On your marks: The $25m investment to make Cairns a tropical sporting centre of excellence
A dream to see the Far North’s most promising sporting talents fulfil their athletic potential may soon be realised with Tourism and Sport Minister Michael Healy poised to make a “game-changing” $25m announcement today.
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A dream to see the Far North’s most promising sporting talents fulfil their athletic potential may soon be realised with Tourism and Sport Minister Michael Healy poised to make a “game-changing” $25m announcement today.
Alongside community leaders, Mr Healy will announce Labor’s plans to build the first stage of a Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) high performance centre in Cairns, with the ball now in the LNP’s court to match the election commitment to the region.
Like a runner at the starting blocks, Mr Healy said he had long held the goal of building a high-performance training facility in the Far North.
“For over 30 years I’ve been talking to people and I know that we have so much talent up here,” Mr Healy said while striding along Barlow Park’s running track.
“But what we haven’t had is the infrastructure to exploit that opportunity.”
The quest carried through to state politics where, after being elected in 2017, what he once hoped would be a sprint had turned into a marathon.
“When I got into parliament, I always maintained the goal that if we could increase our sporting infrastructure, it would change the lives of so many people up here,” he said.
“So, when I became (Tourism and Sport) Minister (last December), within 48 hours I made inquiries through the appropriate channels into having the Queensland Academy of Sport based in Cairns.”
Ultimately, positive feedback from the Department of Tourism and Sport and Premier Steven Miles’ endorsement helped get the proposal — and $15m in state funding — over the line.
“I’ve pushed for this,” the Member for Cairns said.
“The profile of our city, the infrastructure and where we’ve invested in aviation gives us an opportunity to build a high performance facility here.
“Not only will our kids in The Cape, the Torres Strait and the Gulf country benefit, I think kids from as far south as Mackay will be able to come to Cairns.”
An elite facility in Cairns would have greatly benefited retired sprinter Otis Gowa during his athletics career.
Once the fastest man in Australia before ankle and achilles injuries tore him down in his prime, Gowa said a high performance centre could have given him the head start he desperately needed after suffering a series of setbacks.
“We didn’t have anything like this growing up,” the 2008 Australian 100m sprint champion said.
“For us, high performance was going to the creek and having a cold swim after you’ve been training all afternoon.
“You’re just winging it but now to have something like this, it’s a great opportunity to get athletes to compete at the highest level.”
The proud Far North Queenslander, who grew up on the Tablelands and the tip of Cape York, couldn’t help but wonder how an elite training facility might have helped him before being forced to retire in his late 20s.
“At the moment, you have to move away to become an elite athlete. But if we had something like this back then, who knows?” Gowa said.
“Maybe I could’ve been Usain Bolt, Maurice Greene, or Asafa Powell.
“So, it’s a great opportunity for elite athletes to learn and get to the highest level and have that education space around them.”
Gowa’s story showed why a Far North training facility was so important ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
“Otis is the living example of the opportunities that we’ve missed in the past,” he said.
“We’ve had so many talented men and women up here that for a variety of reasons never got that chance.”
A new Centre of Excellence would give athletes that chance.
“This tells kids that ‘You can be the best in the world. We’ve got the best teachers and the best infrastructure’,” Mr Healy said.
“It makes sense to have it in the tropics and as we head towards 2032 the demand for what we build here will be significant.”
With an additional $10m tipped in from the North Queensland Cowboys as part of plans to relocate their NRLW team to Cairns, Mr Healy said he hoped the federal government would match the state’s commitment.
“That means we could build a $40m facility which would be one of the best facilities in the country and we would become a magnet to sporting organisations everywhere,” he said.
“I see this as stage one of a bigger development. Stage two would be building accommodation nearby.
“But we’ve got to do it in steps.”
Gowa, now a house parent with AFL Cape York House, said he looked forward to seeing the next generation of athletes emerge in the coming years.
“It’s great,” he said. “I don’t really look back at my time in the sport that much now. I just look at how I can pass on my knowledge now and grow from there.”
Under the proposal, the Cowboys will be responsible for running the facility and will co-locate with the QAS.
WHAT OUR LEADERS ARE SAYING
Premier Steven Miles
“This is part of the commitment to enhance pathways for Queensland’s athletes, coaches and officials as we look ahead to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics. It provides an equitable distribution of talent development opportunities across Queensland and it ensures all participants have access to quality facilities, irrespective of location, talent or level of competition.”
NQ Cowboys chairman Lewis Ramsay
“Our vision is to have year-round, boots-on-the-ground in Cairns, a city and community which is the backbone of the Far North and has ambitions to become Australia’s foremost location for elite women’s sport. This would deliver permanent infrastructure and a new home for the Cowboys NRLW squad and Cowboys northern affiliate team and current Host Plus Minor Premiers, the Northern Pride. So far in 2024 the Cowboys’ community and game development department has devoted more than 1300 hours conducting player and ambassador visits around North Queensland.”
Member for Barron River Craig Crawford
“We need a dedicated QAS presence in Cairns to service regional and Far North Queensland and help support and champion Indigenous athletes from The Cape and the Gulf. Our regions have produced some of Australia’s greatest athletes the likes of Cathy Freeman, Natalie Cook, Anna Meares, Pat Rafter and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. It is time for regional and Far North Queensland to again flex its muscle and again become the powerhouse for producing world-class athletes.”
Cairns Paralympian Grant “Scooter” Patterson
“Having a QAS high performance hub up in Cairns will open up so many more opportunities for current and up-and-coming athletes. Having the hub in FNQ will save so many families on travel costs, especially for the younger athletes. Hopefully it will also help the younger generations make better choices with access to a facility like this in Cairns.”
WHAT’S IN IT FOR CAIRNS?
North Queensland Cowboys’ NRLW relocation includes:
● Estimated yearly economic contribution of $12.6m to the Cairns region
● 43 players and staff
● 3 home games (5 by 2029)
● Co-located program for Northern Pride
More Coverage
Originally published as On your marks: The $25m investment to make Cairns a tropical sporting centre of excellence
‘Underwhelmed’: Cowboys’ glancing blow at Townsville fans
North Queensland Cowboys chairman Lewis Ramsay has publicly declared his commitment to shifting its women’s program to Cairns and fired a parting shot at Townsville fans for failing to get behind the NRLW team.
Read more
‘Bullying not tolerated’: Education Department responds to student suicide
The Queensland Education Department says bullying is not tolerated in any school after a family of a teen said she was verbally abused and tormented on social media before she ended her life.
Read more