Fury welcome back Ferguson to oversee new era

THE deal is done. Ian Ferguson is a Fury man once again.

The North Queensland Fury's inaugural A-League coach over the weekend officially committed to the reborn Northern Fury's bold five-year vision to return the club to the Australian football top-flight.

Ferguson's position is the director of football and coaching and includes being the coach of the National Premier League team.

"We'll be implementing a few new things at the club and we'll be tweaking a few things - we're going to do the best we can working with coaches, players and parents," said the Scot.

"There's a lot to be done but a lot has already been achieved to get the club to where it is now and the infrastructure is very good."

Ferguson will be involved in managing all matters relating to football and coaching, from the NPL team, the Fury Football Academy and eventually overseeing the National Youth League and A-League teams upon admission.

Fury chairman Rabieh Krayem said the recruitment of the nine-time Scotland international, who coached at the Perth glory last season, was a major coup for the club.

"We're very fortunate to have Ian Ferguson come on board to help us in achieving our five-year plan for the club," he said.

"He's very passionate about the region and the development of players, which can only mean a great pathway for the younger players in the region. He has some great ideas and plans to move the club ahead."

Ferguson will start in the first week of October.

He takes over roles previously occupied by coach Gareth Edds and general manager Paul Smalley.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2013/09/02/388354_sport.html?

Who are the Warriors?

Fury set to begin hunt for community owners

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Expert David Friend is helping the Northern Fury develop a comprehensive membership plan | Photo: ZAK SIMMONDS

THE Northern Fury will release a community ownership program in November as the National Premier League club looks to attract 5000 members and help their cause for a return to the A-league.

The club has contracted the services of Melbourne-based marketing and membership expert David Friend, who has worked with a number of AFL, NRL, A-League and other high-profile sporting clubs, to help develop a program which makes the Townsville club the envy of the National Premier League.

Friend was in Townsville yesterday continuing six months of work with the Fury ahead of a workshop next month, in which the club will seek the ideas of the Townsville football community, including fans and local clubs, to see what people want from the Fury.

He said that workshop would start developing the story of the Fury, which in turn would encourage people to become members of the football club year after year regardless of on-field performance.

"We want the community to understand is we need to build the membership programs around the community," Friend said.

"We want them to feel part of the organisation, we want them to feel engaged, we want them to feel connected and to understand that it's about being proud to be a member.

"One of the benefits is you get to go to games, not building the whole thing around buying memberships to get tickets to the game."

Friend, who was the general manager of merchandise and membership at both the Hawthorn and St Kilda AFL clubs, said the benefit of this was it proofed the club against decreases in sponsorships and other economic factors.

"The benefit of membership is you should be able to keep 80 per cent of that income.

"The problem with sponsorship is that when it gets to the end of the contract everyone is pulling their hair out and saying 'I hope they re-sign or we're going to need to replace them'," he said.

In return, Friend said the club could give back to its members through exclusive benefits like functions, clinics by players and coaching staff and other things the football community wants that will make people stay involved.

Fury chairman Rabieh Krayem said they were aiming high for 5000 members, which would put them close to several A-league clubs and would give the club the best chance of returning to the highest level.

Krayem said buying a membership would also give people a say in how the club interacts with fans and grows into the future.

"Your membership buys you a say, you have an opinion and you get to voice it," he said.

"That's how the club becomes a members' club."

Fergie's daughter just posted on FB that she's coming back to Sydney.... Possibly the end of Fergie already?

Shall keep y'all posted.

Fergie's daughter just posted on FB that she's coming back to Sydney.... Possibly the end of Fergie already?

Shall keep y'all posted.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2013/09/18/389287_sport.html

-PB

The chairman is out of touch with reality clearly.

[youtube]FTeR75UIPAs[/youtube]

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What stadium is that?

This. =d>
Pity security was over the top with the lads. Just flying a flag became a mission.

Fucking joke.

-PB

SPORT
Amid support Ferguson knows he has his critics
ANTONY STEWART TOWNSVILLE BULLETIN OCTOBER 12, 2013 12:00AM
      
soccer
Newly appointed Fury coach Ian Ferguson cooked up a sausage sizzle at the new Thuringowa Coles store. Ian with under 18's NQ Fury player Sarah Barbi 16. Picture: Zak Simmonds Source: Townsville Bulletin
AMID the support greeting Ian Ferguson's return to the Northern Fury, he knows he has his critics.

They have privately questioned his passion for North Queensland talent after they perceived a lack of interest from the highly qualified Scot during his one-season stint as the Fury's A-League coach during the rushed 2009/10 campaign.

But Ferguson wants to clear the air.

One week into his new role as Northern's director of football, where his chief aim is to develop juniors to have them ready to play state league and - one day - A-League, he said developing local talent had been his passion from day one.

"There was a real pressure here to get an A-League team up and running within six months," Ferguson said.

"It was very difficult for me to look at youth at that time and my main job was to get an A-League team started and get as much quality as we could and then we were going to take it from there as part of a three-year plan.

"With the development, there was nothing in place - there was no youth team, no structure for a pathway.
"If I'd been able to stay on that had always been part of the plan.

"In the second year we wanted a Youth League team, which was crucial to the pathway for the kids, but that never developed."

Ferguson was replaced one year into his contract after Football Federation Australia took control of the Townsville-based club.

Hindsight gives the perception that the Fury were used as a pawn in Australia's failed World Cup hosting bid.

Their creation filled a criteria that the A-League be truly national, while also providing close links to Asia.

Soon after Australia was overlooked for the hosting rights for Qatar, North Queensland was axed.

"We never got that opportunity and within a year we were put out the door," Ferguson said. "I want people to understand that it wasn't a case of not looking for youth, it was a case of getting a team up and running and that, first and foremost, was going to be competitive in the A-League, and move to the bigger picture."

In the Fury's rebirth, the "big picture" had been priority No. 1 as the club has worked hand-in-hand with Townsville Football.

Starting from under-12s, the club has teams all the way through to state league level. The bold plan is to return the Fury to the A-League by 2018.

"When I came up here the first time the focus was on getting an A-League team, now our focus is to get the best North Queensland kids," Ferguson said. "If we get the structures right we'll have a lot of North Queensland kids in that team."

Coaching is just as important to Ferguson, who will make Fury coaches have minimum B-level qualification.

He said he had been pleasantly surprised by the level of coaching he had seen in the region.

"I want a good environment, a happy environment, everyone enjoying what they're doing and get that culture back," Fer- guson said.

"We're trying every single thing possible to give youth an opportunity."

The ppl on the NQ committee are the ones who will see the demise of the Fury.

Personally i don't have a problem with the board others do and i am sure for good reason.

I don't think the committee have anything to offer anyone.

I think gareth edds did a great job but in his selection process he alienated some players, parents,clubs,coaches (all a part of Football)and pleased others now Furgie will alienated other players (just as it should be,every coach has right to choose his squad) as time goes bye more will be alienated than pleased.
These are the football community who are expected to put their hand in their pockets and come up with the coin.

For the sake of consistency Gareth should of had 3 seasons to show what he could do.

Now if there is any hope for he Fury Furgie must be given 3 years min.

Our local players are not ready mentally or football wise to compete at the moment so imports will need to be found this will upset ppl more.

The only way to make our players better is for them to play against better teams this will take them out of the local comp intern alienating them further from the community.

Got my NFFC kit yesterday in the mail along with one for a mate. He was delighted and so am I - best value kit I've ever bought at $50 including postage! Looks mint too with some white short and socks, reccommend to anyone that is even remotely interested, quality kit for that kind of easy cash!

Ambitions to have an A-league licence in five years in Townsville are very real



FOOTBALL Queensland chief executive Geoff Foster will deliver a glowing review of the Northern Fury's A-League ambitions when he meets FFA boss David Gallop next week.


Foster was in Townsville this week, scrutinising the first year of the club's rebirth and he liked what he saw.
FQ are fully behind the Fury's five-year plan to resurrect following their controversial axing from Australia's premier competition in 2011 and aren't about to let FFA forget.

"Our ambitions to have an A-league licence in five years in Townsville are very real," said Foster, who will meet Gallop in Sydney on Thursday. "I'm very impressed with the work the Fury are doing.

They (FFA) have already said there won't be an A-League review in the current broadcast period, which has another three years remaining, and we accept that.

"But when the opportunity comes we want to be able to present a compelling case."

To do that, Northern have started from the ground up, with all representative programs from under-12s to Queensland's National Premier League teams running under the Fury banner.

Foster was a realist, conceding the Fury's maiden year wasn't without fault.

"But I love the fact that they have recognised some of their failings from last season and are very actively putting processes in place to make that better," he said.

One has been the recruitment of former A-League coach Ian Ferguson as the club's director of football.
Ferguson has quickly gone about tightening the club's coaching structures, demanding minimum B-licence qualifications.

"It's positive and it's a real investment," Foster said.

"We've got a program that anticipates a (Fury) National Youth League licence for 2015, a W-League licence for 2016 and a full A-League licence at the first opportunity of FFA Review."

But Foster said it would be unrealistic to expect that would mean guaranteed entry. He highlighted that franchises in Canberra, Wollongong and even Gold Coast were vying for admission.

"My board has decided that in Queensland our priority is North Queensland," Foster said.

I don't believe FFA have a full understanding or appreciation about the tyranny of distance and the difficulty (FQ) have in providing opportunities for advancing athletes (from its Brisbane base).

"It is absolutely imperative that we have a northern advanced player base and we will work to achieve that end."

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/ambitions-to-have-an-a-league-licence-in-five-years-in-townsville-are-very-real/story-fnjfzr2z-1226756114765

Roncato's northern girls



THE Northern Fury have started kicking goals in their quest for W-League admission, hiring the national league team's coach.

North Queensland women's football icon Catherine Roncato yesterday joined the club as their head of women's football - a role that will see her take charge of female player development from junior through to senior level.

In the long term, the club's hope is for the former Australia junior representative to coach Northern in the W-League.

"That would be ideal for me," Roncato said. "But even if I wasn't appointed to that role, I'd like to help the pathway happen.

"I'm all about developing players in the North. I'm very excited to come on board."

The reborn Fury, axed from the A-League in 2011, have a five-year plan that culminates with a return to the men's national competition.

Before that, the aim is to create National Youth League and W-League teams.

Roncato will work alongside legendary Scottish footballer and respected coach Ian Ferguson.

Northern's director of football said hiring the Ayr product was a significant step in providing a pathway for NQ girls to national level.

"It's very important that we get the girls' structure right ... and getting Catherine on board is a huge coup," Ferguson said. "(A W-League team) is very important to the Fury."

Roncato, 35, captained Australia during her junior days and was on track to play at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games before a knee injury robbed her of the chance.

But the silver lining was that it turned her focuses to coaching.

Roncato has her coaching B-licence and has been coaching Queensland teams for eight years.