Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has come to my attention that Football Federal Australia is considering the abandonment of the Townsville based North Queensland Fury, which plays in the Hyundai A- League national competition. The Fury have quickly become part of the city’s sporting landscape. They share the national competition stage with the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL, the Crocs in the NBL, and the Fire in the WNBL. My son Andrew and I are regulars on the hill at Dairy Farmers Stadium when the Fury play their home games. The ‘Green Army’ of Fury supporters are passionate about their team and the world game.

Any new venture requires time to hit its straps. Be it a restaurant or a national competition sporting franchise, it needs support both from the grass roots and from the governing bodies. Support for the Fury has been slowly but surely building in recent months, despite some difficulties in securing ongoing financial support and in building consistent crowd numbers. The Fury are not alone in finding themselves in need of support as the code works to build its national profile. The people of Townsville will support anyone who is having a dead set go. What they will not do is get involved with a franchise where the people making the decisions in Sydney or Melbourne do not give the local team enough time to establish themselves in and with the North Queensland community.

The FFA is to be praised for the support they gave in the team’s first year but deserve the criticism levelled at them for their apparent contempt of Townsville’s local football public. We as a community have every right to believe that the FFA would be providing ongoing support for our team as they do for other teams in the A-League. We have over 3,000 football players down at the Murray sporting complex each weekend who are passionate about their chosen code. From the Saints’ Sand Crabs under-8s through the local premier league and the razorback’s state league side, they see the Fury as their pathway to an opportunity to support and possibly play in an elite competition from home.

I would like to make special mention of the work done by David and Keith Williams, who give generously of their time to ensure Indigenous junior players have a path to follow. With his speed and natural athletic ability, David is certainly a crowd pleaser and the crowd stands whenever he is in possession. Keith is back office at the club and works with his brother and others in all communities throughout the region providing a message of looking after your health, a good education and playing for the love of the game.

Fury coach Franz Straka has brought a new, energetic brand of football to the Fury. Our team is exciting to watch. They are young, passionate, and work hard at football. We are heading in the right direction and the coaching staff must be applauded for their approach to the game. Crowds are building and the sponsorships are increasing. All we need is a little time and continued support from the FFA.

Just last week a new shirt sponsor, Queensland Nickel, was announced. But all this could be for nothing. Our local newspaper, the Townsville Bulletin, carried a front-page story this morning, labelling FFA chief executive Ben Buckley ‘Public Enemy No. 1’. A banner headline above a photo of Mr Buckley says, ‘This is the man who wants to kill the Fury.’ The newspaper is mounting a public campaign to save the Fury from what appears to be a corporate assassination. One cannot help but wonder if the same arms-length corporate stance would apply to the Sydney or Melbourne teams. As a proud member of the Townsville community and an enthusiastic supporter of the Fury, I call on the FFA to reconsider their reported decision and give the club more time to prove their viability. This uncertainty is having a damaging effect on the playing roster as the club is not in a position to guarantee anything at all beyond this year.

I recall the many problems faced by the Cowboys, the Crocs and the Fire when they first entered their respective national competitions. These franchises were able to overcome their teething problems and are now viable participants in Australia’s national sporting scene. I have no doubt that the Fury, with the support of the FFA, the business community and football fans throughout North Queensland, will become a viable business and eventually a power to be reckoned with in the A-League. Once again, I urge the FFA, the business leaders of the north and football fans everywhere to send a clear signal to Mr Buckley that the Fury must be part of any national competition.