Northern Force (NBL1 South)
| Northern Force | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leagues | NBL1 South |
| Founded | September 2025 |
| History | Northern Force 2026– |
| Arena | Elphin Sports Centre Ulverstone Sports & Leisure Centre |
| Location | Launceston, Tasmania Ulverstone, Tasmania |
| Team colors | Purple, white and black |
| President | Craig Gibson[1] |
| Head coach | M: Jayden Smith[1] W: Zoë Mesman[1] |
| Website | NBL1.com.au |
Northern Force is an Australian basketball club set to debut in the men's and women's NBL1 South in 2026. The club will split their operations across two northern Tasmanian cities, Launceston and Ulverstone, and will play their home games at Elphin Sports Centre and Ulverstone Sports & Leisure Centre.
History
In 2020, the Launceston Tornadoes and North-West Tasmania Thunder were granted jointly-held licences to compete in the NBL1 South competition. The agreement at the time was that this shared licence would conclude at the end of the 2025 NBL1 season and that a male and female team must be fielded under a single entity from 2026 onwards.[2]
In September 2025, it was announced that a newly established Northern Tasmania Basketball Club (NTBC) would enter the NBL1 South for the 2026 NBL1 season with a men's and women's program, replacing the Tornadoes women and Thunder men.[3][4][5] Basketball Tasmania awarded the licence to the Tornadoes-backed NTBC entity, leaving the Thunder's bid unsuccessful.[6] The NTBC's official representative team name[1][7] was revealed as the Northern Force in February 2026, with purple, white and black colours.[8][9]
The Force will host 11 home games in 2026, spread evenly between Launceston and the North West.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d Bevis, Jacob (8 December 2025). "'Competitive spirit': meet the man who is taking the reins of this new team". www.theadvocate.com.au. Archived from the original on 9 December 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ a b Miles, Jessica (12 September 2025). "Northern Tasmania NBL1 License Statement". Basketball Tasmania. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ "Northern Tasmania Basketball Club awarded NBL1 South license". launcestontornadoes.au. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "'Emotional time': Thunder hit back at 'monumental step back' for basketball". nbl1.com.au. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ Brown, Peter (11 September 2025). "Tasmania lands new NBL1 South club in 2026 | Basketball.com.au". www.basketball.com.au. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ "Northern Force announced as Tasmania's new NBL1 basketball team". Pulse Tasmania. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ^ Hann, Ben (5 November 2025). "New Tassie club's board ratified, begins 'big undertaking' before first game". www.examiner.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 November 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ Tuxworth, Jon (10 February 2026). "Tassie's new NBL club reveals name". codesports.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "Northern Force unveiled as Northern Tasmania's new NBL1 South identity". NBL1.com.au. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.