Northern Fury FC

Northern Fury
Full name Northern Fury Football Club
Nickname(s) The Fury
Founded 2008
Ground Townsville Sports Reserve
Ground Capacity 4,000 (seated)
6,500 (total)
CEO Consortium of Local Figures
Director Rabieh Krayem
Coach Ian Ferguson
League NPL Queensland
2016 11th
Website Club home page

Northern Fury Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in Townsville, Queensland. The club was founded in 2008 and competed in the A-League under the name North Queensland Fury. On 1 March 2011, the club was removed from the league due to financial instability. On 3 October 2012, the club officially re-formed after it was granted a licence to participate in the National Premier League Queensland.[1] Northern Fury play their home fixtures at Townsville Sports Reserve.

History

A bid known as Northern Thunder FC (or North Queensland Thunder FC) was considered for admission for the 2008–09 season along with Gold Coast Galaxy. The bid was publicly well progressed, with the team's badge and colours (red, white and black) released. The training facilities were to be located at the North Queensland Institute of Sport and the home ground was to play at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

The bid was tentatively accepted to join in the 2008–09 season expanding the league to ten teams. Needing to meet certain financial criteria to be granted entry into the league, the club's major financial backer pulled out of the franchise on 5 March 2008, effectively collapsing the bid. Football Federation Australia determined on 11 March 2008 that neither Thunder or Galaxy would be granted entry "in the best interests of the league," given that a nine team format was generally unfavoured and delayed expansion of the league until the 2009–10 season.[2][3]

With expansion put off until the following season, by June 2008 the FFA had received ten bids for new A–League teams, two of which came from Townsville – one headed by Melbourne businesswoman Milissa Fischer and one by local businessman Don Matheson.[4][5] Matheson's bid, which "rose from the ashes of the Northern Thunder bid",[6] was granted a provisional licence by Football Federation Australia on 24 July.[7][8] On 27 August 2008 the franchise was accepted into the A–League by CEO Ben Buckley with the only matter outstanding the finalisation of all legal requirements.[9]

On 6 November 2008, the franchise named was officially revealed as North Queensland Fury FC.[10] Their inaugural kit was revealed in April 2009, featuring dark green sleeves/socks, and a white/light green front.[11]

It was announced on 10 December 2008, that the Fury had signed Rockhampton–born businessman Dean Hassall as their CEO.[12] Also the club signed Scottish club, Celtic's strength and conditioning coach Alan McCall[13] and was also joined by Football Operations Manager Nicholas Deluca.

North Queensland in the 2009/2010 season won the 'Queensland Nickel Cup', which was a tri-tournament played throughout the regular A League season between the Queensland clubs of Brisbane Roar, (and his 2 teams) North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United.

Season two

On 7 June 2010, former Sparta Prague and one time Czech Republic national team coach František Straka was announced as the club's coach for the coming 2010–11 A-League season after agreeing to a one-year deal.[14]

The club finished last in the 2010/11 A-League season, winning only 4 of their 30 matches. The crowd average of 4,245 was the 4th lowest in the history of the A-League behind the Gold Coast United crowd average of the same season and the two seasons of the New Zealand Knights.

Demise

A community ownership model was launched, aimed at finding 1.5 million dollars (per year, for three years), of capital investment being sought to cover half the expected losses for the next three seasons. Ben Buckley, in an open letter to Fury supporters, made it clear that the FFA would not fund continual losses.[15]

On 1 March 2011, the club officially had its A-League licence revoked due to financial reasons. The FFA reported that the Fury had received only $300,000 of the investment required for the next season, and despite increased sponsorship revenue the club would still lose $2 to $3 million. FFA released a statement confirming earlier reports that a decision had been taken not to continue with the franchise as the financial position of the club for season 2011–2012 considered too big of a financial risk for the FFA to undertake.[16]

New Northern Fury team

On 3 October 2012 the club was officially re-formed after it was announced that the club would participate in the 2013 NPL Queensland Conference.[17] The club will keep the old North Queensland Fury logo.[18] On 12 November 2012 the club announced former player Gareth Edds would take up the head coach role as well as field his position at the club.[19]

Rivalries

Northern Fury has a rivalry with fellow North Queensland NPL team Far North Queensland FC, with both teams contesting the Frank Farina Cup.[20][21][22]

Colours and badge

North Queensland's colours were light and dark green and white. These were chosen to represent the lush green vegetation of the northern parts of Queensland. The badge was revealed in 2008 soon after the bid was granted entry to A-League. The light green was often referred to in the local media as "tropical green" but was particularly unpopular with many fans of the club.

Home
2009–2011
Home
2013–
Away
2009–2011
Away
2013–

The North Queensland Fury played at Dairy Farmers Stadium in the A-League, but now competing in the National Premier League (NPL) they play at the Townsville Sports Reserve.

Affiliated clubs

Players

First team squad

Correct as of 9 August 2016.[23] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Australia GK Ryan Murphy
2 Australia DF Caleb Hobson
3 Australia DF Kris Dennis
4 Australia DF George Dalton
5 Australia DF Thomas Pearce
6 Australia DF Lyndsay Gabiola
7 Australia MF Josh Bowman
8 Australia MF Jae Eurell
9 Australia FW Matthew Richards
10 New Zealand FW Michael Eisenhut
No. Position Player
11 Australia MF Jonathan Bagley
12 Australia MF Benjamin Stanley
13 Australia DF Mitchell Maher
14 Australia MF Sam Herlihy
15 Australia MF Corey Waples (Captain)
16 Australia MF Matthew Gauci-Martin
17 Australia FW Hamish Cassady
18 England MF Joe Thornton
19 Australia DF Nicholas Dunn
20 Australia GK Matthew Bolton

All-time Australian Domestic League win/loss (including FFA Cup & finals)

Last updated 21 August 2016

Club Pld W D L GF GA GD
Adelaide United6114819−11
Brisbane City81161019−9
Brisbane Roar603349−5
Brisbane Roar Youth5104417−13
Brisbane Strikers73131416−2
Brothers Townsville FC1100211
Central Coast Mariners6024512−7
Central Queensland Energy2110835
FNQ Heat111281238−26
Gold Coast United6303713−6
Gold Coast City8116921−12
Harimau Muda A200215−4
Melbourne Heart300326−4
Melbourne Victory612338−5
Moreton Bay United8026821−13
Newcastle Jets6105512−7
Olympic FC82151527−12
Perth Glory63301073
QAS2200918
Rebels1100202
Redlands United83141316−3
SWQ Thunder640222616
Sunshine Coast Fire81251119−8
Sydney FC631289−1
Townsville Warriors1100615
Wellington Phoenix6033511−6
Western Pride FC841313112
Total 151 39 28 84 216 328 -112

Players who earned International caps whilst at North Queensland

Managers

Last updated 9 August 2016

Name From To
Scotland Ian Ferguson Jul 2009 Jun 2010
Czech Republic František Straka Jul 2010 Mar 2011
Australia Gareth Edds Nov 2012 Aug 2013
Scotland Ian Ferguson Oct 2013 Present

Technical Staff

Last updated 2 February 2016[24][25]

Position Name
Director of Coaching Scotland Ian Ferguson
Assistant Coach Australia Paul Daly
Assistant Coach Australia Azra Rantucci
Technical Director Australia Bill Mitchell
Goalkeeping coach Australia Ken Mitchell
Head of Women's Football Australia Catherine Roncato

Competition timeline

Competition2009–102010–112011–122012–13201320142015
A-League 7th 11th Did Not Participate
NPL Queensland Did Not Participate 7th 11th 8th
FFA Cup Competition Not Held DNQ DNQ

Honours

Minor Trophies/Honours

 – 2009 (3–2 V's Adelaide United – Played In Darwin/NT 02/07/09)

All time league records

Note: From 2013 onwards, the Fury played at stadiums where the capacity can only reach approximately 3,000.

Appearances

Appearances
Rank Player Appearances
1 Australia Corey Waples 85
2 Australia Caleb Hobson 65
3 Australia Ari Isman 56
4 Australia Jacob Crowley 51
5 Australia David Williams 49
6 Australia Hamish Cassady 47
7 Australia Chris Grossman 43
8 Australia Jake Perry 40
Australia Benjamin Stanley 40
Australia George Dalton 40

Bold denotes players still playing at the club.
Last updated on 21 August 2016.

Goals

Appearances
Rank Player Goals
1 Australia Braedyn Crowley 17
2 New Zealand Michael Eisenhut 12
3 Australia Alex Read 11
Australia Jonathon Bagley 11
5 Australia Gareth Edds 10
Australia Jake Perry 10
England Joseph Thornton 10
8 England Robbie Fowler 9
9 Australia David Williams 8
10 Curaçao Dyron Daal 7
Australia Jake Navarro 7
Australia Corey Waples 7

Bold denotes players still playing at the club.
Last updated on 21 August 2016.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Butterworth, Liam. "Fury earns spot in Australian Premier League". Townsville Bulletin. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "No A–League Expansion This Season". FourFourTwo. 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
  3. ↑ "Hyundai A–League expansion delayed". A–League. 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  4. ↑ "Interest aplenty for new A–League clubs". The Age. 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  5. ↑ "FFA to consider 10 new bids for expanded A–League". ABC News. 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  6. ↑ "North Qld FC confident of success". The World Game. 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  7. ↑ "North Queensland FC awarded exclusive negotiating status". Football Federation Australia. 2008-07-24. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  8. ↑ "Townsville given provisional A–League licence". Townsville Bulletin. 2008-07-25. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  9. ↑ "Expansion Gets Go Ahead". A–league.com. 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  10. ↑ "North Queensland Fury at Launch". au.fourfourtwo.com. 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
  11. ↑ http://mattwintersfootballblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/north–queensland–fury–kit–revealed.html
  12. ↑ "Fury announces new CEO". www.northqueenslandfc.com.au. 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  13. ↑ "Townsville A–League team turns up heat with extra coach". Townsville Bulletin. 2009-01-08. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  14. ↑ Ormond, Aidan. "Fury's Czech Mate". FourFourTwo Australia. FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  15. ↑ "Clearing air over the Fury". Townsville Bulletin. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  16. ↑ , "Fury Kicked Out Of The A-League", Fox Sports
  17. ↑ http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2012/10/03/365141_sport.html
  18. ↑ http://www.goal.com/en-au/news/4021/a-league/2012/10/12/3441311/north-queensland-fury-eye-return-through-australian-premier
  19. ↑ http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2012/11/10/369793_sport.html
  20. ↑ O'Neil, Rohan. "Farina Cup on offer in North Queensland NPL derby". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  21. ↑ "Derby match heats up for Frank Farina Cup". Northernfury.com.au. Northern Fury. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  22. ↑ "6-pointer at stake for Frank Farina Cup". Northernfury.com.au. Northern Fury FC. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  23. ↑ http://www.northernfury.com.au/npl-squad.html
  24. ↑ "Fury Coaches". northernfury.com.au. Northern Fury FC. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  25. ↑ "NPL Team". Northernfury.com.au. Northern Fury FC. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
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