96611 |
| Capacity | 9,000[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Tenants | |
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Clive Berghofer Stadium (officially known asToowoomba Sports Ground and previously known asAthletic Oval)[2] is a stadium inToowoomba,Queensland, Australia. Situated on Mary Street on the eastern fringes ofToowoomba CBD adjacent toQueens Park andToowoomba East State School. The ticket counters and entrance are on Arthur Street behind the (east facing) grandstand.
It was renamed to reflect the home club's major sponsor, philanthropist property developer and former local MayorClive Berghofer. The stadium is the home ground ofNational Premier Leagues soccer club, theSouth West Queensland Thunder. TheGold Coast Titans have played pre-season games here since 2014 and in 2018 hosted the first everNational Rugby League (NRL) premiership match in Toowoomba. The stadium also plays host torugby league,rugby union andfootball (soccer) and includes lights which are up to National Rugby League standard. The recently upgraded grandstand includes undercover seating for 2,300. It has the capacity to hold 9,000 people officially; however, the largest crowd is estimated to be 10,000 which occurred during a 2004 NRL pre-season game betweenBrisbane Broncos andMelbourne Storm.[1] In the past, the stadium has hosted international and national rugby league matches as well as concerts and rodeos.
The stadium became the scene of controversy when indigenous activistStephen Hagan in 1999 noticed a sign declaring the name of the E. S. "Nigger" Brown Stand, named after the 1920s rugby league playerEdwin Stanley Brown who was also known as "Nigger" Brown. Hagan regarded the word "nigger" as offensive and embarked on a ten-year campaign to have the stand renamed, while those opposed to the renaming said that Brown's nickname could not be a racial slur as Brown was a fair-skinned man of European descent. While Hagan's court battles were ultimately unsuccessful, the name was not used again when the stand was demolished as part of the stadium's upgrades.[3][4]
