Ipswich Force

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
Ipswich Force logo
LeaguesNBL1 North
Founded1986
HistoryIpswich Eagles
1986–2006
Ipswich Force
2007–present
ArenaLlewellyn Stadium
LocationIpswich, Queensland
Team colorsGreen, yellow & white
     
PresidentToni Caldwell
Vice-president(s)Michael Klaehn
General managerDavid Jordan
Head coachM: Chris Riches
W: Brad George
Championships1 (2023) (M)
0 (W)
Websiteipswichbasketball.com.au

Club history

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
  1. "OUR STORY". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  2. "QBL State Champions & Award Winners". qbl.basketballqld.com.au. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  3. Garry, Chris (24 April 2010). "Force on target to make a mark". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  4. "Ipswich prepares for QABL transformation". The Queensland Times. 30 November 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  5. Lems, David (29 October 2009). "Force appoints basketball coach". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  6. Boxall, Sally (30 August 2013). "Meteorettes to face Ipswich in QBL grand final". Daily Mercury. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  7. "Meteorettes keep the silverware in Mackay". Daily Mercury. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  8. "Meteorettes ice the cake". Daily Mercury. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  9. "NBL1 Expands To North And South Conferences". NBL1.com.au. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. "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.
  14. 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.
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