Community, Training and High-Performance Centre
With NAIF’s $20 million loan, the North Queensland Cowboys Community, Training and High-Performance Centre in Townsville is not only helping retain and attract sporting talent but is also stimulating business and social activity in the city.
November 2019
Social Infrastructure
Townsville, Queensland
Project Overview
NAIF’s loan supported the building of the Cowboys Community, Training and High-Performance Centre, known as The Hutchinson Builders Centre. The facility is providing a wide range of benefits to the North Queensland community, including:
- James Cook University’s Performance Science Hub - a state-of-the-art physiology laboratory with performance analytics capabilities. This sports science and research facility not only boosts athlete performance but strengthens the university’s academic offering. Medical sports consulting and rehabilitation services will also be provided at the centre.
- Multi-sport, high-performance training spaces for the Cowboys and other clubs, including the Townsville Fire Women’s National Basketball League Club (the only professional women’s sports club in northern Australia). With its full-sized training field, the centre will also be available to other clubs and is expected to attract touring sports teams to Townsville.
- Community spaces that Townsville City Council is able to provide for general purposes.
Construction of the facility is now complete.
How We Helped
NAIF's $20 million loan was a key component of the business plan to construct the North Queensland Cowboys Community, Training, and High-Performance Centre in Townsville. The Centre is instrumental in retaining and attracting sporting talent while also stimulating increased business and social activity within the region.
Public Benefit
With its combination of community areas, training spaces, administrative offices, sports medicine facilities and science labs, the centre is a long-term asset to the region.
Independent analysis forecasts that the infrastructure funded by the NAIF loan will generate approximately $202 million in economic benefits for the region over the next 30 years.
The project was expected to create 213 jobs during construction and 58 operational jobs.
Related Links
Indigenous Engagement
- The Wulgurukaba people
Townsville, located in North Queensland, lies on the traditional lands of the Wulgurukaba and Bindal peoples. The Community, Training and High-Performance Centre is situated on Wulgurukaba Country, known as Gurrumbilbarra. The Wulgurukaba people, whose name means "canoe people," have deep-rooted cultural ties to both the mainland coast and Yunbenun (Magnetic Island), with strong connections to the saltwater country and the surrounding marine ecosystems, including the Great Barrier Reef. Their creation story features Gabul, the ancestral carpet snake, who is believed to have shaped significant parts of the region’s coastal landscape, including Magnetic Island and the Hinchinbrook Channel. Today, Townsville remains an important meeting place for many First Nations communities across North Queensland, providing essential services such as health care, education, and employment opportunities.
Indigenous Engagement Strategy Commitments
- Committed to ongoing engagement with the Gurambilbarra Wulgurukaba Traditional Owners throughout the project, including developing guiding principles for engagement, incorporating cultural protocols throughout the project lifecycle, and ensuring cultural representation in the design of the Community, Training and High-Performance Centre. Cultural competency training will be embedded across staff and contractors to ensure the facility acknowledges Traditional Owners in a culturally appropriate manner, as agreed with the local community.
- A First Nations economic participation target of 6.6% across both employment and procurement will be implemented, with contractors required to demonstrate clear strategies to meet targets.
- Procurement policies will continue to be reviewed and refined to reduce barriers for First Nations businesses and ensure economic inclusion is embedded across all operations. A preferred First Nations supplier register will be established, and tenants of the new facility will be expected to align with the club’s Indigenous Engagement Strategy (IES) and Reconciliation Action Plan.
- Employment and training pathways for First Nations peoples will be expanded through programs such as Dream, Believe, Achieve, and in partnership with the Cowboys Leagues Club, with a target of 20% First Nations employment in hospitality and merchandise outlets. All vacancies will be promoted through Indigenous media, with a focus on engaging First Nations youth through work experience opportunities and supporting players and their families through elite development programs.
- Committed to collaborating with key stakeholders, including the Gurambilbarra Wulgurukaba Traditional Owners, government agencies, and community organisations such as NRL Cowboys House, Clontarf, and the Stars Foundation, to strengthen outcomes and enhance community impact
Indigenous Engagement Strategy Outcomes
- In 2021, head contractor Hutchinson Builders achieved 13% First Nations employment during construction. The Cowboys engaged local First Nations business ActivateOne to facilitate consultation with the Wulgurukaba Traditional Owners, whose cultural stories and knowledge such as Gabul the carpet snake were embedded in the project design. The NRL Cowboys House reported 80% First Nations staff, supporting 100% First Nations students, most of whom originate from rural and remote Indigenous communities in north Queensland.
- In 2022, the project transitioned into operations and was formally named the Hutchinson Builders Centre. The Cowboys established the Local Indigenous Advisory Committee (LIAC) and appointed an Indigenous Education Manager. Cowboys House maintained 40.5% First Nations employment, while 75% of students in the Dream, Believe, Achieve program undertook hospitality and retail training. The club renewed its Supply Nation membership and commissioned Indigenous artwork for the 2023 jersey.
- In 2023, the Cowboys Foundation achieved 48.7% First Nations employment, and 82.5% First Nations participation in the Dream, Believe, Achieve program. The Cowboys continued their engagement with the Wulgurukaba Walkabouts and conducted a number of community engagement activities to strengthen local connections.
- In 2024, the Cowboys broadened their Traditional Owner relationships, engaging the Bindal people, and extended partnerships with First Nations organisations, including ReefCast and Jarraga. The club also participated in various community events, supporting local economic and cultural inclusion
