Cairns and Townsville are the best part of 4 hours from team other, but the NQ Cowboys will do everything publically and private to shoot any bid down as it would weaken their mid tier sponsorship base and well as crowds.
Could it work, yeah maybe, i think not but CC, Perth, Wellington, Brisbane II/Ipswich and even Adelaide have greater 'cause'-demonstrated and other.
Timbo, you are on the money to sugest talk of, or a 'real' Cairns bid will get a small number Cows matches to the north-and thats a good thing as AFL is doing more than us [Version 219.0] in Cairns.
The main reason I even made this post is because I'm presently on holiday in Cairns and it baffles me the neglect that the NRL and the Cowboys show the region which is a - Cowboys heartland and b - Rugby League mad.
As for the AFL - well, as if on cue I picked up the local fish wrapper from the newsagent after making this original post, and whatever should the headline be?:
$3m to kickstart Cazalys upgrade
Saturday, July 24, 2010
© The Cairns Post
DEPUTY Prime Minister Wayne Swan will arrive in Cairns today with a $3 million handout to kickstart redevelopment of Cazalys Stadium.
Mr Swan will launch the campaign of Leichhardt MP Jim Turnour with the $3 million pledge to help pay for the first stage of the redevelopment.
AFL Cairns says it is happy with the money it has received for stage one. However, it is still short of the $15 million total the club needs to bring the stadium up to full AFL compliance.
AFL Queensland will contribute up to $1 million on top of the federal handout, towards stage one of the redevelopment.
This will include refurbishing player facilities on the ground floor of the grandstand; constructing a new building to the north of the grandstand for another team and AFL umpires; and the refurbishment of the upper level of the grandstand to service AFL media, coaches and media officials.
Announcing the money yesterday, Mr Turnour said the stadium redevelopment would kick along the local economy, supporting local businesses and provide jobs in Cairns.
"I understand that AFL isn't just an armchair sport here in Cairns," Mr Turnour said.
"We will be able to go out, see it and play it in new and improved facilities."
AFL Cairns president Gary Young welcomed the cash boost, saying it would help get the stadium up to the standard to host elite AFL football in Cairns.
"What we've (currently) got is unacceptable at the elite level, when they've got $7.9 million worth of players running around on the track, everything has to be right for them," Mr Young said.
"They're playing for full premiership points, and it could mean the difference between them making the finals and getting towards that ultimate success of winning the premiership."
The next stage will include a $3 million upgrade of stadium lighting, and an $8 million refurbishment of the grandstand to include more seats.
Mr Young conceded he did not yet know where the rest of the money for the total $15 million needed for the redevelopment would come from.
"We'll be working hard to raise the capital - where that will come from, we don't know," Mr Young said.
"But we want to get lights up so we can have games under lights.
"We've got fantastic lights, but theyre not broadcast quality for elite sporting events."
The cash boost comes after last Saturday's VFL match between the Gold Coast and Bendigo, which drew a crowd of 3500 to Cazalys.
The refurbished facilities will be used by community sporting groups, allowing Cazalys to host curtain-raiser matchers and sporting carnivals on a regular basis.
Mr Young said the redevelopment would also allow the stadium to host large-scale concerts.
While in Cairns, Mr Swan is facing pressure from business groups to give tax breaks to Far Northern companies.
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2010/07/24/119621_local-news.html
---------
Where's the NRL comeback?
