AFL Cairns officials are
confident a Cazalys Stadium upgrade will be finished in time for next month`s
AFL regional challenge match.
According to AFL Cairns Acting General Manager Gary Young, improved lighting, a raised hill area on the Tills Street wing
and permanent toilet and food and beverage blocks in the outer will all be ready
for the February 22 match.
While the exact cost of the upgrade is still
to be determined, Young described it as `significant`. "This has been supported by the State
Government, Cairns City Council and AFL Cairns has put its own cash in,"
he said. "We want to continue to grow the facilities
for local and national football and local and international cricket.
"The better the facilities are, the better
the feedback is."
Young said he hoped more than 10,000 people
would be at Cazalys to see the match. Depending on who loses the opening round of
the NAB Cup, Richmond or St Kilda will play
either Geelong or Melbourne in the Cairns fixture.
A crowd of 6380 braved torrential rain last
February to watch St Kilda play Brisbane in a NAB Cup match so Young is hopeful
that drier conditions will translate to more spectators. He is also confident the lower status of the
match as part of the regional challenge series instead of the NAB Cup would have
little impact on crowd numbers. "We expect a really good crowd, it`s our
little fix of football for the year," he told The
Cairns Post.
"We think the local people will get right
behind it."
Tickets for the match have been released,
with general admission prices starting at $15 for adults and $33 for a family.
Grandstand seating is extra while corporate packages starting at $95 are also on
offer. Tickets are available from Tickets Plus
outlets, or online at www.ticketsplus.com.au. The match has been scheduled for a Friday
night with the game to start at 7.30pm.
Last Modified on 18/01/2008 17:44