AFL Townsville, Queensland Cricket join push to upgrade lights at Riverway Stadium

Lighting up Riverway Stadium could lead to growth in kids sport, developing the hometown heroes of tomorrow.

Lions captain and Townsville product Breanna Koenen and Steve Smith plays at Riverway – the last time an international cricket game was played in the city in August 2022.

• Editor’s view: Bipartisan support is a must

It’s not just top-level talent set to benefit in the unlikely event that Riverway Stadium is finally bathed in broadcast-level lights.

Regional figures are certain the long-awaited upgrades will also pay dividends for local players – should they come to fruition.

Joel Newman, participation lead for AFL Townsville said the sport was growing, but faced an uphill climb in the north’s rugby league heartland.

“We’re in a tough town for AFL, obviously, that’s no secret. We haven’t had a professional game up here since before Covid and that’s about five or six years now,” Newman said.

“For kids here in Townsville, they see the Cowboys players day-to-day at their schools, they see them in their community and we just haven’t had that opportunity.

“To have an elite-level AFL game up here, it’d be massive for the kids to be able to see those stars in person.”

Newman said there had been ‘massive growth’ for the sport’s women’s code in the region, with boys and girls putting up near equal numbers.

“We’ve got the Brisbane Lions captain, Breanna Koenen, she’s a Townsville girl and we’ve got a couple of girls playing for the Gold Coast Suns, so we’ve got plenty of talent coming through from Townsville – I can only imagine how that’d grow if we could get some AFLW games here in Townsville.”

For the local cricketers, while the prospect of seeing top-level cricket games without having to travel is enticing, the real benefit is in getting to play under bright lights themselves, and play a more flexible schedule.

Antony Stewart, Queensland Cricket’s NQ Manager, said it would be a huge boost for both seniors and junior players.

“We’re in such a tropical climate, for some people playing during the day is just not something they want to be doing. If we can give them the option to play under lights – that’s more people staying active, more people staying fit and health even if they’re not playing cricket,” Stewart said.

Jaecob Prien, one of Townsville – and Western Suburbs Cricket Club’s – best talents in the sport, said it would be a huge equaliser to be able to get time in under the lights, something that can be a shock for rep level players who travel south to feature.

“It’d be a big boost for the players, you could even make night-time competitions for just the start of the season, it’d be great from the player’s perspectives,” Prien said.

“It’d help all the players that play rep cricket here. When we go away, if you’ve never experienced playing under lights, it’s something people can struggle with, so it’d help our preparation a lot.”

Originally published as AFL Townsville, Queensland Cricket join push to upgrade lights at Riverway Stadium