After recently becoming an Authorised Travel Provider for the NRL, we have new Australian sports travel experiences on the Sports Where I Am calendar. The first of these is the Harvey Norman NRL All-Stars, which is being held at Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium on February 20th.
Thinking of heading north for the All-Stars? Here’s all you need to know about the event.
What is the Harvey Norman NRL All-Stars?
The Harvey Norman NRL All-Stars is described by the NRL as the “best of the NRL’s Indigenous and Mãori players going head to head for the ultimate cultural showdown”1. It is a showcase event intended to celebrate the connection between Rugby League and first nation communities, and takes the form of men’s and women’s Indigenous All-Stars teams facing off against their Māori peers from across the Tasman.
The Indigenous and Māori teams are decided from votes submitted via the NRL official website.
This event is also the headline event of the 2021 NRL (and NRLW) pre-season fixture. Attendees can expect a celebration of Indigenous and Māori cultures culminating in an exciting display of NRL and NRLW talent.
“All Stars is more than a game, it’s a week of community engagement, education and cultural awareness. It means so much to our playing group and to the Australian Rugby League Commission.”
Andrew Abdo, NRL Chief Executive Officer2
Harvey Norman NRL All-Stars
Date: February 20th, 2021
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
Starting times: 4.40pm (Women’s), 7.10pm (Men’s)
Sports Where I Am’s offer for this event
The Sports Where I Am experience for the All-Stars event includes a Category A ticket (the blue sections on the map below) as well as a ticket to the Official NRL Travel Pre-Game Party, which is located within the Sky Deck at Queensland Country Bank Stadium (the white sections on the map below).
The pre-game party includes 1.5 hours of food & drinks provided as well as the opportunity to meet & mingle with NRL talent. You can find tickets on our event page here.
You can see photos from the Sky Deck – which includes city and field views – from Twitter user Blair Hughes’ tweet, below:
You can also use the Sports Where I Am website to build your own travel package that includes Hotel Accommodation for the weekend.
COVID-19 Considerations
The NRL and Queensland Country Bank Stadium have both published their COVID-Safe conditions of entry, and how these might affect your game day. Follow those links to read their full conditions.
The most noteworthy features are the recommendation to wear a mask to and from the venue, to social distance where possible, and that you’ll likely see hand sanitiser everywhere you look. The documents also explain that there will likely be more restricted movement around the venue (for example, walking through different sections), but that’s probably unlikely to impact your experience in a significant way.
If the event needs to be cancelled or postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak, border closures, and so on, then we will inform our customers as soon as the information becomes available and work to an appropriate solution that fits the circumstance. If you’d like to read how we communicated with customers during the mass cancellations and postponements of 2020, click here.
About Queensland Country Bank Stadium
Queensland Country Bank Stadium is a world-class venue that was unveiled in February of 2020. It’s also the new home of the NRL’s North Queensland Cowboys. According to Cox Architecture, the inspiration for the roof design came from the folded leaves of a Pandanus tree, which is native to the region. The horseshoe shape aims to make the venue adaptable enough to serve community functions as well as major sports and entertainment events.
With a seating capacity of 25,000, and tickets to the All-Stars selling well since December, it’s expected to be a lively atmosphere at QCB Stadium in February.
Convinced? You can find tickets to the Harvey Norman NRL All-Stars by clicking here.
- ‘Harvey Norman NRL All-Stars‘, NRL.com
- ‘Townsville to host Indigenous v Maori All Stars‘, NRL.com
