FRIDAY night's AFL Challenge match between Richmond and Melbourne could be the harbinger for more major events to come
Although the crowd figure of 5321 was lower than officials had hoped for, AFL Cairns acting general manager Gary Young said the match had proved Cazalys Stadium was a premier venue.
Young said the refurbished hill area and upgraded lights were popular with fans and he hoped the stadium would soon host other events including day/night cricket matches.
"Our light measurements are close to what they need to be to host night cricket," he said.
"If we could get some day/night matches, whether they be internationals, Ford Ranger Cup (interstate) matches or Twenty20, that would be great.
"Cazalys Stadium is now good enough to host international events of any description."
Young said the additional upgrade needed to have the lights ready for day/night cricket fixtures would be expensive, requiring government grants to complete the task.
Officials had hoped for 10,000 spectators for the NAB Challenge match but Young said the number of other big sporting events on last week had contributed to the smaller than expected figure.
He said spectators had also been drawn to the Cairns Taipans NBL semi-final, North Queensland-Gold Coast NRL trial and Cairns-Bundaberg rugby union matches, all staged within the space of three days.
"Four big events on the one weekend was wonderful for Cairns but it put some pressure on to draw spectators," he said.
"A lot of people could get along to one or two games but not three or four events."
Young said hosting a Challenge match between two sides which had lost their NAB Cup encounters and had also struggled in 2007 meant the fixture had not been the drawcard it might otherwise have been.
He said feedback from spectators and the Richmond and Melbourne clubs had been positive, helping Cairns' bid to stage future NAB Cup matches.
Young said about $15,000 had been raised for the COUCH oncology unit on the night.
Last Modified on 11/02/2009 10:14