# Barlow Park

Barlow Park is a multi-sports facility and stadium in Parramatta Park, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
The Park is home of the Northern Pride RLFC offices, Cairns District Rugby Union, Cairns and District Athletics Association, Australian Sports Commission Development, Oztag, and formerly Cairns FC and Cairns District Rugby League.
Since 2008 it has been the home ground for the Northern Pride rugby league team who play in the State Competition Queensland Cup.

## Venue

The ground comprises an IAAF international athletics facility, turf sports fields at the main Barlow and West Barlow parks, and a capacity of 15,000 people including a 1,700 seat grandstand with corporate and media facilities.

## History

The Cairns Sports Centre (Barlow Park) was officially opened on Saturday the 5th of December 1987. It was named after James Aloysius Barlow, an alderman with Cairns City Council from 1955-1970. It has had various upgrades, notably a $1 million grandstand extension which was officially opened on 13 August 2003. In 2024 a $10.9 million project installed LED lighting which increased the lighting capacity from 500 lux to broadcast standard 1800 lux and also installed a large video screen for scoring and replays. Further upgrades are proposed to enable the venue to be used for preliminary football matches for the 2032 Olympic games.
Prior to the development of the sporting complex, Barlow Park was a cricket ground, and in 1978 hosted a match between the West Indies and Cavaliers XI.

## Events

Barlow Park has hosted athletic events, rugby union, soccer, rugby league matches and music concerts, including Midnight Oil (1997), Killing Heidi (2000) and two John Farnham concerts (2003).

### Athletics

The Oceania Area Championships have been held at Barlow Park in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2015. These events attracted athletes from around the world compete, as well as international sports people such as Sir Sebastian Coe. The venue also hosted the 2018 Australian All School Athletics Championships.

### Rugby Union
#### Cairns District Rugby Union

CDRU play matches at Barlow Park.

#### Queensland Rugby Union

| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Tour |
| 15 July 1992 | Queensland B | 13 – 32 | All Blacks | Chivas Regal Rugby Series |
| 27 April 1994 | Queensland B | 12 – 23 | Waikato Mooloos | |

#### Super Rugby

There have been three Super Rugby pre-season trial games at Barlow Park.
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team |
| 29 January 2011 | Queensland Reds | 42 – 15 | Canterbury Crusaders |
| 11 February 2012 | Queensland Reds | 27 – 20 | ACT Brumbies |
| 31 January 2015 | Queensland Reds | 13 – 28 | Melbourne Rebels |

#### International Rugby Union Games

On 21 June 1989 Queensland B played the British Lions during their tour to Australia.

### Soccer
#### National Premier Leagues Queensland

The FNQ FC Heat, later Cairns FC, played their National Premier Leagues Queensland home games at Barlow Park between 2012-2018.

#### FAA Cup

Four FFA Cup matches have been held at Barlow Park.
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Attendance |
| 27 July 2016 | FNQ Heat | 0 – 3 | Edgeworth Eagles | 1,379 |
| 1 August 2018 | Cairns FC | 4 – 0 | Armadale SC | 971 |
| 21 August 2018 | Cairns FC | 1 – 2 | Sydney FC | 3,950 |
| 15 September 2021 | Edge Hill United | 0 – 2 | Gold Coast Knights | 1,946 |

#### A-League

Two A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup matches have been played at Barlow Park.
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Attendance |
| 6 August 2005 | Brisbane Roar FC | 0 – 0 | Sydney FC | 4,500 |
| 22 September 2013 | Brisbane Roar FC | 4 – 1 | Sydney FC | 4,707 |

### Rugby League
#### Cairns District Rugby League

The CDRL play their grand final at Barlow Park. Prior to the development of Barlow Park in the 1980s, CDRL and Foley Shield rugby league games were played at Parramatta Park (now the Cairns Showgrounds).

#### Queensland Cup

The Cairns Cyclones Rugby League Football Club played 32 home games at Barlow Park between 1996 and 2000.
Since their inception in 2008, the Northern Pride Rugby League Football Club have played their Queensland Cup home games at Barlow Park. Average crowds were around 2,300, with attendances over 4,000 for matches against the PNG Hunters.

#### NRL Pre-Season Trials

The North Queensland Cowboys have played more than a dozen NRL pre-season trial matches. The record attendance at the venue was set at the 2004 Cowboys v Sea Eagles trial which attracted a crowd of 20,000.
{{table alignment
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Attendance |
| 28 February 2003 | NQ Cowboys | 24 – 30 | Newcastle Knights | 11,200 |
| 20 February 2004 | NQ Cowboys | 22 – 22 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 19,950 |
| 25 February 2005 | NQ Cowboys | 18 – 30 | Melbourne Storm | 17,000 |
| 18 February 2006 | NQ Cowboys | 26 – 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 15,000 |
| 3 March 2007 | NQ Cowboys | 12 – 24 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 12,500 |
| 23 February 2008 | NQ Cowboys | 22 – 30 | Gold Coast Titans | |
| 28 February 2009 | NQ Cowboys | 18 – 18 | Penrith Panthers | 12,000 |
| 20 February 2010 | NQ Cowboys | 06 – 28 | New Zealand Warriors | 10,000 |
| 26 February 2011 | NQ Cowboys | 22 – 24 | Gold Coast Titans | |
| 16 February 2013 | NQ Cowboys | 28 – 22 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 12,036 |
| 21 February 2015 | NQ Cowboys | 30 – 10 | Gold Coast Titans | |
| 17 February 2018 | NQ Cowboys | 16 – 30 | Wests Tigers | |
| 22 February 2020 | NQ Cowboys | 18 – 16 | Brisbane Broncos | |
| 19 February 2022 | NQ Cowboys | 24 – 12 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 7,128 |
| 12 February 2023 | NQ Cowboys | 22 – 22 | Dolphins | 8,922 |

#### NRL Telstra Premiership

Seven NRL Telstra Premiership Games have been held at Barlow Park. The first was on 16 June 2013 between South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Gold Coast Titans, which attracted a crowd of 16,118. Two other NRL Telstra Premiership matches were played in Cairns at Cazalys Stadium in 2001.
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Attendance |
| 16 June 2013 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 30 – 24 | Gold Coast Titans | 16,118 |
| 3 August 2014 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 50 – 10 | Newcastle Knights | 11,578 |
| 26 April 2015 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 22 – 30 | Canberra Raiders | 8,713 |
| 3 July 2016 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 00 – 20 | NQ Cowboys | 14,923 |
| 16 July 2017 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 10 – 23 | NQ Cowboys | 11,217 |
| 1 July 2018 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 21 – 20 | NQ Cowboys | 7,195 |
| 12 August 2023 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 26 – 14 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 8,378 |

#### International Rugby League Games

The stadium hosted three matches in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, including a double-header. Other international matches have been played, including the 1990 Les Chanticleers Tour, a trial match with New Zealand in 1994, and a qualifying match in the 2009 Pacific Cup.
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Attendance |
| 14 June 1990 | QLD Country | 09 – 16 | France Chanticleers | 5,000 |
| 23 October 1999 | Cairns Aborigines | 32 – 10 | Papua New Guinea | 5,200 |
| 17 October 2009 | Cook Islands Aitu, Kuki's | 22 – 20 | Toa Samoa | 4,261 |
| 29 October 2017 | Ireland Wolfhounds | 36 – 12 | Italy Azzurri | 9,216 |
| 29 October 2017 | Mate Ma'a Tonga | 50 – 40 | Scotland Bravehearts | 9,216 |
| 11 November 2017 | Toa Samoa | 14 – 12 | Scotland Bravehearts | 4,309 |