AFL Cairns poised to pounce on $8 million war chest
Access to an $8 million war chest could translate to better facilities and a major boost in participation for one of the AFL’s biggest regions outside of south east Queensland.
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ACCESS to an $8 million war chest could translate to better facilities and a major boost in participation for one of the AFL’s biggest regions outside of south east Queensland, and AFL Cairns positioned to cash in a disruptive, but enormously beneficial, 2020 season.
In partnership with the Queensland Government, the AFL has set up an $8 million pipeline of funding to tackle the code’s biggest issue in Australia – upgrading facilities to keep up with demand.
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It follows on from the AFL’s commitment to Queensland footy after the state welcomed the entire competition north of the border during the COVID-affected 2020 season.
AFL Cairns has experienced a surge in interest since the most unique season in footy’s history, during which the Far North city hosted four AFL premiership games with images from Cazalys Stadium beamed to thousands of viewers across the country.
Managing director Gary Young said those four fixtures had already paid dividends, with more players interested in living the slogan of playing “footy in paradise” and inquiring about moves to FNQ.
“It’s put a spotlight on the AFL,” Young said.
“There’s definitely been a lot more people interested in playing AFL here. We want to see more kids and adults playing sport, and AFL certainly can benefit from that.”
The AFL Cairns is little more than a month away, with the first bounce on April 10, and the organisation is well into the planning stages for when Cazalys hosts the Round 13 AFL clash between Adelaide and St Kilda.
In 2019, Cairns was on par with the Sunshine Coast in terms of club participation with 2497 registered players, and Young is confident footy’s popularity is such that that number - and FNQ’s standing as a hotbed for Aussie rules footy - will only improve.
Across the state, registrations are up 5.4 per cent compared to this time last year, which has been described as a flow-on effect from last year’s season and the historic Gabba AFL Grand Final.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan said the code was working to keep up with the significant increase in numbers across the state.
“The registrations last year, in a COVID year, were at a record level and we’re on track to beat 2020,” McLachlan said.
“Football is thriving up here. Frankly, all the facilities across Australia, our growth is outstripping our ability to keep up, particularly in girls and women and that’s a pleasing problem in Queensland.
“Across Queensland, more females are playing footy than ever before yet in some regional areas just over one quarter of venue facilities are female friendly and less than 45% have adequate lighting.
“That’s broadly our number one issue. We can always do better but keeping up with the demand is the challenge here.”
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Local footy clubs will have access to the $8 million fund to upgrade facilities, maximise capacity and the development of new ovals.
It will allow clubs to access a maximum of $100,000 for an individual project.
Queensland Sport Minister Sterling Hinchliffe said almost half of Queensland’s AFL players were female.
“Since 2014, we’ve seen a huge shift with girls and women now making up 42 per cent of AFL players on ovals across Queensland, so it’s important that we work together to make sure facilities can be used by everybody,” Hinchliffe said “The AFL Grand Final Infrastructure Legacy makes new funding available for female-friendly changerooms, new ovals, upgrades to existing fields and lighting, and is open to community clubs, schools and local councils.”
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
Originally published as AFL Cairns poised to pounce on $8 million war chest
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