WE WANT THE NORTH QUEENSLAND REGION TO BE PART OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LANDSCAPE, VIA NORTHERN FURY.
Northern Fury may be a relatively new club – even taking into account our former existence as North Queensland Fury in the A-League – but North Queensland has long had an association with football and has helped produce many fine players over the past 30 years.
They include Frank Farina, Ray Junna, Manis Lamond, Steve Corica, Glenn Gwynne, Graham Ross, Kasey Wehrman, Wayne Srhoj, Shane Steffanuto, Michael Thwaite, Zenon Caravella, Mitch Langerak, Adam Sarota, Kim Carroll and Ashley Spina to name a few. These men and women are amongst the ‘local heroes’ of North Queensland’s young football players.
Fury is here to stay.
While, as a community we had to metaphorically pick ourselves up and brush ourselves off after we were dumped from the A-League in 2011, what has held fast is the love of football amongst the community of North Queensland. Along with that passion for the game is the desire to be part of the elite level competition to give the younger generation of the region something to aspire to and to give them a local team to be proud of and to identify with.
Unfortunately, there was an immediate dip in player registrations after North Queensland Fury was disbanded in 2011.
Slowly but surely, participation is on the rise again with the advent of Northern Fury in the National leading Leagues (Queensland) and the longer-term aspiration of once more taking part in national competition.
From our perspective, the difference between Fury then and Fury today is that we now have the opportunity to build from the ground-up. That wasn’t possible when North Queensland Fury was established because it was done in a hurry.
However, today, by being involved in the North Queensland community, by participating in the NPL, by being part of the ‘big picture’ of football in Australia, we consider we can build for a future that is viable in terms of players, fans, and national and local corporate support.
OUR LONG-TERM AIM IS TO BE PART OF THE A-LEAGUE AGAIN. BUT WE DON'T SEE THIS HAPPENING UNTIL THE A-LEAGUE IS IN A POSITION TO EXPAND BEYOND 12 TEAMS ON A SUSTAINABLE BASIS. IN THE MEDIUM-TERM, WE WANT TO BE PART OF THE W-LEAGUE AND THE NATIONAL YOUTH LEAGUE.
We believe we are ready to join the W-League.
Already, the growth in the number of girls and women playing in the region is phenomenal and is a big driver of the overall increase. We already have three women’s teams in the NPL competition, and we could easily fill more. Currently, girls or young women who want to play at the highest level possible have to leave the region. Ashley Spina and Kim Carroll (who is also a Matilda) who play with Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar respectively are such examples.
We also wish to take part in the National Youth League from 2015-16 on a similar basis to the W-League, as a stepping-stone to participation in the A-League in the longer term.
In both instances, we see our participation as an investment in the future of football. With the inclusion of the North Queensland region in these critical national competitions, we believe it will help expand the code’s reach as well as the national footprint of the game.