Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch is today proud to launch the Cairns Business and Sporting Group Regional Master Plan that provides a clear blueprint for the future of sports infrastructure in the Far Northern region.
Mr Entsch applauded the work of the group, comprising a host of business and sporting leaders and chaired by Rob Weeden, former general manager of Shangri?La Cairns, who have all given up a significant amount of their time over the past 12 months to formulate a detailed and thorough masterplan.
The masterplan covers a range of sports from swimming and hockey to baseball and soccer and identifies a raft of shovel?ready projects to upgrade sports infrastructure in Cairns, Port Douglas and the Tablelands.
Mr Entsch said the sports masterplan must work in tandem with any plan to build a new performing arts centre and provide economic and employment benefits to the region.
Mr Entsch said key elements of the masterplan included:
– Develop Cairns as the tropical campus of the Australian Institute of Sport
– A 20,000 seat rectangular stadium
– 5000 seat hockey stadium
– 3000 seat netball stadium
– Redevelopment of Tobruk pool to the level of an International Aquatic Centre
“The Cairns Business and Sporting Group is an apolitical group solely focused on building a viable future for sports tourism, medicine, and training in Far North Queensland,” Mr Entsch said.
“We have seen great success in recent years with high?profile sports events such as Challenge Cairns, the AFL match between Gold Coast Suns and Richmond Tigers and the Queensland Reds match.
“But these are ad hoc events, and so much more can be done to boost the sporting sector in the Far North, including the development of links between a tropical campus of the Australian Institute of Sport, sports medicine at James Cook University and a rectangular stadium.
“I am extremely proud and supportive of the group’s work and the masterplan and I look forward to working with all stakeholders to turn the plan into action.”
