 1300SMILES Stadium, formerly known as Dairy Farmers Stadium, is home of the North Queensland Cowboys NRL club. The Townsville venue, which opened in 1994 after being converted from a trotting track (The Willows), originally had a capacity of 31,000 including 10,000 seats, however an increase in seats reduced the capacity to 21,500. Extensions to the Eastern Grandstand were completed in early 2006 lifting the capacity to 26,500.One thing people may notice about the ground is the lack of undercover seating. Given the lack of rain during Rugby league season in the tropical North Queensland climate, the designers felt that putting a roof on the ground was unnecessary. The main western stand is dwarfed by the rest of the ground, which is made up of hills with open grandstands behind it.
The naming rights sponsorship with Dairy Farmers ended following the conclusion of the 2012 season, with the venue re-branded 1300SMILES Stadium as of 19th February 2013, on a five-year agreement.
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Location: |
Townsville, Queensland |
Address: |
Golf Links Drive, Kirwan Qld 4817 |
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Capacity: |
26,500 |
Seats: |
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Record Crowd: |
30,302 - 25/04/1999
NRL: North Queensland v Brisbane |
Highest Crowd since 1/1/2003: |
26,500 - 13/10/12: Kangaroos v Knights Zealand
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Lights: |
Yes |
Arena Roof: |
No |
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Video Screen: |
Yes |
Arena Dimensions: |
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Built: |
1994 |
Redeveloped: |
2006 |
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Former/Other Names: |
The Willows
Stockland Stadium
Malanda Stadium
Dairy Farmers Stadium |
Ticketing: |
Ticketek |
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Sports Played: |
Rugby League
Rugby Union
Football |
Home Teams: |
North Queensland Cowboys (NRL) |
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Annual Events: |
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Historic Events: |
2003 Rugby World Cup |
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Last Event: |
08/06/13: NRL: Cowboys v Bulldogs
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Next Event: |
30/06/13: NRL: Cowboys v Sharks |
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Directions: |
Transport: |
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1. Head southwest on Sturt St toward Greenslade St 0.7 km
2. Turn right at Woolcock St 2.8 km
3. Slight left at Dalrymple Rd
Go through 1 roundabout 3.9 km
4. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Main Dalrymple Rd
Go through 1 roundabout 2.4 km
5. Slight left at Kern Brothers Dr 1.4 km
6. Turn right at Laguna Ave 0.9 km
7. Turn left at Golf Links Dr 1.1 km |
Bus services to the ground are available. |
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Parking: |
Accommodation: |
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Plenty of parking is available at the venue. |
CLICK HERE to view & book nearby accommodation >>
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