The NRL All Stars are set to shine at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville next weekend.
The annual fixture between the Indigenous and Māori male and female teams will officially begin the 2024 NRL season, on Friday 16 February.
Top tips for Fans:
- Ensure SafeTix digital tickets are saved on your phone, to digital wallet or Ticketmaster app–screenshots will not be accepted.
- Transfer your tickets to members of your group via text or email.
- Plan your trip - visit www.queenslandcountrybankstadium.com.au for parking and transport options.
- Remember, we are a cashless venue so bring your card.
Gates open at 3:30pm, with Touch Football beginning at 3:40pm, the Women's game at 4:50pm and the Men's game at 7:10pm.
Event information is available at www.queenslandcountrybankstadium.com.au. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.com.au
Quotes attributable to Tourism and Sport Minister Michael Healy:
"Putting Townsville on the map for blockbuster sport and entertainment was the motivation for building this stadium.
"It's safe to say it's delivering, with a stellar line up of content this year, kicking off with the NRL All Stars," Mr Healy said.
"North Queensland is the perfect place to host this event, with a bumper crowd of 20,206 fans from across Australia in 2021.
"All Stars generated millions of dollars for the region through full hotels, restaurants and bars, and it has a broadcast viewership of about 633,000.
"North Queensland's tourism industry struggled the pandemic, and now its recovery has been impacted by a summer of storms, so major events like this are really important not only to the avid local rugby league fans, but the whole community."
Quotes attributable to member for Townsville Scott Stewart:
"This government built Queensland Country Bank Stadium to help bring world-class events like the NRL All Stars and P!NK to Townsville.
"Having this game back in Townsville just reaffirms the city as the events capital of Northern Australia and helps support our economy and local businesses, which is important after cyclone Kirrily."
Quotes attributable to Member for Thuringowa Aaron Harper:
"When we bring events like this to Townsville it's a boon for our local businesses.
"We know recent weather have impacted our businesses so it's great to be bringing people into the city through events like this."
Quotes attributable to Member for Mundingburra Les Walker:
"We love our rugby league in Townsville and having this game in the events capital of Northern Australia will help inspire our next generation of young stars.
"When this government built Queensland Country Bank Stadium we promised it would help deliver big events for the city and it's continuing to do just that."
Quotes attributable to Queensland Country Bank Stadium Manager Tom Kimball:
"We're pumped to host the NRL All Stars here at Queensland Country Bank Stadium for the second time, it's a great teaser for what's to come when the season kicks off in a few months' time," Mr Kimball said.
"We're also using the event to launch Ticketmaster's digital-ticketing technology SafeTix at our venue, which ties an event ticket to a fan's smartphone via an encrypted, auto-refreshing barcode, to help protect against ticket scalping," he said.
"We're asking fans with digital tickets to ensure they save them to their digital wallet and as always plan ahead, check the website for transport options and gate locations and arrive early to catch the Touch Football from 3:40pm."
