All over for Cairns FC as late bid fails

AFTER a week of deliberations and a last- ditch attempt to save the club, Cairns FC’s licence has been officially handed back to Football Queensland.

The paperwork between the Cairns FC board and FQ was ticked off upon yesterday morning, with North Queensland to be without representation in the semi- professional league from 2019, with the Townsville- based club also now defunct.

The deal to terminate Cairns FC as a club was all but over the line on Monday, with the board citing significant financial losses over the past 12 months, but FQ and the board gave a group of passionate players and support staff a week to find a solution.

The last- ditch bid was led by experienced players Joshua Taylor and Shaun Owens as well Brisbane Roar Regional Academy coach John Cavanah and Stewart Carr, father of defender Nathan Carr, but fell short of the requirements to fund an NPL team.

A key plank of the deal struck by FQ and the outgoing Cairns FC board yesterday will see the Far North region have an opportunity to return to the NPL in the coming years, if a workable model is discovered.

A new quad- series will be introduced for kids, including representative teams from Cairns, Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville, to be played over five weekends, with each city hosting one round.

For the seniors, a Far North men’s and women’s team will travel to the annual Mackay Community Cup.