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Willows Sports Complex
The Willows Sports Complex was a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was used predominantly as a rugby league ground as the home ground of the North Queensland Cowboys National Rugby League club. The ground was also used for rugby union and soccer. From 2009 to 2011, A-League football club North Queensland Fury called it home.
Since inception as a rugby league ground, the ground had several sponsored naming rights: Stockland Stadium (1995–97), Malanda Stadium (1998) Dairy Farmers Stadium (1999–2013) and 1300SMILES Stadium (2013-2019)) . The last NRL match to be played at the stadium was on Thursday 29 August 2019 between the North Queensland Cowboys and Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs.
Prior to 1995, the stadium site was occupied by the Willows Sporting Complex. It hosted trotting paceway nights, and was the main pacing venue for the Townsville District. With the admission of the North Queensland Cowboys to the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995, the Willows site was transformed into a basic rugby league venue with a western grandstand as well as eastern side terraces. The northern and southern ends had sloped grass hills.
The Willows Sports Complex was renamed "Stockland Stadium" in 1995 through sponsorship linked with the North Queensland Cowboys. A contract was signed by the Stockland Trust Group for three years giving them the naming rights of the venue. The Joint Board of the old Willows Sports Complex (Townsville City Council and Thuringowa City Council) sub-leased the facility to the Cowboys Rugby League Football Limited, who manage the venue on a day-to-day basis. The first stage of development was funded by a combination of borrowings by the Joint Board, the Queensland Government grants and a considerable amount of community and business donations.
The stadium was first used for any type of football for the North Queensland Cowboys first home game which attracted a crowd of 23,156, a good crowd by Australian Rugby League (now National Rugby League) standards. Crowds continued to push the capacity of the stadium and in 1996 Stockland Stadium was renovated to include both northern and southern seating, where previously there had been only standing room.
Stockland Stadium had the honour of hosting the first-ever game of the only Super League season on 1 March 1997 when the Cowboys hosted new team the Adelaide Rams in front of 17,738 fans. After trailing 16–4 at half time the Cowboys eventually prevailed 24–16.
Stockland ended their sponsorship after three years, which paved the way for long-term sponsor, Dairy Farmers Limited.
The North Queensland Cowboys home stadium sponsor Stockland finished up their sponsorship contract seeing out their three-year deal. A new sponsorship deal was signed with local milking organisation Dairy Farmers who owned the local North Queensland milking dairy in the Tablelands. Season 1998 saw the stadium renamed with a new sponsorship deal "Malanda Stadium". Following the purchase of Malanda Milk by Dairy Farmers, the ground was renamed "Dairy Farmers Stadium".
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Willows Sports Complex
The Willows Sports Complex was a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was used predominantly as a rugby league ground as the home ground of the North Queensland Cowboys National Rugby League club. The ground was also used for rugby union and soccer. From 2009 to 2011, A-League football club North Queensland Fury called it home.
Since inception as a rugby league ground, the ground had several sponsored naming rights: Stockland Stadium (1995–97), Malanda Stadium (1998) Dairy Farmers Stadium (1999–2013) and 1300SMILES Stadium (2013-2019)) . The last NRL match to be played at the stadium was on Thursday 29 August 2019 between the North Queensland Cowboys and Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs.
Prior to 1995, the stadium site was occupied by the Willows Sporting Complex. It hosted trotting paceway nights, and was the main pacing venue for the Townsville District. With the admission of the North Queensland Cowboys to the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995, the Willows site was transformed into a basic rugby league venue with a western grandstand as well as eastern side terraces. The northern and southern ends had sloped grass hills.
The Willows Sports Complex was renamed "Stockland Stadium" in 1995 through sponsorship linked with the North Queensland Cowboys. A contract was signed by the Stockland Trust Group for three years giving them the naming rights of the venue. The Joint Board of the old Willows Sports Complex (Townsville City Council and Thuringowa City Council) sub-leased the facility to the Cowboys Rugby League Football Limited, who manage the venue on a day-to-day basis. The first stage of development was funded by a combination of borrowings by the Joint Board, the Queensland Government grants and a considerable amount of community and business donations.
The stadium was first used for any type of football for the North Queensland Cowboys first home game which attracted a crowd of 23,156, a good crowd by Australian Rugby League (now National Rugby League) standards. Crowds continued to push the capacity of the stadium and in 1996 Stockland Stadium was renovated to include both northern and southern seating, where previously there had been only standing room.
Stockland Stadium had the honour of hosting the first-ever game of the only Super League season on 1 March 1997 when the Cowboys hosted new team the Adelaide Rams in front of 17,738 fans. After trailing 16–4 at half time the Cowboys eventually prevailed 24–16.
Stockland ended their sponsorship after three years, which paved the way for long-term sponsor, Dairy Farmers Limited.
The North Queensland Cowboys home stadium sponsor Stockland finished up their sponsorship contract seeing out their three-year deal. A new sponsorship deal was signed with local milking organisation Dairy Farmers who owned the local North Queensland milking dairy in the Tablelands. Season 1998 saw the stadium renamed with a new sponsorship deal "Malanda Stadium". Following the purchase of Malanda Milk by Dairy Farmers, the ground was renamed "Dairy Farmers Stadium".
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