Willows Sports Complex
| Company type | Sports venue |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Defunct | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Townsville , Australia |
Area served | Townsville, Queensland |
| Products | Rugby league stadium, rugby union, soccer venue |
The Willows Sports Complex was a stadium with a natural grass playing surface located in Townsville, Queensland. It primarily functioned as the home venue for the North Queensland Cowboys competing in the National Rugby League. Additionally, it accommodated rugby union and soccer fixtures, acting as the base ground for A-League team Northern Fury FC between 2009 and 2011.
Since its establishment as a rugby league stadium, the venue underwent several naming rights transitions: initially known as Stockland Stadium from 1995 to 1997, then Malanda Stadium in 1998, followed by Dairy Farmers Stadium from 1999 through 2013, and finally 1300SMILES Stadium from 2013 until 2019. The last National Rugby League game played there took place on 29 August 2019, featuring a match between the Cowboys and the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs.
Willows Sporting Complex
Prior to 1995, the location was identified as the Willows Sporting Complex, predominantly used for trotting paceway events and recognized as Townsville District's principal pacing venue. When the North Queensland Cowboys joined the Australian Rugby League in 1995, the area was redeveloped into a rudimentary rugby league stadium comprising a western grandstand, eastern terraces, and grassy embankments at both the northern and southern ends.
Stockland Stadium
In 1995, the Willows Sports Complex was renamed "Stockland Stadium" under a three-year sponsorship agreement with the Stockland Trust Group connected to the North Queensland Cowboys. The Joint Board overseeing the old Willows Sports Complex—comprising Townsville City Council and Thuringowa City Council—sub-leased management responsibilities to Cowboys Rugby League Football Limited, who handled daily operations. Initial funding for redevelopment came from borrowings by the Joint Board, grants from the Queensland Government, alongside contributions from local businesses and community members.
The stadium’s inaugural football event was the Cowboys’ first home game, which attracted an audience of 23,156 spectators—a significant turnout by Australian Rugby League (now National Rugby League) standards. In response to increasing demand, renovations in 1996 added seating areas on both the northern and southern sides.
Stockland Stadium also hosted the opening match of the 1997 Super League season, where the Cowboys competed against the newly formed Adelaide Rams, drawing a crowd of 17,738. After trailing at halftime, the Cowboys secured a 24–16 victory.
Following the conclusion of Stockland’s sponsorship period, Dairy Farmers Limited became the primary naming rights partner.
Malanda Stadium
Upon expiration of Stockland’s three-year contract, a new sponsorship arrangement was established with Dairy Farmers, a local dairy enterprise owning a milking facility in Malanda. In 1998, this led to renaming the venue "Malanda Stadium," which was subsequently rebranded as "Dairy Farmers Stadium" after Dairy Farmers acquired Malanda Milk.
Dairy Farmers Stadium
The stadium experienced several redevelopment stages aligned with the Cowboys’ expansion. Originally a disused Harness Racing track transformed into a contemporary sports complex, operational control shifted to Stadiums Queensland in December 2003 to facilitate increased funding and government investment.
Upgrades implemented in 2005 included lengthening of eastern terraces, installation of a new replay screen, enhancement of public address systems, addition of 30 corporate boxes, improved catering amenities, and upgraded lighting suitable for night-time broadcasts. Further expansions of seating capacity and grandstand improvements were completed in 2006.
Dairy Farmers Stadium served as one of the venues for Papua New Guinea’s matches during Group A of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup against England and Australia.
In the 2011 NRL season, a full-capacity crowd witnessed Darren Lockyer play his record-breaking 350th NRL match at this stadium.
1300SMILES Stadium
On 19 February 2013, the Australian dental company 1300SMILES, based in Townsville, secured a five-year naming rights agreement for the stadium, replacing Dairy Farmers' fifteen-year sponsorship tenure.
Replacement
The proposal for a revamped stadium was part of Australia's 2022 FIFA World Cup bid, which drew attention to shortcomings of the current facility, including inadequate amenities, overcrowding, and poor transport connectivity. Regardless of the bid's success, Stadiums Queensland recognized the necessity for either upgrading or replacing the venue. In 2011, a $185 million proposal was put forward by the North Queensland Cowboys and Stadiums Queensland to construct a new stadium at the Saunders Street QR National site near Townsville's central business district. This initiative aligned with broader urban renewal efforts and the Townsville Port Authority Master Plan 2010–2040.
Construction of the North Queensland Stadium commenced in 2017 after securing financial support from both Queensland State and Federal Governments in 2016. The venue officially opened in February 2020, debuting with an Elton John concert, followed by the North Queensland Cowboys' first NRL match of the 2020 season against the Brisbane Broncos.
As of early 2020, future uses for the former stadium location remained undecided, with potential plans including development for educational facilities or residential housing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland, the stadium’s parking area was adapted to serve as a drive-through testing site for coronavirus.
On 25 January 2022, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a $30 million project to convert the stadium into a cutting-edge Queensland Police facility. Demolition work started in September 2022 and concluded in 2023.
Attendance records
| Attendance | Date | Match | Sport |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30,302 | 29 April 1999 | North Queensland Cowboys vs. Brisbane Broncos | Rugby league |
| 30,250 | 8 August 1998 | North Queensland Cowboys vs. Brisbane Broncos | Rugby league |
| 30,122 | 5 April 1997 | North Queensland Cowboys vs. Brisbane Broncos | Rugby league |
Rugby league
Primarily utilized for rugby league, 1300SMILES Stadium was home to the North Queensland Cowboys competing in the National Rugby League and also hosted the North Queensland Young Guns in the Queensland Cup. It was venue to significant fixtures including an Australian Test against Papua New Guinea in 2000, an Australian XIII match in 2005, the Super League World Nines tournament in 1997, as well as charity events such as State of Origin Legend games and Australia Legends versus New Zealand Legends contests. The stadium also hosted England versus Papua New Guinea during the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.
In the Olympic year of 2012, due to scheduling conflicts with the London Games leading to cancellation of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament, an end-of-year test match between Australia and New Zealand was held at Dairy Farmers Stadium on 13 October. This marked its first international rugby league fixture since hosting a World Cup game in 2008.
Rugby League International Fixtures
Significant rugby league test matches hosted at the venue include:
| Test Number | Date | Outcome | Crowd Size | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 October 2000 | Template:Rl defeated Template:Rl 82–0 | 21,000 | |
| 2 | 25 October 2008 | Template:Rl beat Template:Rl 32–22 | 10,780 | 2008 Rugby League World Cup Group A match |
| 3 | 8 November 2008 | Template:Rl triumphed over Template:Rl 46–6 | 16,239 | 2008 Rugby League World Cup Group A fixture |
| 4 | 13 October 2012 | Template:Rl overcame Template:Rl 18–10 | 26,497 | |
| 5 | 28 October 2017 | Template:Rl outplayed Template:Rl 58–12 | 5,103 | 2017 Rugby League World Cup Group D encounter |
| 6 | 5 November 2017 | Template:Rl routed Template:Rl 46–0 | 7,732 | 2017 Rugby League World Cup Group D match |
| 7 | Template:Rl dominated Template:Rl 72–6 | 2017 Rugby League World Cup Inter-group contest |
Rugby Union
The stadium's debut first-class rugby union event took place in 2001 when the British and Irish Lions faced a Queensland President's XV. During the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup, it hosted several matches featuring Japan, attracting an average attendance of 19,249 spectators. On 12 May 2006, the Queensland Reds held a Super 14 fixture before a crowd of 10,580. In June 2007, the venue accommodated an IRB Pacific Nations Cup game between Australia A and Japan.
Rugby World Cup
During the 2003 Rugby World Cup held in Australia, the Willows Sports Complex served as the site for three Pool B matches:
| Date | Tournament | Home Side | Visiting Side | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 October 2003 | 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool B | Template:Ru | 33 | Template:Ru | 11 | 19,170 |
| 18 October 2003 | 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool B | Template:Ru | 51 | Template:Ru | 29 | 21,309 |
| 23 October 2003 | 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool B | Template:Ru | 41 | Template:Ru | 13 | 17,269 |
Touch Football
Since its inception in the inaugural season of 2018, the North Queensland Cowboys men's and women's teams competing in the NRL Touch Premiership have hosted their home fixtures at the stadium. Their initial games took place on 19 May 2018 against the Gold Coast Titans.
Soccer (Football)
- Venue for a friendly match involving the Australia men's national under-23 soccer team.
- Became the base for Townsville’s A-League franchise, North Queensland Fury FC, in 2009 until their license was revoked in March of 2011.
Additional Events
- Kostya Tszyu’s world title boxing qualifier
- State-level Cricket Super 8’s championships
- Crusty Demons stunt tour
- Elton John’s "Knight under the stars" concert held on 4 December 2007
- Nitro Circus live tour