Townsville Fire
| Townsville Fire | |
|---|---|
| Townsville Fire logo | |
| Leagues | WNBL |
| Founded | 2001 |
| History | Townsville Fire 2001–present |
| Arena | Townsville RSL Stadium |
| Capacity | 2,200 |
| Location | Townsville, Queensland |
| Main sponsor | James Cook University |
| Head coach | Claudia Brassard |
| Team captain | Suzy Batkovic |
| Championships | 2 (2015, 2016) |
The Townsville Fire are a professional female basketball team competing in the Australian Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). They are the only female professional sporting team of any discipline in the northern half of Australia. The team was established for the 2001–02 WNBL season by Townsville Basketball Inc.
The team folded at the end of the 2010–11 season, however a steering committee was established to re-form the team.[1] By the 2011/12 season the Fire had been reformed as a not-for-profit, community owned entity and successfully returned to the league, achieving finals contention. The Fire reached the Grand Finals in 2012/13 and 2013/14. The Fire won the Wattle Valley WNBL premiership in the 2014/2015 season, beating the Bendigo Spirit 75-65 at the Townsville RSL Stadium. This represented the first national premiership for a Townsville-based sporting team.[2]
Off field, the Fire is focused on providing strong and healthy role models for girls and women.[3]
In 2014 the Townsville Fire announced that James Cook University would be a principal partner for three years, and that the team will be known as the JCU Townsville Fire for this period.[4]
Season-by-season records
| Season | Standings | Regular season | Finals | Head coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | PCT | ||||
| Townsville Fire | ||||||
| 2001–02 | 8th | 3 | 18 | 14.29 | Did not qualify | David Herbert |
| 2002–03 | 2nd | 15 | 6 | 71.00 | Lost Semi Final (Canberra, 68–67) Lost Preliminary Final (Sydney, 83–78) |
David Herbert |
| 2003–04 | 5th | 12 | 9 | 57.00 | Did not qualify | David Herbert |
| 2004–05 | 6th | 7 | 14 | 33.00 | Did not qualify | David Herbert |
| 2005–06 | 6th | 12 | 9 | 57.00 | Did not qualify | David Herbert |
| 2006–07 | 6th | 10 | 11 | 48.00 | Did not qualify | David Herbert |
| 2007–08 | 6th | 10 | 14 | 41.67 | Did not qualify | Peter Buckle |
| 2008–09 | 3rd | 16 | 6 | 72.73 | Won Semi Final (Adelaide, 91–78) Lost Preliminary Final (Bulleen, 79–68) |
Peter Buckle |
| 2009–10 | 4th | 14 | 8 | 63.64 | Won Elimination Final (Bendigo, 84–73) Lost Preliminary Final (Canberra, 60–39) |
Peter Buckle |
| Townsville Fire | ||||||
| 2010–11 | 7th | 10 | 12 | 45.45 | Did not qualify | Peter Buckle |
| 2011–12 | 4th | 13 | 9 | 59.09 | Won Elimination Final (Sydney, 85–78) Lost Preliminary Final (Dandenong, 77–66) |
Chris Lucas |
| 2012–13 | 4th | 13 | 11 | 54.17 | Won Semi Final (Adelaide, 60–53) Won Preliminary Final (Dandenong, 78–64) Lost Grand Final (Bendigo, 71–57) |
Chris Lucas |
| 2013–14 | 3rd | 16 | 8 | 66.67 | Won Semi Final (Melbourne, 78–73) Won Preliminary Final (Dandenong, 74–71) Lost Grand Final (Bendigo, 83–94) |
Chris Lucas |
| 2014–15 | 1st | 17 | 5 | 77.73 | Won Semi Final (Bendigo, 82–63) Won Grand Final (Bendigo, 75–65) |
Chris Lucas |
| 2015–16 | 1st | 17 | 7 | 70.83 | Lost Semi Final (Perth, 91–72) Won Preliminary Final (South East Queensland, 91–71) Won Grand Final (Perth, 2–0) |
Chris Lucas |
| Regular season | 185 | 147 | 55.72 | 2 Minor Premierships | ||
| Finals | 9 | 8 | 52.94 | 2 WNBL Championships | ||
Roster
Template:Townsville Fire roster
Former players
Gina Stevens, (2002–2004)- Natalie Porter, (2004–2006)
- Rachael McCully, (2004–2007, 2008–2015)
- Rohanee Cox, (2005–2010)
Jennifer Crouse, (2005–2009)- Kelly Wilson, (2005–2008)
Aneka Kerr, (2008–2010)- Jo Hill, (2009–2011)
- Nadeen Payne, (2010–2012)
- Shanavia Dowdell, (2011–2012)
- Jessica Foley, (2011–2013)
Team officials
Owners
- Townsville Fire Limited (2011–present)
Head coaches
| Townsville Fire head coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Board of Directors
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chair | Michelle Morton |
| Deputy Chair | Glenys Schuntner |
| Director | Warwick Cann |
| Director | Cath Rule |
| Director | Stephen Motti |
| Director | George Milford |
| Director | Suzy Wilson |
References
- ^ http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber%2Fhansardr%2Ffd07d20c-612a-4cfc-9907-eccf3865dec5%2F0155;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansardr%2Ffd07d20c-612a-4cfc-9907-eccf3865dec5%2F0000%22
- ^ http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/side-earn-top-city-honours/story-fnjfzs4b-1227254103038
- ^ http://www-public.jcu.edu.au/news/JCU_140442
- ^ http://www.wnbl.com.au/index.php?id=382&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=5157&tx_ttnews[backPid]=177&cHash=6e39efa2cb
External links
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