HI-TECH CENTRE FIRES UP WNBL TITLE CHARGE
A High-profile partnership with the North Queensland Cowboys could be the perfect tonic to help the Townsville Fire go one further this season.
The WNBL grand finalists last year, the Fire will relocate their pre-season training operations to the Cowboys’ Hutchison Builders Centre highperformance facility.
The Fire will have access to all of the ground-level training facilities, including recovery pools, gym and altitude training room, while their business operations will also move into the second floor.
The indoor field has been converted to a basketball court for the duration of the Fire’s stay at the facility.
Cowboys CEO Jeff Reibel said opening the facility to the Fire was part of a vision to attract elite-level sporting organisations and other codes to make use of the centre.
“To have this diversification here and to be able to offer these ladies the best opportunity to prepare for their season, we’re really proud to be able to play our part in that,” he said.
“We have a regular partnership in place with Football North Queensland, we’ve hosted the Oceania 7s rugby teams, the Wallabies and All Blacks, and now to be able to welcome JCU Townsville Fire as the only professional female sporting team in Northern Australia to the centre is an exciting collaboration for us.”
JCU Townsville Fire general manager Sam Pascoe said a strong pre-season would be pivotal to ensuring the side could go one better than its narrow grand final loss last season.
It is understood several players have already toured the Cowboys facility, including marquee recruit and Australian Opal Lauren Nicholson.
“There’s no other club in the WNBL who has access to these kinds of facilities,” Pascoe said.