Ipswich Force is a NBL1 North club based in Ipswich, Queensland. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 North. The club is a division of Ipswich Basketball Association (IBA), the major administrative basketball organisation in the region. The Force play their home games at Llewellyn Stadium.
| Ipswich Force | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leagues | NBL1 North |
| Founded | 1986 |
| History | Ipswich Eagles 1986–2006 Ipswich Force 2007–present |
| Arena | Llewellyn Stadium |
| Location | Ipswich, Queensland |
| Team colors | Green, yellow & white |
| President | Toni Caldwell |
| Vice-president(s) | Michael Klaehn |
| General manager | David Jordan |
| Head coach | M: Chris Riches W: Brad George |
| Championships | 1 (2023) (M) 0 (W) |
| Website | ipswichbasketball.com.au |
Club history edit
Ipswich Basketball was founded in 1962.[1] 1986 saw the formation of the Queensland Basketball League (QBL) with both a men's and women's competition. Ipswich, trading as the Eagles, entered a team into both the Men's QBL and Women's QBL. In the QBL's inaugural season, the Eagles men reached the final, where they faced the Townsville Suns.[2] The Eagles and the Suns won seven matches in a row to start the year, until they met in July and the Suns prevailed.[3] In 1987 and 1994, the Ipswich women's team reached the championship game, but fell short both times, losing to the Mackay Meteorettes in 1987 and the Cairns Dolphins in 1994.[2]
In November 2006, Ipswich Basketball renamed their representative sides the Ipswich Force for the 2007 season, ending the Eagles moniker.[4][5]
In 2013, the Force reached the QBL women's grand final,[6] where they were beaten 76–59 by the Mackay Meteorettes.[7][8]
For the 2020 season, the Force joined the newly established NBL1 North, which replaced the QBL.[9]
In 2023, the Force men won the NBL1 North championship with a 2–1 grand final series victory over the Gold Coast Rollers.[10][11][12][13][14]
References edit
- ^ "OUR STORY". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ a b "QBL State Champions & Award Winners". qbl.basketballqld.com.au. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Garry, Chris (24 April 2010). "Force on target to make a mark". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Ipswich prepares for QABL transformation". The Queensland Times. 30 November 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Lems, David (29 October 2009). "Force appoints basketball coach". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Boxall, Sally (30 August 2013). "Meteorettes to face Ipswich in QBL grand final". Daily Mercury. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Meteorettes keep the silverware in Mackay". Daily Mercury. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Meteorettes ice the cake". Daily Mercury. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "NBL1 Expands To North And South Conferences". NBL1.com.au. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ Pike, Chris (4 August 2023). "NBL1 North Recap | Grand Finals Game 1". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ Pike, Chris (5 August 2023). "NBL1 North Recap | Grand Finals Game 2". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ Pike, Chris (6 August 2023). "NBL1 North Recap | Grand Finals Game 3". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Ipswich Force crowned NBL1 North men's champions". NBL1.com.au. 6 August 2023. Archived from the original on 6 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ Tucker, Nick (7 August 2023). "NBL1 North Basketball finals: Jason Ralph, Nathan Sobey the winning recipe for the Ipswich Force". couriermail.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.