Return to QCB Stadium sweet for Cowboys fans who bought apartment across Ross Creek
Veteran Cowboys fans Fred and Paula Gillam were hugely relieved to be able to watch their favourite team play live after specifically buying an apartment in the city to be closer to the stadium.
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Veteran Cowboys fans Fred and Paula Gillam were hugely relieved to be able to watch their favourite team play live after specifically buying in the city to be closer to the stadium.
The couple had invested thousands of dollars, buying an apartment across Ross Creek so they would be able to walk to every home game.
However COVID-19 put a halt to their plans after the pandemic forced a stop to the competition in March only for it to resume in May.
It was only on Saturday 2000 fans were able to watch the game live in the stadium. Fans were seated in a chequered arrangement with at least two seats in between each group and every second row empty.
“It’s fantastic (being able to watch the game live), the only thing we need to get is a win,” Mr Gillam said.
“We’ve been foundation members since the start. We bought (an apartment) two years ago so we can walk to games, we watched it (QCB Stadium) being built.”
The Cowboys’ 32 – 20 win over the Newcastle Knights made the moment all the more special for North Queensland fans.
Father and son diehard Cowboy supporters Tim and Riley Doyle, 11, were also lucky enough to secure tickets for the blockbuster winning game.
“It’s been too long,” Mr Doyle said. “We were here for the first game (against Brisbane).”
Saturday’s game against the Knights was only the second one fans could watch live from inside the stadium.
Two thousand seats were offered to members, who were picked using a ballot system. Those picked could take one other person.
Mr Doyle chose his son, treating him to a reward.
“It was meant to be the wife, but we couldn’t get a babysitter so she stayed at home with the other two,” he said.
Saturday’s fixture was a trial run for the stadium with the hope the successful re-entry for fans could lead to the venue opening up to 25 per cent capacity in following rounds.
Originally published as Return to QCB Stadium sweet for Cowboys fans who bought apartment across Ross Creek