Sports Clubs Townsville: Cowboys & Local GuideUpdated

Townsville's sporting culture is one of Australia's most passionately regional: the North Queensland Cowboys NRL club (Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville) are one of the NRL's most beloved teams, having won the 2015 NRL premiership and built a passionate following that extends across the enormous geographical catchment of north and north-west Queensland. The Cowboys' community programs (which extend to Indigenous communities across Cape York and the Gulf Country) and the club's commitment to providing role models for young north Queenslanders make the Cowboys one of the NRL's most significant community-oriented clubs. Beyond the Cowboys, Townsville's Coral Sea access, the Strand foreshore, and the Magnetic Island provide outstanding conditions for outdoor and water sport.

North Queensland Cowboys — the North Queensland Cowboys (Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville, opened 2020 as one of Australia's finest regional sports stadiums) are one of the NRL's most distinctive clubs, representing the extraordinary geographic diversity of north and north-west Queensland in a single club. The Cowboys' 2015 NRL premiership (won with a last-minute field goal by Johnathan Thurston in extra time — the greatest moment in Townsville sporting history) and the legendary status of Thurston himself (who is regarded by many as the greatest rugby league player of his generation) have cemented the Cowboys' place in Australian sporting culture. Queensland Country Bank Stadium (25,000 capacity) provides an outstanding facility for a regional city of Townsville's size.

Townsville Fire (Basketball) — the Townsville Fire (Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre) are the WNBL's North Queensland women's basketball club and one of the competition's most consistently competitive clubs, having won five WNBL championships. The Fire's extraordinary success (relative to market size, the Fire are one of the most decorated clubs in Australian basketball history) and the quality of basketball available in Townsville provide outstanding elite women's sport for north Queensland basketball fans.

Outdoor and Water Sport — Townsville's extraordinary natural setting (the Coral Sea, Magnetic Island, the Bowling Green Bay wetlands, and Castle Hill) creates outstanding conditions for trail running, sailing, kayaking, and the recreational diving and snorkelling that access to the Great Barrier Reef provides.

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