Proposed National Rugby League games scheduled for Suncorp Stadium at 6pm on Friday night "are not just unpopular -- they’re illegal," according to Paul Malone of the Brisbane COURIER-MAIL. Stadium management said that it "cannot lawfully take a booking for the new timeslot being put forward as part of Fox Sports’ new broadcast deal because Suncorp requires full public transport capacity under the conditions of the ground’s development application." Effectively, the state government "will not allow 35,000 Broncos fans arriving by public transport on a Friday night as the CBD is emptying at peak hour for the weekend." A letter explaining this "was sent to the NRL on Thursday" by stadium General Manager Alan Graham. Stadiums Queensland advised the NRL that games in the timeslot "would not be able to be played at either Suncorp Stadium or Gold Coast’s Cbus Super Stadium." Graham said that Suncorp Stadium events "were obligated to be staged at times when a public transport plan can be effectively put in place, with tickets carrying a right to free public transport travel" (COURIER-MAIL, 11/12).
