Carrara rebranded People First Stadium
Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast has been rebranded as People First Stadium, a little more than 12 months after it became Heritage Bank Stadium.
The new name was officially announced on Friday ahead of the Gold Coast Sun’s sold-out AFL opening round match against Richmond on Saturday afternoon.
The change of identity is a result of the merger between Heritage Bank and People’s Choice last year, with People First Bank the newest name in in Australian banking.
Non-commercially known as Carrara Stadium, the venue was known as Metricon Stadium from when the Suns entered the AFL competition in 2011 until February 2023 when Heritage Bank obtained the naming rights.
As well as being the home ground of the Gold Coast Suns, People First Stadium hosts BBL matches for the Brisbane Heat and major concerts including Harry Styles, Paul McCartney, Post Malone and P!NK.
It’s first event with the new branding will be Saturday’s season opener for the Suns, which officially sold out today, with all general admission tickets exhausted. The match against the Tigers is expected to attract a crowd close to the record attendance figure of 24,032 set in 2014 against Collingwood.
The current highest attendance for a Suns season opener at the stadium is 19,425 – also against Richmond, in Round 1, 2014.
Gold Coast Suns CEO Mark Evans says the club is delighted to have People First Bank associated with its home venue for years to come.
“We have enjoyed an incredibly successful first year with People First Bank as the Gold Coast Suns’ Stadium Partner and we are excited to continue partnering alongside an organisation who shares our absolute commitment to the community,” Evans said.
“People First Stadium is just that – for the people. It’s a valued asset for our region which will continue to engage a wide range of communities and bring diverse content to the Gold Coast.
“Like People First Bank, we are a community-oriented club with a commitment to our members.
“We are looking forward to welcoming people from far and wide to our venue, beginning with Saturday afternoon’s blockbuster Opening Round match against Richmond.”
People First Bank CEO Peter Lock says the venue will continue to be used as an integral community asset.
“After all the planning which has gone into our new name and brand, it’s fantastic to see it come to life at this magnificent stadium. It’s a big milestone for us and this is a big stage for our launch,” Mr Lock said.
“The People First Bank branding will adorn this great stadium for the next four years, at least, and there’s no doubt it will provide us with incredible exposure and name recognition right across the country.
“As a bank we have our roots in Queensland, going back almost 150 years, so it’s quite fitting that this is where we’re launching our new chapter.
“Since we took over the naming rights of the stadium almost exactly a year ago, we’ve used the opportunity to support the local community in a number of ways – particularly in helping to widen access to the facility – and this will continue. We’ve always been member-owned and community-focused and we always will be.”
The Carrara name change is one of two ahead of the 2024 AFL season, with the GWS Giants announcing yesterday that the Sydney Showground was rebranding from Giants Stadium to Engine Stadium.
