No light on the stadium horizon

THE lighting concerns at Riverway Stadium will not be addressed until there is a joint funding model on the table, according to Townsville City Council.

The problem reared its head again this week when former Australian quick Michael Kasprowicz demanded action to get the venue up to standard.

But as Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena starts stage 1 of its $24.2m redevelopment, which has been jointly funded by the state and federal governments, Townsville’s international standard venue remains in the dark.

The stadium is an accredited ICC venue but its lighting is not powerful enough for matches to be broadcast at night, leaving the stadium to only host day games.

The Townsville Bulletin campaigned for the lighting to be upgraded in 2018 and Queensland Cricket chief executive Terry Svenson held wide-ranging talks with Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill on the issue in 2018 but still there has been no movement.

A Townsville City Council spokesman said the stadium had been the destination for several high-profile Aussie rules and cricket fixtures, and that would not change despite the lighting concerns.

The council believed there was not enough “content” available for the stadium to make the upgrade, which is understood to tally between $8m and $10m, viable.

“Riverway Stadium is one of the best sporting venues in Queensland with its superior playing surface and first-class facilities,” a TCC spokesman said.

“The stadium continues to attract high quality cricket and AFL matches. Next month it is scheduled to host Sheffield Shield and domestic one-day matches.

“However, the reality is that, at this stage, there simply isn’t enough content available to justify the significant price tag for the installation of this lighting and the ongoing costs.

“Council also believes that ratepayers should not have to shoulder the upfront capital cost to further upgrade the lighting at Riverway alone.”

It is also understood Townsville’s proposed Sheffield Shield clash against Victoria, which is set for October 20-23, could be shifted to a later date as Cricket Australia deals with Covid complications which have affected the start of the season.

Queensland Cricket was contacted for comment but failed to respond in time for the Townsville Bulletin’s deadline on Wednesday night.