Townsville's unique advantage: The Fire Pit

After five games straight on the road, the Townsville Fire have finally back where they belong - in ‘The Fire Pit’ - to launch Round 5 in front of their famously fiery home crowd returned home to “The Fire Pit” to kick off Round 5. 

With a 4-1 record and surviving a 10-day road trip, the Fire will hit their home floor for the first time since hosting the inaugural Townsville Tip Off pre-season tournament in late August. 

Renowned as one of the loudest and proudest atmospheres in the WNBL, Captain Courtney Woods explained how good it is to be home and ahead of their clash against Adelaide.

“The 10-day road trip was very humbling, it was great to finish it off with two wins, but it felt like a whirlwind. Just being home and training for a couple days in a row, I think [Head Coach] Shannon (Seebohm) is pretty happy,” she said. 

“Our fans have waited very patiently. [The Fire Pit] is incredibly loud, night in and night out, Townsville shows up for the Fire – especially on a Saturday night. They don’t just sit there, they yell, they heckle, they let us know if we’re playing bad, it makes them pretty unique.”

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Five-time coach of the Year Shannon Seebohm echoed Wood’s praise, highlighting how much of an edge the Fire faithful provide. 

Five-time Coach of the Year Shannon Seebohm also added how impactful the loyal Fire fans are at each home game. 

‘It's unusual for other teams to walk into stadiums and play in front of three plus thousand people every game,” he said.

“We've got some very passionate supporters who obviously love our team… They get right behind the girls. And I think that certainly gives us a little bit of extra energy.”

With a regular season average attendance of 2,700 in WNBL25, maxing out at over 5,000 in the Grand Final last season, Townsville is a city that lives and breathes basketball and has embraced one of the WNBL’s most successful franchises. 

Now, sitting atop the standings with the best record in the league and 11 of their remaining 17 games on home soil, the question looms: just how far can the Fire Pit propel Townsville in their hunt for the WNBL26 Championship?

With the league’s best record heading into their first home game, the Fire have proven themselves as clear contenders for the WNBL26 Championship. With 11 of their remaining 17 games in Far North Queensland, how far can Townsville’s crowd fuel the second half of the season? 

Tune in live as the Fire host the Adelaide Lightning tonight, from 6:00pm AEST live on ESPN2. 

Tickets are still available for tonight’s clash here. 

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