TROPICAL GOAL Hopes high for footy fanatics
PORT Douglas footy fans are daring to dream.
The concept of having an AFL team based in the seaside town was preposterous in a pre-COVID world but is suddenly a possibility as the league scrambles to save its season. Powerhouse Victorian clubs such as Richmond, Collingwood and Essendon could find themselves based in the Far North after AFL chief Gil McLachlan announced Cairns and Port Douglas were live options as training hubs.
Douglas Shire Deputy Mayor Lisa Scomazzon said capitalising on the growing sports tourism market was an opportunity and this would be the perfect spingboard.
“It’s a wonderful advertisement for our region and would bring a lot of eyeballs to Port Douglas,” she said.
Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree boss Tara Bennett said the promotional value for the destination was worth well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We’ve long believed the Port Douglas footy ground is the second best ground in Australia behind the MCG to watch the footy,” Ms Bennett joked. “It’s a national audience and an incredible opportunity to showcase the destination to the entire country..”
Port Douglas Crocs president Barry Lea said the news was welcome after the town’s ‘double whammy’ in 2020 with the New Year bushfires and coronavirus pandemic.
“This possibility has given the whole place a bit of a boost and what a wonderful opportunity to showcase Port Douglas to the rest of Australia,” he said. “You would have hundreds in town just watching a club train or going through their fitness sessions.
“It would certainly tourists here.”
Port Douglas resident and passionate AFL fan Annie Richardson said it would be surreal if a club comes to town.
“I would be thrilled to bits, particularly if it was Collingwood,” she said. “For Gil to mention Port Douglas the other day must mean it has been discussed.” drive
THIS is Australian rules football’s big chance to capitalise in FNQ and more broadly Queensland.
I have lived in Cairns for just over four years and you always hear stuff like: “this is rugby league heartland” and “let’s smash a XXXX and watch Origin”.
Yep, they certainly love their league up here but I would argue Australia’s national game is on par with league in FNQ.
I will set you a challenge. Next time you see images of local matches, have a look at the crowds in the background. The AFL Cairns games are as well attended as any CDRL or Northern Pride contest.
Griffiths Park was full to the brim last Saturday and with no fair dinkum rugby league competitions to be played locally in 2020, watch those AFL crowds grow as the year goes on.
With the potential of many elite AFL games and hubs coming to FNQ, this is the code’s opportunity to take their following to the next level.
Earlier this month, explosive figures released pointed to fans switching off the embattled Brisbane Broncos en masse, with AFL television ratings at record highs in Brisbane. And, let’s be fair, the Cowboys and Titans are not going much better.
With the three Queensland-based NRL clubs battling and the AFL moving into their territory, the back end of 2020 might end up being as significant as the three AFL premierships in a row won by the Brisbane Lions in terms of lifting the profile and interest of the sport in Queensland.