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 Cazalys Stadium in 2022 | |
 Interactive map of Cazalys Stadium | |
| Former names | Bundaberg Rum Stadium (2001–2003) Australian Football Park (1957–1998)[2][3] |
|---|---|
| Location | 344 Mulgrave Road,Westcourt,Cairns,Queensland |
| Coordinates | 16°56′09″S145°44′57″E / 16.93583°S 145.74917°E /-16.93583; 145.74917 |
| Owner | AFL Cairns |
| Capacity | 13,500[4] |
| Field size | 165 m × 135 m (541 ft × 443 ft)[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1957 |
| Tenants | |
| Manunda Hawks (AFL Cairns) Richmond Football Club (AFL) (2011–2013) Western Bulldogs (AFL) (2014–2017) Gold Coast Suns (AFL) 2018 St Kilda Football Club (AFL) (2021–2022) Hawthorn Football Club (AFLW) (2023-present) Brisbane Heat (BBL) (2022-present) | |
 Interactive map of Cazalys Stadium | |
| Ground information | |
| End names | |
| City End Club End | |
| International information | |
| First Test | 25–28 July 2003: Australia v Bangladesh |
| Last Test | 9–13 July 2004: Australia v Sri Lanka |
| First ODI | 2 August 2003: Australia v Bangladesh |
| Last ODI | 19 August 2025: Australia v South Africa |
| Only T20I | 16 August 2025: Australia v South Africa |
| As of 11 September 2022 Source:Cricinfo | |
Cazalys Stadium[5] is a sports stadium inCairns,Queensland, Australia. It is situated in the suburb ofWestcourt. The stadium is named after thesocial club which abuts the oval, Cazalys, which itself was named after Australian rules footballerRoy Cazaly.
With a capacity of approximately 13,500 people, Cazalys Stadium is the largest oval stadium in Cairns. It features a main grandstand relocated from theBrisbane Cricket Ground in the late 1990s. It is used by theQueensland Cricket Association,Queensland Rugby League, andAFL Cairns. The stadium has hosted matches in theAustralian Football League (AFL),National Rugby League (NRL), andA-League, as well asTest andOne Day International cricket. It is the third largest oval venue in Queensland which has hosted both professional AFL and cricket matches.
In 1957 theAustralian National Football Council, throughBruce Andrew, purchased land in Cairns for the first dedicated field in regional Queensland, which becameAustralian Football Park.
TheCairns Australian Football League, led by Kevin Crathern (then president of the CAFL), helped clear the land of trees, filled in the dense bushland, and turned the land into a suitable playing field.[6] In 1984 the CAFL began negotiations with the ANFC in a bid to purchase the freehold of Australian Football Park. The bid would prove successful, and the CAFL made the final payment on the ground in 1994. From 1997 to 1998, $2.4 million was spent upgrading the stadium, which included acquiring the western grandstand from the Gabba and the installation of four light towers. In 1999, the CAFL purchased the adjacent 51st Battalion barracks housing property, which later became the headquarters for AFL Cairns, and renamed the ground to Cazalys Stadium after the adjoining social club. In 2008, $3 million was spent upgrading the stadium including lighting to AFL television standards, new entrance gates on Till Street, increasing the size of player dressing rooms, providing adequate first aid and medical facilities and improved coaching facilities.[7] In 2011, a $15 million stadium redevelopment was completed, which included new grandstand and players facilities, media box and upgraded lighting.[8]
In July and August 2003,Australia hostedBangladesh in anout of season series in Cairns and Darwin. Cazalys Stadium hosted the 2nd Test and the first two One Day Internationals whileMarrara Oval inDarwin hosted the 1st Test and 3rd ODI. Australia won all matches comfortably. In July 2004, Australia hostedSri Lanka in a two test series with matches again in Cairns and Darwin. However, due to disappointing attendances in both series, Cairns has not hosted Australian international cricket matches since, despite the fact that, according to cricket historian Gideon Haigh, "Almost a quarter of the combined populations of Cairns and Darwin attended the cricket" during the Bangladesh Test and ODI series.[9] In October 2008, the venue hosted aFord Ranger Cup match betweenQueensland andNew South Wales[10] On 8 December 2016 Cazalys Stadium hosted a First-Class match between aCricket Australia XI vPakistan cricket team.
In January 2019, Cazalys Stadium hostedWBBLT20 cricket.[11] International fixtures for the 2020-21 cricket season at Cazalys Stadium for October 2020 were announced byCricket Australia, including T20 andODI, hosting theWest Indies cricket team and theNew Zealand women's national cricket team respectively.[12] Planned international fixtures announced for 2020 were subject to prevailing COVID-19 circumstances and the international women's matches were relocated toAllan Border Field inAlbion, Queensland inBrisbane after the schedules were announced due to the prevailing circumstances and logistical issues at the time.[13][14]
In July 2022, it was announced that Cazalys Stadium would make itsBBL debut, with theBrisbane Heat to hold theirBBL12 season opener against theMelbourne Renegades on 15 December.[15]
In September 2022, the stadium hostedNew Zealand for three ODIs, the first international cricket matches in Cairns since 2004.[16][17] Australia won the series 3–0.[18]
In 2025, Cazalys hosted its first T20I, thefinal match between Australia and South Africa.[19] It also hosted the first of three ODIs between the same two teams.[20]
As of July 2004[update], seven Test centuries have been scored in Cairns.[21]
| No. | Score | Player | Team | Opposing team | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 177 | Darren Lehmann | Australia | Bangladesh | 25 July 2003 | Australia won |
| 2 | 156* | Steve Waugh | ||||
| 3 | 100* | Martin Love | ||||
| 4 | 162 | Justin Langer | Australia | Sri Lanka | 9 July 2004 | Match drawn |
| 5 | 117 | Matthew Hayden | ||||
| 6 | 133 | Marvan Atapattu | Sri Lanka | Australia | ||
| 7 | 132 | Matthew Hayden | Australia | Sri Lanka |
As of September 2022[update], one ODI century has been scored in Cairns.[22]
| No. | Score | Player | Team | Opposing team | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 105 | Steven Smith | Australia |  New Zealand | 11 September 2022 | Australia won |
As of July 2004[update], only two bowlers have taken five-wicket hauls at the venue - both bowlers took 10 wickets in the match.[23]
| No. | Figures | Player | Team | Opposing team | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5/77 | Stuart MacGill | Australia | Bangladesh | 25 July 2003 | Australia won |
| 2 | 5/56 | |||||
| 3 | 5/109 | Upul Chandana | Sri Lanka | Australia | 9 July 2004 | Match drawn |
| 4 | 5/101 |
As of August 2025[update], two ODI five-wicket hauls have been taken at the venue.[24]
| No. | Figures | Player | Team | Opposing team | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5/35 | Adam Zampa | Australia | New Zealand | 8 September 2022 | Australia won |
| 2 | 5/33 | Keshav Maharaj | South Africa | Australia | 19 August 2025 | South Africa won |
In 2001, the stadium hosted twoNational Rugby League matches, both involving theNorth Queensland Cowboys. Crowds of 13,000 and 6,113 attended the matches.[25]
Cazalys Stadium hosts Australian rules football matches during the winter. AFL Cairns is headquartered at Cazalys Stadium;[26] the league's Manunda Hawks plays its home matches at the stadium, and all AFL Cairns finals are played at the stadium.
18th, September 2004,Port Douglas Crocs and North Cairns Tigers contested theGrand Final, which was marred by violence, starting at the end of the national anthem, and continued during the game, with further violence in the stands. Although North Cairns won the game, they were stripped of the premiership 3 months later.
The venue hosted AFL pre-season matches each season from 2000 until 2007; and its firstAustralian Football League match for premiership points in2011. TheRichmond Football Club played a home-away-from-home match against the newly establishedGold Coast Football Club in each of the 2011, 2012 and 2013 AFL seasons;[27] sellout crowds of 10,382, 10,961 and 11,197 attended the three matches.[28][29] TheWestern Bulldogs replaced Richmond in hosting the Suns in Cairns from the2014 AFL season.[30][31][32] In the first round the2018 AFL season, the Gold Coast replaced the Bulldogs as the home team and hostedNorth Melbourne as Gold Coast's regular home groundMetricon Stadium was unavailable due to preparations for the2018 Commonwealth Games.
In the2020 AFL season. theFremantle Dockers andSydney Swans relocated temporarily to Cairns with officials and support staff for football matches played at Cazalys Stadium. From rounds 15 to 18, Cairns hosted one match per round, featuring either Sydney or Fremantle.[33]
The2021 AFL season fixture sawSt Kilda play their round 13 home game againstAdelaide at the venue, with the match replacing the Saints' annual match in Shanghai, China, which was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[34] St Kilda returned to Cazalys Stadium in round 7 of the2022 season, when they playedPort Adelaide.[35]
Cazalys Stadium hosted its firstA-League match betweenBrisbane Roar andWellington Phoenix on Saturday, 12 December 2015. Brisbane won the game 2–1.
In June 2013 the stadium hosted aNitro Circus Live show during its 2013 Australian Regional Tour.[36] A crowd of around 10,000 people attended the event.[37]
| No. | Date | Teams | Sport | Competition | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 March 2001 | North Queensland Cowboys v.Penrith Panthers | Rugby league | NRL | 13,500 |
| 2 | 13 July 2013 | Richmond Tigers v.Gold Coast Suns | Australian rules football | AFL | 11,197 |
| 3 | 14 July 2012 | Richmond Tigers v.Gold Coast Suns | Australian rules football | AFL | 10,961 |
| 4 | 16 July 2011 | Richmond Tigers v.Gold Coast Suns | Australian rules football | AFL | 10,832[43] |
| 5 | 12 July 2014 | Western Bulldogs v.Gold Coast Suns | Australian rules football | AFL | 9,746 |
| 6 | 19 February 2005 | Brisbane Lions v.Melbourne Demons | Australian rules football | AFL (preseason) | 9,486 |
| 5 | 11 July 2015 | Western Bulldogs v.Gold Coast Suns | Australian rules football | AFL | 9,449 |
| 8 | 22 July 2017 | Western Bulldogs v.Gold Coast Suns | Australian rules football | AFL | 9,364 |
| 9 | 16 July 2016 | Western Bulldogs v.Gold Coast Suns | Australian rules football | AFL | 8,509 |
| 10 | 2 August 2003 | Australia v.Bangladesh | Cricket | ODI | 8,308 |
Last updated on 23 July 2017
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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