Ipswich Force
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{infobox basketball club
| name = Ipswich Force
| color1 = white
| color2 = green
| color3 = yellow
| logo = Ipswich Force.jpg
| image_size = 160px
| leagues = NBL1 North
| founded = 1986
| history = Ipswich Eagles
1986–2006
Ipswich Force
2007–present
| dissolved =
| arena = Llewellyn Stadium
| capacity =
| location = Ipswich, Queensland
| colors = Green, yellow & white
{{color box|Green}} {{color box|Yellow}} {{colour box|White}}
| sponsor =
| president = Toni Caldwell
| vice-presidents = Jo Day
| gm =
| manager =
| coach = M: Chris Riches
W: Brad George
| captain =
| ownership =
| championships = 1 (2023) (M)
0 (W)
| website = [https://ipswichbasketball.com.au/ ipswichbasketball.com.au]
| h_body =
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}}
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.
Club history
Ipswich Basketball was founded in 1962.{{cite web|url=http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4827-0-0-0&sID=80573|title=OUR STORY|work=Ipswich Basketball Association|access-date=27 November 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127081118/http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4827-0-0-0&sID=80573|archive-date=27 November 2017}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://qbl.basketballqld.com.au/awards-and-history/qbl-state-champions-award-winners/|title=QBL State Champions & Award Winners|work=qbl.basketballqld.com.au|access-date=27 November 2017|archive-date=14 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114224724/http://qbl.basketballqld.com.au/awards-and-history/qbl-state-champions-award-winners/|url-status=dead}} The Eagles and the Suns won seven matches in a row to start the year, until they met in July and the Suns prevailed.{{cite news|last=Garry|first=Chris|url=https://www.qt.com.au/news/force-on-target-to-make-a-mark/516716/|title=Force on target to make a mark|work=The Queensland Times|date=24 April 2010|access-date=27 November 2017}} 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.
In November 2006, Ipswich Basketball renamed their representative sides the Ipswich Force for the 2007 season, ending the Eagles moniker.{{cite news|url=https://www.qt.com.au/news/apn-ipswich-prepares-for-qabl/81686/|title=Ipswich prepares for QABL transformation|work=The Queensland Times|date=30 November 2006|access-date=27 November 2017}}{{cite news|last=Lems|first=David|url=https://www.qt.com.au/news/Force-appoints-new-basketball-coach/393925/|title=Force appoints basketball coach|work=The Queensland Times|date=29 October 2009|access-date=27 November 2017}}
In 2013, the Force reached the QBL women's grand final,{{cite news|last=Boxall|first=Sally|url=https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/meteorettes-front-half-time/2004660/|title=Meteorettes to face Ipswich in QBL grand final|work=Daily Mercury|date=30 August 2013|access-date=27 November 2017}} where they were beaten 76–59 by the Mackay Meteorettes.{{cite news|url=https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/meteorettes-keep-silverware-mackay/2005046/|title=Meteorettes keep the silverware in Mackay|work=Daily Mercury|date=31 August 2013|access-date=27 November 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/meteorettes-ice-the-cake/2005086/|title=Meteorettes ice the cake|work=Daily Mercury|date=1 September 2013|access-date=27 November 2017}}
For the 2020 season, the Force joined the newly established NBL1 North, which replaced the QBL.{{cite web|url=https://nbl1.com.au/news/article/nbl1-expands-to-north-and-south-conferences|title=NBL1 Expands To North And South Conferences|work=NBL1.com.au|date=15 January 2020|access-date=15 January 2020}}
In 2023, the Force men won the NBL1 North championship with a 2–1 grand final series victory over the Gold Coast Rollers.{{cite web|last=Pike|first=Chris|url=https://nbl1.com.au/news/nbl1-north-recap-or-grand-finals-game-1/north/|title=NBL1 North Recap | Grand Finals Game 1|work=NBL1.com.au|date=4 August 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230805032911/https://nbl1.com.au/news/nbl1-north-recap-or-grand-finals-game-1/north/|archive-date=5 August 2023|access-date=5 August 2023}}{{cite web|last=Pike|first=Chris|url=https://nbl1.com.au/news/nbl1-north-recap-or-grand-finals-game-2/north/|title=NBL1 North Recap | Grand Finals Game 2|work=NBL1.com.au|date=5 August 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230806022452/https://nbl1.com.au/news/nbl1-north-recap-or-grand-finals-game-2/north/|archive-date=6 August 2023|access-date=6 August 2023}}{{cite web|last=Pike|first=Chris|url=https://nbl1.com.au/news/nbl1-north-recap-or-grand-final-game-3/north/|title=NBL1 North Recap | Grand Finals Game 3|work=NBL1.com.au|date=6 August 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230806100824/https://nbl1.com.au/news/nbl1-north-recap-or-grand-final-game-3/north/|archive-date=6 August 2023|access-date=6 August 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://nbl1.com.au/news/ipswich-force-crowned-nbl1-north-mens-champions/north/|title=Ipswich Force crowned NBL1 North men's champions|work=NBL1.com.au|date=6 August 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230806101041/https://nbl1.com.au/news/ipswich-force-crowned-nbl1-north-mens-champions/north/|archive-date=6 August 2023|access-date=6 August 2023}}{{cite web|last=Tucker|first=Nick|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/sport/nbl1-north-basketball-finals-jason-ralph-nathan-sobey-the-winning-recipe-for-the-ipswich-force/news-story/f8ad2d029be64ecc5012b60dca971cbc|title=NBL1 North Basketball finals: Jason Ralph, Nathan Sobey the winning recipe for the Ipswich Force|work=couriermail.com.au|date=7 August 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230808071308/https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/sport/nbl1-north-basketball-finals-jason-ralph-nathan-sobey-the-winning-recipe-for-the-ipswich-force/news-story/f8ad2d029be64ecc5012b60dca971cbc|archive-date=8 August 2023|access-date=8 August 2023}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://ipswichbasketball.com.au/ IBA's official website]
{{NBL1 North}}
Category:1986 establishments in Australia
Category:Basketball teams established in 1986
Category:Basketball teams in Queensland
Category:Sport in Ipswich, Queensland