Joint media release with Assistant Minister for Northern Australia Michelle Landry, Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson, and Senator for Queensland Susan McDonald
A new high-performance training centre for the North Queensland Cowboys NRL team has officially opened in Townsville, providing state-of-the-art sports medical and research facilities for the city and north Queensland.
The centre was built with $15 million support from the Australian Government and through a $20 million loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), as well as $5 million from the Queensland Government.
Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt attended the opening and said the new facilities ensured the Cowboys had access to the best possible training facilities, which would also be available to other teams and the Townville community.
"I'm delighted to help celebrate the opening of the Community, Training and High-Performance Centre, which will be home for the Cowboys, and used by other local sports teams, and by teams all over Australia who need to train for tropical conditions," Minister Pitt said.
"Sport is an important part of Australian culture and is a crucial contributor to our communities, particularly in regional Australia. This new centre will be an important facility for communities across north Queensland.
"James Cook University will host a sports science facility in the new centre, which will become a hub for sports medicine and sports science and research."
Assistant Minister for Northern Australia Michelle Landry said the new centre was part of the Australian Government's ongoing commitment to supporting northern Australia and the Townsville region.
"The NAIF has supported 10 projects across north Queensland, worth around $1 billion, generating jobs and opportunities for communities across the state's north," Assistant Minister Landry said.
"The new Community, Training and High-Performance Centre will attract more athletes and teams to the north and provide lasting economic benefits to the city and local region."
Member for Herbert Phil Thompson said the project has delivered substantial benefits to the Townsville community and economy.
"This centre was an election commitment I fought hard for in 2019 because the Townsville community told me this was important to them, so it's great to see it come to fruition," Mr Thompson said.
"It's created 213 construction jobs and another 58 ongoing jobs but it's about so much more than that - this is a place for our community to be proud of, to come and have a coffee and spot a player, or attend a community event."
Townsville-based Senator Susan McDonald said the project was a great example of the NAIF delivering real benefits for the region.
"The Cowboys are sporting icons in the north and this facility should help the team achieve more success on the field, and as a significant contributor to the local economy and the region," Senator McDonald said.
