Tony Ireland Stadium
| Townsville Cricket Ground | |
| Former names |
Riverway Stadium Pioneer Park |
|---|---|
| Address | Australia |
| Location | 2 Sporting Drive, Thuringowa, Townsville 4817 |
| Coordinates | 19°19′2″S 146°43′54″E / 19.31722°S 146.73167°ECoordinates: 19°19′2″S 146°43′54″E / 19.31722°S 146.73167°E |
| Owner | Queensland Government |
| Capacity |
10,000 (1013 seated) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Construction cost | A$16.5m[1] |
| Tenants | |
|
Thuringowa Bulldogs AFL club Queensland Bulls | |
The Tony Ireland Stadium is an international standard AFL and cricket stadium in Thuringowa Central, Townsville, Australia. The stadium is a part of the Riverway sporting and cultural complex.
Facilities
The stadium includes the oval, a 1013-seat grandstand and supporting facilities, a practice oval and cricket practice nets. The design was modelled on Brisbane’s Gabba cricket ground specifications and has a six turf wicket block.[2] Tony Ireland Stadium has a maximum capacity of 10,000+[3] This was achieved on New Year's Eve 2007 when 10,024 people attended a Twenty20 cricket match featuring the Queensland and the Victoria.[4] The stadium is also home to the Thuringowa Bulldogs AFL club, and the AFL's local regional office.[2] In June 2009, the stadium hosted a 4-day first class match between Pakistan A and the Australia A cricket team.[5] The stadium also hosted some matches of the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup which was held in Australia from 11 August 2012. India emerged as the winner of Under-19 Cricket World Cup after beating Australia in the final at the Tony Ireland Stadium.
In November 2014, the stadium hosted its first international match between debutants Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong. The Stadium became the 10th ODI venue in Australia.
It will host its first ever test match in August 2017 when Australia takes on Bangladesh.
Lighting
In 2008, the inadequacy of the current "temporary" lighting was highlighted when a Queensland v Western Australia AFL representative match was rescheduled from dusk to mid afternoon.[6] Costs to install lighting adequate for televised sport have been estimated at five million dollars.[6]
Attendance records
Top 5 Sports Attendance Records
| No. | Date | Teams | Sport | Competition | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 December 2007 | Queensland Bulls v. Victoria Bushrangers | Cricket | T20 | 10,024 |
| 2 | 2 March 2013 | Gold Coast Suns v. North Melbourne Kangaroos | Australian Rules Football | AFL (preseason) | 7,216 |
| 3 | 23 February 2014 | Gold Coast Suns v. Brisbane Lions | Australian Rules Football | AFL (preseason) | 6,426 |
| 4 | 1 March 2015 | Gold Coast Suns v. Geelong Cats | Australian Rules Football | AFL (preseason) | 4,431 |
| 5 | 24 October 2010 | Queensland Bulls v. South Australia Redbacks | Cricket | Ryobi Cup | 2,000 |
Last updated on the 2nd of March 2015
One Day International Hosted
The stadium has hosted following ODI matches till date.
| Team (A) | Team (B) | Winner | Margin | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Papua New Guinea |  Hong Kong | Papua New Guinea | By 4 Wickets | 2014 | Scorecard |
| Papua New Guinea | Hong Kong | Papua New Guinea | By 3 Wickets | 2014 | Scorecard |
Twenty20 International Hosted
| Team (A) | Team (B) | Winner | Margin | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papua New Guinea |  Ireland | Ireland | By 7 Wickets | 2016 | Scorecard |
| Papua New Guinea | Ireland | Ireland | By 3 runs (D/L) | 2016 | Scorecard |
References
See also
- Tony Ireland Stadium at Austadiums