Queensland Government looks for interest in future uses for Townsville's 1300SMILES Stadium

With Townsville’s new Queensland Country Bank Stadium due to open next month, the Queensland Government is set to look for expressions of interest in future use of the city’s 1300SMILES Stadium.

While North Queensland Cowboys will continue to use the venue as its training base for the next 12 months, the NRL club plan to move to a new training and high performance centre to be built adjacent to the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville’s city centre as of 2021.

As reported by the Townsville Bulletin, state MP Scott Stewart says expressions of interest will be called for use of the property.

Stewart said there were a number of proponents who had shown interest in 1300SMILES Stadium but that no decision had been made yet on what would happen with the facilities.

He advised “there’s been a number of proponents interested in the facilities. Until the Cowboys leave there’s not much we can do. Once we are ready to move, then it will be opened to expressions of interest.”

There has been interest in the property from neighbours Brothers Leagues Club and Ryan Catholic College, while Stewart said he had heard another group was interested in potential development of aged care facilities.

Cowboys Chief Executive, Jeff Reibel said they planned to have their new centre completed by January 2021 and were waiting on confirmation of some financial arrangements including state agreement on a Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility loan.

A spokeswoman for Stadiums Queensland, which operates the current venue on behalf of the Queensland Government, said an assessment of equipment, machinery and furniture at 1300SMILES Stadium had been undertaken as part of a decommissioning process.

The spokeswoman advised “usable assets are being considered for use at the new Stadium (while) any assets surplus to requirement may be assessed for donation in the future.”

The spokeswoman said Stadiums Queensland would work closely with the Department of Housing and Public Works and Sport and Recreation Queensland to determine where any assets surplus to needs may be distributed.

There have been suggestions the stadium’s lights and towers could be relocated to Riverway Stadium but Townsville Cricket President Peter Fry said there were problems with their quality and height.

Fry noted “the problem with 1300SMILES lights is that they are not high enough, with cricket they need to be a lot higher, but with rugby league and square sports they can be lower and project out.”

Image shows the 1300SMILES Stadium hosting the North Queensland Cowboys.