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About AFL in Townsville: The AFL Townsville League was established around 65 years ago. The League currently consists of 5 main clubs that are all based within the city. There are also a number of emerging clubs that are developing their juniors and women’s teams with aspirations of joining the main league in the future.
Each of the 5 main clubs have various junior grades, women’s teams, and reserves and senior men’s teams. The top echelon of players for each club are typically high quality with some ex AFL, VFL, NEAFL, SANFL players scattered throughout the league. A number of local players have also been drafted to the AFL in recent times. Townsville is quite a transient city, with many southerners coming and going each year. This creates a constant flow of players in and out of teams which can result in significant shifts in team performance within a short timeframe.
The regular season is 20 rounds – with each club playing 16 games, with a bye approximately every 5th week. This is great for freeing up time to get away and explore the region.
About the University Hawks: The University Hawks AFC was established in 1989. We are affiliated with James Cook University where our training facilities are located. Whilst we have a strong University connection, our players come from across the wider community and are from varied backgrounds such as tradies, medical professionals, defence forces, accountants, architects, hospitality workers etc. A large portion of our players have moved to Townsville from interstate with strong representation from Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia.
Over our 31 year history we have enjoyed much success having won 9 Senior Premierships and 7 Reserve Grade Premierships. In recent years we have lost 2 grand finals (2017/18) and keen to get back into the premiership window ASAP!
With Women's footy at the forefront of the growth in AFL across the country, the interest in Women's footy has been huge for the club and the ladies are very competitive taking the flag in the 1st year of the Women entering teams in the league. There is a strong connection between our men’s and women’s team’s, training together occasionally, and attending social events.
We also have a strong juniors program.
Like every club – we would love to attract ‘gun’ players and we are certainly on the look out for that. But we also welcome players of all abilities. There is a good chance that if you are a fringe ressies / seniors player down south, you could be a good chance of playing consistent seniors footy for the Hawks. We also have opportunities for those who may only be interested in playing ressies. Due to the warm conditions up here, it is rare for anyone to sit on the interchange for more than 5-10 minutes so game time is generally quite high. We also welcome groups of mates that may be looking for a change of scenery living and playing footy in the tropics for 6 months! Our season commences mid April 2021, but we are open to people joining our club any time up to the registration transfer closing date (June / July).
Our men’s and women’s teams range from 17 - 40+ years old. We are a very social club with many events held throughout the year. As many of our players are from interstate there is often a strong connection off the field with players becoming good mates. We also pride ourselves on being a family club, with many kids, siblings, parents playing and / or involved in other roles within the club.
Training Venue: James Cook University - Townsville
Playing Venue: We play our games at one of the best stadiums in regional Queensland
Job Prospects: There are currently a lot of job prospects in Townsville in a wide range of industries for both skilled and non-skilled roles. We have a wide network of business owners within our club and one of our Committee members manages an employment agency. We are happy to explore options and provide leads for anyone interested in a move to Townsville.
Housing: Housing options are varied. There is a reasonably high demand for rental properties at present. We have connections within our club and can assist with finding rental properties, and there may be current players with rooms available in share accommodation. We are happy to view properties in advance for anyone wanting to move to Townsville.
Relocation Assistance: We do not offer financial relocation assistance. However we are willing to assist prospective players with organising removalists, accommodation etc.
Player Remuneration: It is very rare for players to get paid in Townsville. There are no AFL leagues clubs here and home ground facilities aren’t big money generators.
Our club offers monetary prizes for best on ground after each game, as well as other incentives.
Lifestyle: Townsville is the largest Australian city North of Brisbane, with a population of approximately 200,000 people. We are located on the coast approximately 1300km North of Brisbane – in between Cairns and Mackay. Directly off the coast is Magnetic Island which is a fantastic getaway (only a 20 minute ferry ride) with some cool beaches, pubs, restaurants, and accommodation. A bit further off the coast is The Great Barrier Reef which is awesome for diving and fishing.
Townsville is home to some major sporting teams / events including: The North Queensland Cowboys (NRL), The Townsville Fire (WNBL), V8 Supercars, PBR Bull riding, Townsville Cup (horse racing), and Groovin’ The Moo music festival.
The new Queensland Country Bank Stadium (home of the Cowboys) hosts various national and international sporting events and concerts all year round. https://queenslandcountrybankstadium.com.au/
Townsville can get quite hot during the summer with consistent temps in the mid 30’s and high humidity. But the middle of the year (footy season!) is perfect conditions - typically mid 20’s and rarely raining. It’s shorts and t-shirts weather all year round up here.
Committee: The University Hawks has a very strong and active Committee with 14 members. 2021 is an important year for us and we are focused on strong growth of our club and continuing to cultivate a positive and supportive culture across the board.
University Hawks – Townsville
Email: unihawks.tsv@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UniHawksAFC
President:
Narrisha McDougal
0411 346 357
Senior Men’s Coach:
Michael Trigg
0419 324 343
micktrigg@gmail.com
Women’s Coach:
Brett Clifford
0422 615 796
Clifford1506@hotmail.com
Social Media Manager:
Siobhan Clifford
siobhan@mnf.com.au
