Welcome to the Thuringowa Bulldogs Australian Football Club
This site was last updated on 12 June 2009

		About Us
		Brief History of the Bulldogs Australian Football Club Formerly the West Townsville Australian Football Club The West Townsville Australian Football Club was formed in 1969 at a meeting at the Vale Hotel and consisted mainly of a breakaway group of players from the Hermit Park and Currajong Football Clubs and several RAAF players. The Bulldogs played their first match in the Townsville AFL in 1970 and won their first Seniors Premiership in 1971. The next Seniors Premiership came eight years later in 1980. In total the Seniors have played in 20 Grand Finals and have won on nine occasions. The Senior side has had a record equalling eight appearances playing in eight successive Grand Finals 1987 to 1994 The Reserve team also has an impressive record in Grand Final appearances. The Bulldogs first fielded a Reserves side in 1971 and won their first Reserves Premiership in 1977. The West Townsville Junior Football Club was formed in 1974 and have been a strength in the Townsville Junior competition ever since. The Seniors side had the tag of easy beats throughout the 80's as they lost seven preliminary finals in a row whilst the Reserves dominated much of the 80's and early 90's. In 1980 the Bulldogs were the first club in Townsville to clinch the "Grand Final Double" where both the Reserves and Seniors won the Premierships. The Club has repeated the Double on four occasions. In 1980 the Bulldogs broke a record five Grand Final winning streak by Currajong AFC. Since the formation of the Bulldogs the club has forged a strong association with the members of the Australian Defence Forces. The Bulldogs trained for many seasons at the RAAF Oval on Ingham Road. In 1980 the Junior Committee secured a lease on a block of land "out in the sticks" off the Thuringowa Shire Council and the West Townsville Sporting Association was formed. This association made up of both Junior & Senior representatives went on to build a clubhouse at Pioneer Park. This clubhouse was affectionately named the "Doghouse" and was the "Home of the Bulldogs" until the commencement of the construction of the Riverway Stadium in July 2006. In 2001 the members of the West Townsville Australian Football Club voted unanimously to join with the Thuringowa City Council and commit to the Riverway Project with the goal of being a tenant of the International Standard Stadium, now known as the Tony Ireland Stadium. In 2002 the members of the West Townsville Australian Football Club made the monumental decision to change the name and identity of the club to the Thuringowa Bulldogs Australian Football Club. The main objective of the Thuringowa Bulldogs Australian Football Club is to "promote, advance, cultivate and foster the game of Australian Football" Through the determination and traditions that exist within the club, this objective is and will continue to be achieved. What's on the Horizon for Season 2009? In season 2008 the Bulldogs took up residency at the newly constructed Tony Ireland Stadium and what a season it was! A 16.5 million dollar stadium and we are the key holders to what is arguably the best regional sports stadium in Australia. As you would imagine there were many bugs to be ironed out during last season and as a club we hope we have identified and rectified these which will ensure we are well placed to for an assault of a couple of Premiership Flags in September! Player numbers in the Junior side of the club boomed last season and the Bulldogs fielded two teams in the Under 9, 11 and 13 age groups along with a team in both the Under 15's and 17 competitions. Early indications are that the Bulldogs may have sufficient numbers to field a third team in this seasons Under 13 competition. So all looks promising for the future of the club! Along with the increase in numbers comes the challenge of recruitment of volunteers and this without doubt is one of the biggest hurdles faced by the club. If it were not for the volunteers the club would struggle to survive. If you feel like you would like to become a volunteer and assist with either the little tasks or the administration of the club, please do not hesitate to contact anyone from the committee. There are plenty of tasks that need to be done! If you have any suggestions as to how the club can progress please put them forward. The Junior sides will again have to opportunity to play some "Overseas Matches" even if it is only at Magnetic Island!! There will also be a few trips out to "Gold Fields" town of Charters Towers. All up the juniors are set for another big year. In 2008 the Seniors also experienced an increase in player numbers and this was directly associated to the return to Pioneer Park and the opportunity to train and play at Tony Ireland Stadium. The increase in numbers had the coaching staff smiling from ear to ear as for the first time since we vacated Pioneer Park that they were not having to ring around on a Thursday evening trying to recruit players for a Saturday match. There is an old say "Quantity breeds Quality" and the 2009 coaching staff are sure this will be the case this season. The Seniors kicked off Pre-season training on the 6th January and even though some believe this to be too early, the 30 or so players who were there were keen to go! This season will again see the Seniors travel to Cairns to participate a practice match against North Cairns to coincide with the AFL NAB Challenge Cup. To top off the preseason preparations the Doggies will travel to Arlie Beach for the Mackay Pre-season. Though we travel on two occasions the opportunities to form new friendships both on and off the field far outweigh the inconvenience of travel. Both the Senior and Junior 2009 Season Draws are being worked on and the season proper for the Juniors should commence after Easter with the possibility of some practice/grading games being played before Easter. Whilst the Seniors will commence before Easter with the Grand Final being played on the 12th September. The Social Committee have also been working on a Social Calendar which will feature the ever popular events like "Ladies & Sponsors Night", "Trivia Night", "Texas Poker" and Miss Bulldog" to mention a few. The Juniors will also be hosting some "Dine in Movie Nights" with the aid of the Big Screen in the Clubhouse. These nights are sure to be a great night for all families. The Club produces a weekly newsletter so keep an eye out for the dates of these events.
© 2009 Thuringowa Bulldogs.    All rights reserved Click Here to contact the webmaster.