Northern Fury FC

Northern Fury Football Club

Company type	Professional soccer club
Industry	Sports
Predecessor	North Queensland Fury FC
Founded	November 6, 2008 (2008-11-06)
Defunct	2018 (2018)
Fate	Ceased operations
Headquarters	Townsville , Australia
Area served	Queensland, Australia
Key people	Dean Hassall (CEO, 2008), František Straka (coach, 2010–2011), Gareth Edds (coach, 2012–2013)
Products	Soccer team
Parent	North Queensland Football (from 2012 revival)

Northern Fury Football Club was a professional soccer team from Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, the club initially competed in the A-League under the name North Queensland Fury until it was expelled from the league on 1 March 2011 because of financial difficulties. Following this, the club was re-established on 3 October 2012 after obtaining a licence to participate in the National Premier League Queensland. In 2017, the team underwent a rebranding to become "North Queensland United," but ceased operations once more after the conclusion of the 2018 Football Queensland season. Their home fixtures took place at Townsville Sports Reserve.

Establishment

The bid initially known as Northern Thunder FC (also referred to as North Queensland Thunder FC) was proposed to join the 2008–09 season alongside the Gold Coast Galaxy. This campaign advanced publicly with the unveiling of a team crest and colour scheme consisting of red, white, and black. Plans included training sessions at the North Queensland Institute of Sport and hosting home matches at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Although the bid received provisional approval to enter for the 2008–09 season, which would have increased the league to ten teams, it fell apart after its principal financial supporter withdrew on 5 March 2008. Subsequently, on 11 March 2008, Football Federation Australia announced that neither Thunder nor Galaxy would be admitted "in the best interests of the league," postponing expansion until the 2009–10 season.

By June 2008, with expansion deferred, FFA had received ten applications for new A-League franchises, including two from Townsville—one spearheaded by Melbourne entrepreneur Milissa Fischer and another by local businessman Don Matheson. Emerging from the Northern Thunder bid's failure, Matheson's proposal was provisionally approved by FFA on 24 July. Franchise acceptance was confirmed by CEO Ben Buckley on 28 August 2008, pending completion of legal formalities.

The franchise adopted the name North Queensland Fury FC on 6 November 2008. Their first kit, revealed in April 2009, featured dark green sleeves and socks paired with a white and light green torso.

On 10 December 2008, Dean Hassall, a businessman originally from Rockhampton, was appointed as CEO. The club also brought on board Alan McCall—formerly Celtic's strength and conditioning coach—and appointed Nicholas Deluca as Football Operations Manager.

Challenges and closure

On 7 June 2010, František Straka, previously coach of Sparta Prague and the Czech Republic national team, was signed on a one-year contract to lead the team for the 2010–11 A-League season.

The club ended the 2010/11 campaign at the bottom of the standings, securing only four wins out of thirty matches and drawing an average crowd of just 4,245 spectators—amongst the lowest attendance figures recorded in A-League history. To mitigate financial losses, a community ownership strategy aimed to raise $1.5 million annually over three years to cover approximately half of anticipated deficits. However, FFA chief Ben Buckley made it clear that ongoing losses would not be supported by their organization.

Due to persistent financial instability, the club's A-League licence was revoked on 1 March 2011. The Fury had managed to secure only $300,000 towards required investment for the upcoming season; despite improvements in sponsorship revenues, projected operating losses ranged between $2 million and $3 million. Given these circumstances, FFA determined that continuing support posed an unacceptable financial risk.

Revival and Subsequent Dissolution

On 3 October 2012, the club was revived to participate in the 2013 National Premier Leagues Queensland Conference, overseen by a newly appointed board established by North Queensland Football. The team preserved its original Fury emblem. Former player Gareth Edds took on the role of head coach while continuing his playing career.

The organisation underwent a rebranding on 13 September 2017, adopting the name North Queensland United and embracing the region's classic colours of blue, red, and gold. Nevertheless, after completing the 2018 Football Queensland season, NQ United ceased operations once more.

Rivalries

Northern Fury held a competitive rivalry with fellow North Queensland NPL side Far North Queensland FC (currently Cairns FC), contesting the Frank Farina Cup.

Colours and Emblem

The club’s palette consisted of light and dark green alongside white, representing the area's rich tropical foliage. The badge, introduced in 2008 following confirmation of A-League entry, showcased "tropical green," a hue that elicited varied opinions among supporters.

During their time in the A-League, North Queensland Fury hosted home fixtures at Dairy Farmers Stadium, while their NPL Queensland matches took place at Townsville Sports Reserve.

Internationals Who Represented North Queensland

• Shane Stefanutto
• David Williams
• Jeremy Brockie
• Eugene Sseppuya

Coaching Staff

Name	From	To
Template:Country data SCOTemplate:Namespace detect showall Ian Ferguson	Jul 2009	Jun 2010
Template:Country data CZETemplate:Namespace detect showall František Straka	Jul 2010	Mar 2011
Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Gareth Edds	Nov 2012	Aug 2013
Template:Country data SCOTemplate:Namespace detect showall Ian Ferguson	Oct 2013	Feb 2017
Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Paul Roncato	Feb 2017	Dec 2017

Club captains

Tenure	Player	Remarks	Achievements (as captain)
2009–2011	Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Ufuk Talay	First-ever club captain

Finishing Positions Timeline

Tournament	2009–10	2010–11	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
A-League	7th place	11th place	No Participation
NPL Queensland	No Participation			7th place	11th place	8th place	12th place	8th place	13th place
FFA Cup	Tournament Not Conducted				Fifth Round	Sixth Round	Sixth Round	Sixth Round	Sixth Round

Yearly Performance Record

Season	League Level (tier)	Played	Wins	Draws	Losses	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Difference	Points	Final Standing	Playoffs	Australia Cup
	League Performance
2009–10	A-League (1)	27	8	8	11	29	46
32	"7th"	"DNQ"
2010–11	A-League (1)	30	4	7	"19"	"28"	"60"
"19"	"11th"	"DNQ"
2013	"NPL Queensland (2)"	"22"	"9"	"5"	"8"	"48"	"43"	" +5 "	"32"	"7th"	"DNQ"
2014	"NPL Queensland (2)"	"24"	"6"	"4"	"14"	"38"	"50"
"22"	"11th"	"DNQ"
2015	"NPL Queensland (2)"	"22"	"10"	"1"	"11"	"42"	"44"
"31"	"8th"	"DNQ"
2016	"NPL Queensland (2)"	"22"	"0"	"4"	"18"	"22"	"73"
"4"	"12th"	"DNQ"
2017	"NPL Queensland (2)"	"22"	"7"	"4"	"11"	"36"	"55"
"25"	"8th" "DNQ"
2018	"NPL Queensland (2)"	"26" "6" "1" "19" "35" "71" -36 "13" "13th" "DNQ" /> Secondary Titles and Recognitions Queensland Nickel Cup Awarded 2009/10 (contested between NQ Fury and Gold Coast United: NQ Fury record W2/D0/L1 across three league matches) Chief Minister's Cup – Secured in 2009 (3–2 victory over Adelaide United, hosted in Darwin/NT on 02/07/09) All-Time League Records Largest win: 8–0 against SWQ Thunder (home), 16 March 2014 Heaviest loss: 1–8 at Adelaide United (away), 21 January 2011 Top league attendance: 8,897 spectators versus Sydney FC, 8 August 2009 Lowest league attendance: 600 spectators against Olympic FC, 27 July 2013 Longest winning run: 3 consecutive matches (29 June 2013 – 13 July 2013) Longest unbeaten run: 6 matches without defeat (9 June 2013 – 13 July 2013) Longest losing streak: 14 matches (22 August 2015 – 4 June 2016) Longest run without a win: 23 matches (22 August 2015 – ongoing) Most goals scored in a single match: 4 – Gareth Edds versus Olympic FC (home), 27 July 2013 & Braedyn Crowley versus SWQ Thunder (home), 16 March 2014 Highest seasonal goal tally: 17 – Braedyn Crowley, during the 2014 campaign Most assists in a single season: 13 – Reyze Kelly, in the 2013 season Note: Beginning in 2013, the Fury hosted games at venues with approximately 3,000-seat capacity. Appearances Rank Player Appearances 1 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Corey Waples 126 2 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Hamish Cassady 86 3 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Caleb Hobson 65 4 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Ari Isman 56 5 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jacob Crowley 51 6 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall David Williams 49 7 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Chris Grossman 43 8 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jake Perry 40 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Benjamin Stanley 40 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall George Dalton 40 Goals Rank Player Goals 1 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Braedyn Crowley 17 2 Template:Country data NZLTemplate:Namespace detect showall Michael Eisenhut 12 3 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Alex Read 11 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jonathon Bagley 11 5 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Gareth Edds 10 Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jake Perry 10 Template:Country data ENGTemplate:Namespace detect showall Joseph Thornton 10 See also List of North Queensland Fury FC players External links Official website of Northern Fury FC Official photos from North Queensland Fury FC's 2010 Awards Night