South-West Queensland Thunder Technical Director Richard Mitchell believes the club’s first season in state-wide senior competition will assist the region in retaining players and strengthen the game locally.

Thunder fielded youth sides in last year’s NPL prior to being granted a full license in September, and Mitchell has been busy laying the ground work to ensure the side is competitive in their first senior season.

The signs are already positive for the club, with Thunder’s Under 20’s turning heads with their spirited display in last year’s NPL Queensland Final Series, losing out to Brisbane City in the Under 20 Grand Final.

Mitchell, who originally hails from Glasgow and his known around the club as ‘Mr Magic’, said the key to making the NPL model work for the region’s elite footballers was getting the balance right on and off the field.

“They go hand in hand,” Mitchell explained, “You see professional football teams that are very, very successful but, because they haven’t got it right in the administration off the field, it becomes a real problem later on.”

“We’ve got magic coaches and tremendous administrators, so the foundation is solid and we have to keep working at it.”

“For us it’s a long term work in progress, and the process of developing players and coaches never stops.”

Mitchell said the National Premier Leagues provided the region’s elite footballers with an opportunity to continue their development without having to leave the region.

“When we got the full license it was a real boost for not only the football club but for the area as well,” he explained.

“Young boys and girls who want to play at a good level don’t have to leave south-west Queensland now, they actually can go through that pathway through the NPL from juniors to seniors.”

To that end Mitchell said some younger players from last year’s impressive Under 20’s side will form part of the senior squad this season.

“Obviously some of those boys have put their hands up to play that higher level of football,” he explained.

“We’re always of the theory that if they are good enough and technically, tactically and mentally smart enough, then we’ll pick them for the senior side.”

“There are some boys there who have come up through from Under 12’s under the old system as well, so they have been with us for a while.”

Mitchell said he wanted to instil an exciting brand of football at the club in the men’s and women’s senior sides, who will play their home matches out of Toowoomba’s iconic Clive Berghofer Stadium.

“It’s a good stadium with good facilities and there’ll be good football on view. Football’s obviously about winning points and winning games but also about entertaining the public, and we think we can do that.”

Mitchell also said the local media are already taking a keen interest in the club’s progress.

“We will get fantastic coverage from the newspapers, radio and the television, we go on the local news once a week talking about NPL and local football.”

“I think the general public is very much behind it and it’s not just about football, it’s about bringing some entertainment so non- football people get behind the NPL too.”

Thunder commence their senior men’s season with an away trip to Rockhampton against CQFC Energy in the opening round, before playing their first home match against defending NPL Queensland Premiers Olympic FC on March 8.

 

Words: Michael Flynn (Football Queensland)
Image: Keith Eigeland