LET THERE BE LIGHTS
FRESH CALLS FOR RIVERWAY STADIUM UPGRADE
TOWNSVILLE will miss out on more opportunities to hold blockbuster cricket and AFL matches as the lighting at Riverway Stadium remains substandard years after the issue was first flagged.
The lighting at the venue has deteriorated so badly that Townsville Cricket, for the first time in seven years, has had to completely overhaul the schedule of Andrew Symonds Cup fixtures.
Townsville Cricket president Peter Fry said he, along with Cricket Australia, had been working with Townsville City Council on a way forward and while the organisation had been helpful, he had no idea where the lighting issue stood.
Riverway Stadium has been a home for Australian rules football and cricket at local, regional, state, and national levels since its development in 2007.
But without cyclone-rated lighting poles to illuminate the grounds at night, the venue cannot be used to host blockbuster cricket or AFL matches after dark.
The issue was investigated about five years ago but nothing has changed since.
“We’ve been speaking about it for a long time and as time goes on we will miss out on opportunities and next year is a big opportunity,” Mr Fry said.
“The men’s World Cup is on the back end of next year and we’re going to have all the big sides in Australia, and we could miss out on practice matches or lead-up matches or the opportunity to have those kinds of games here.
“We are also under pressure from the likes of Mackay and Cairns, who have got the lights but are not the same standards as Riverway.”
Mr Fry said Cricket Australia had tabled presentations to Townsville City Council, but funding had yet to be allocated.
He said the existing lighting had deteriorated to a point that the Andrew Symonds U17 Cup, usually a mixture of day and night games, now had to be held completely under the glare of Townsville’s summer sun.
Mayoral candidate Sam Cox slammed Townsville City Council’s ongoing failure to support an upgrade of the stadium’s lighting.
“Queensland Cricket has already confirmed Townsville could host international Test cricket and domestic Big Bash League and Women’s BBL games if the lighting was up to broadcast standard, but the council refuses to support the upgrade,” he said.
“We need to remember there are two significant stadiums in Townsville and the oval at Riverway is an existing first-class venue and home to cricket and Australian rules football.
“(It) is being overlooked and ignored by the council under the present mayor.”
A Townsville City Council spokesman confirmed detailed engineering assessments looking at the installation of international standard lighting for broadcasting future events had been completed recently.
Maintenance work on each light tower at the stadium to improve intensity of lights to support cricket and football had also been done in December.
But there was no word on the progress of securing funding for the needed lights.
“Council will continue to work with Cricket Australia, the AFL and the State Government on the potential for co-funding the lighting upgrades,” the spokesman said.
Townsville Enterprise chief executive Patricia O’callaghan said that it was “important to have the appropriate infrastructure” to support strong cricket and AFL events.
“A vibrant and diverse events calendar is a key component of ensuring our city and region is one that is highly liveable and attractive to visit,” she said. “We would be supportive of this initiative and working … with the relevant organisations to ensure we put our best foot forward to secure these events.”
Mr Fry said it was likely that the lights needed for Riverway Stadium would cost about $8 million and he hoped there could be a way the funding could come equally from the federal, state, and local governments.