After 13 years maintaining the North Queensland Cowboys’ former home ground, 1300Smiles Stadium (AKA Dairy Farmers Stadium), Head Groundsman Bruce Fouracre wistfully locked up his shed for the final time on February 6th, 2020, to begin a shining new chapter at Australia’s newest venue, Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
The $293.5 million, 25,000 seat venue, built in the heart of Townsville’s CBD, was set to put the region on the map for major events. It would be a big job, but Fouracre’s time at 1300Smiles Stadium coupled with years under legendary Curator Tommy Parker at the Sydney Cricket Ground (1993-2008), meant Fouracre knew he has what it takes to tackle the role.
“It was an honour to be asked to be the Grounds Manager at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, and I am really grateful to Stadiums Queensland for giving me this chance. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one that I will never take for granted,” Fouracre said.
With construction on the venue only finalised in December 2019 and the turf laid a month later, Fouracre and his assistant Adam McNeil a former colleague from the SCG, had just four weeks to get the surface as healthy and strong as possible ahead of the Elton John Concert scheduled for late February and the start of the NRL season just two weeks later.
“It wasn’t the ideal preparation, but we just had to do our best. The weather up here is pretty good for establishing grass, so I was confident everything would bounce back after the concert and be right for the start of the NRL season,”
The turf differed from that used at the previous stadium. The key difference was the use of the “Eclipse” Hybrid System which combines artificial fibres and natural turf ensuring turf is “ready to play” and can be used with 48 hours of being laid.
After some teething issues, Fouracre shaved 10-15 mm off the playing surface at the end of the NRL season, allowing artificial fibres to sit closer to the surface, improving both the cosmetic appearance and the stability for the year ahead.
“Since the start of the year where we had the Maori/Indigenous All-Stars Game right up to the recent State of Origin Game, I’ve been really happy with how the surface has looked and has played”
“A lot of people don’t realise that last year, the ground was being used 2-3 times a week for training, as well as the game on the weekend, so it was getting a lot of traffic. All that has changed now, with the Hutchinson Centre of Excellence Training field next door now open. This has really helped take some of the traffic off the main field, and the grass has responded accordingly!” Fouracre explained.
Some of the major events that have been on the ground since the stadium opened include:
Following Covid restrictions in Victoria, the 2021 State of Origin match on 9 June, became a highlight in the still short history of Queensland Country Bank Stadium. With just 10 days’ notice, Queensland Country Bank Stadium and the whole of Townsville, pulled together and put on a spectacular event that will be remembered forever by locals, and whoever was lucky enough to be in attendance.
An extra 2,000 temporary seats were erected at the northern end of the stadium to try and fit in as many people as safety restrictions would allow.
It is estimated the event contributed more than $7 million into the local economy, with 22,500 room nights booked during this period. Around 10,000 people watched big screens in Flinders St, whilst nearly every shop was decorated with maroon balloons and streamers.
“There was an absolute buzz around the whole city! It was the only thing people were talking about. The support shown from our partners and contractors was outstanding and there was more than 1,000 staff working at the venue that night, doing everything from security to catering. The stadium was also lucky enough to have additional staff flown up from other Stadiums Queensland venues to assist with Administration, IT, Ticketing and other matters and it was an amazing experience for our whole team!” exclaimed Fouracre.
With other big events in the pipeline, such as the “Kiss – End of the Road Tour” concert in December, it is shaping up as a blockbuster year for the team at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
Watch this space!
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