The seating capacity of the ground was 42,000 in 2010, which has been reduced in recent times due to new electronic scoreboards and corporate facilities.

[8] For international cricket matches, the capacity is reduced to 36,000 due to new scoreboards and the addition of a pool deck, as well as wider sight screens.

Prior to this, cricket was played at a ground in the area then known as Green Hills (beside Countess Street Petrie Terrace opposite the Victoria Barracks – now occupied by the Northern Busway),[10] since at least the early 1860s.

The last greyhound meeting was held at The Gabba on 5 February 1993, with work commencing shortly after to remove the greyhound track around the ground to accommodate the relocation of the Brisbane Bears from Carrara (on the Gold Coast) to The Gabba, renovating the Sir Gordon Chalk Building to house the Bears Social Club and change rooms, refurbishing the Clem Jones stand (named for the long-standing Mayor of Brisbane, Clem Jones), the construction of a new Western grandstand, and extending the playing surface to cater for Australian rules football.The work was largely completed by 11 April when the Bears hosted their first AFL game at the renovated venue against Melbourne in front of 12,821 spectators.

[14] Subsequent further renovations at the ground commencing in 1995 saw the current two tier stands constructed in stages with the last stage completed in 2005 when the Brisbane Lions Social Club (formerly the Brisbane Bears Social Club) was demolished and replaced with a 24 bay grandstand spread over 3 levels of seating with the entire redevelopment costing $AU128 million.

[16] In mid-2020 the Gabba received a $35 million refurbishment of the stadium's media and corporate facilities, as well as entrances and spectator amenities.

[18] In April 2021, Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk announced plans for a $1 billion reconstruction of the Gabba to serve as the main stadium of the 2032 Summer Olympics if Brisbane were awarded the Games, with an intent to host the ceremonies and athletics.

In September 2021, Ted O'Brien—LNP of Queensland MP and newly appointed special envoy for Brisbane 2032—argued that the redevelopment was announced without consultation, explaining that "the problem was we were selling a proposition to the International Olympic Committee about the 'new norms'; no big, new, flashy, glossy investments", and that "we had a lot of work to claw back with the IOC to make sure they didn't think we were telling them one thing and planning to do something else.

[23] In December 2023, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner withdrew his support for the Gabba project, stating that Brisbane 2032 had "become more about overpriced stadiums rather than the promise of vital transport solutions.

"[24][25] Queensland had announced plans for a 20,000-seat stadium at the Brisbane Showgrounds at a cost of $137 million, with the intent to use it as a temporary venue for the Gabba's tenants during construction.

"[25] The new Premier of Queensland Steven Miles (who took office unopposed after Palaszczuk retired from politics)[26] announced that he would instate an infrastructure authority to oversee the development of Brisbane 2032's venues, and that an independent review of its plans would be led by former Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and completed within the next 60 days.

[31] Miles stated that he wanted Brisbane 2032 to be a "low-cost Games", and that "when Queenslanders are struggling with housing and other costs, I cannot justify to them spending $3.4 billion on a new stadium.

[citation needed] The Gabba's amenities were greatly improved in the 1980s from a very basic standard, especially in comparison with other Australian cricket grounds.

[33] Queensland clinched its first-ever Sheffield Shield title with victory over South Australia in the final at the ground in March 1995.

[35] In November 1968 Colin Milburn scored 243, including 181 in the two-hour afternoon session, in a Sheffield Shield match for Western Australia vs.

England have a notoriously poor record at The Gabba, and have only won two test matches at the ground since the end of the Second World War.

[43] Six years later, the Brisbane Bears were admitted into the VFL but would initially play their home games at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast.

[45] During the 2020 AFL season, the Gabba hosted a greater number of home and away matches than usual, due to the temporary relocation of Victorian and other clubs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gabba thus became the first stadium outside the state of Victoria to host a VFL/AFL Grand Final, which Richmond won against Geelong by 12.9 (81) to 7.8 (50) in front of 29,707 people – just under the venue's temporary maximum capacity due to the pandemic.

[52] The Queensland Rugby league team hosted a match of the 1953 American All Stars tour of Australia and New Zealand at the Brisbane Cricket Ground.