Northern Rangers FC

Northern Rangers
Full name Northern Rangers Football Club
Nickname(s) Churchies
Founded 1996
Ground NTCA Ground
Capacity 10,000
Chairman Mark Jefferson
Manager Dane Hudson
League NPL Tasmania

Northern Rangers Football Club is a soccer club which represents Launceston in the NPL Tasmania. The club also fields teams in all junior divisions, as well as women's teams. Northern Rangers play their home games at the NTCA Ground in Launceston, Tasmania.

The Northern Rangers entered a junior side under the name "Northern Tasmanian Christian Soccer League Rangers" in the 1996 season. The club first entered the Northern Premier League in 1999. The club finally arrived on 15 August 2009 when it won its first Northern Premier League title. It participated in the inaugural season of the T-League in 2013, having previously competed in the Northern Premier League

History

Northern Rangers formed in 1996 when a group of players playing amateur six-a-side competitions in Riverside decided to combine their teams to form one 11-a-side team and enter the NTJSA under the banner of the Northern Tasmanian Christian Soccer League Rangers (NTCSL Rangers). The players were all under 16.

Around 18 players formed the first Northern Rangers side. The team went through the 1996 season undefeated to win the under-16 premiership in its debut season against strong opposition.

The following years saw the rapid expansion of the club with two teams entered in 1997. In 1998 NRFC finished one in rankings but lost the McDonalds Cup to Launceston City FC in a dramatic penalty shoot out. 1998 produced one player who would become a household name at the NTCA in the future, Derek Schipper.

In 1999 most of the players were too old to play in the junior competitions, so it was decided to try to gain a position in the Northern Premier League. Rangers finished with 2 wins and 2 draws in the seniors, 4 wins and 1 draw in the reserves. The under-17s took the premiership under the guidance of coach Mark Ackerly.

In 2000 Mark Ackerly took on the senior coaching role and with some key recruits in Damire Metric and his younger brother Goran both from Bosnia, Adam Whitemore, Tony Ludby and Seb Deak From George Town the side was strengthened and more consistency was achieved. The club also was able to reach the final in the statewide vase competition.

In 2003 Mark Spicer joined the club as the first contracted coach to the Northern Rangers. He helped the club finish in fourth place on the senior table two years running and third for the Reserves for the two years also. For the first time Northern Rangers were a consistent and challenging force in the Northern Premier League.

In 2007 the club's Reserves took the Northern Premier Reserve Grade Champions.

The club won its first Northern Premier League title on 15 August 2009 with a last minute winner against Devonport. The club secured its second consecutive Northern Premier League on August the 7th 2010 with a 3-nil victory over Somerset at Cardigan Street with a week to spare.

The club secured its third title in four seasons on 18 August 2012, with a 4–1 home victory against Somerset. In the same year the club was accepted into the inaugural Statewide Victory League.

Seasons

Season League Statewide Cup FFA Cup
Name (national level) Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Position Tasmanian Finals NPL Finals
2012 North Premier League (2)161303572136391stRunners-upDidn't ExistFirst RoundDidn't Exist
2013 Victory League (2)21768563917275thDNQDNQFirst Round
2014 Victory League (2)211137513813364thFinalDNQSemi FinalDNQ
2015 Victory League (2)21876633429314thQuarter FinalDNQSemi FinalDNQ
2016 NPL Tasmania (2)2113172075−5568thDNQDNQRound of 16DNQ
2017 NPL Tasmania (2)'Round of 16DNQ

Honours

Northern Premierships:

  • 2009, 2010 & 2012 Northern Premier League Champions
  • 2010 & 2012 Forestry Tasmania State Final Series Runners up
  • 2009 Milan Lakoslejac Statewide Cup Runners up.
  • 2006 & 2014 Steve Hudson Cup Winners
  • 2017 Northern Championship Womens Premiers
  • 2007 & 2012 Northern Premier League Reserves Premiers
  • 2015 Northern Championship 1 Premiers
  • 2016 Northern Championship Under 18 Premiers
  • 1999, 2001 Northern Tasmania Under 17 Premiers

Records

Record Games holder

Club Best and Fairest Winners Men's

  • 1999: Australia Tim Armstrong
  • 2000: Australia Derek Schipper
  • 2001: Australia Derek Schipper / Tim schipper
  • 2002: Australia Tim Schipper
  • 2003: Australia Adam Whitemore
  • 2004: Australia Sam Luck
  • 2005: Australia Sam Luck
  • 2006: Australia Derek Schipper
  • 2007: Botswana Thataetsile Kakadumane
  • 2008: Botswana Australia Thataetsile Kakadumane / Derek Schipper / Mark Ambrose
  • 2009: Australia Derek Schipper/Todd Hingston
  • 2010: Australia Todd Hingston
  • 2011: Australia Derek Schipper
  • 2012: Australia Chris Hunt
  • 2013: Australia Todd Hingston/Ryan McCarragher

Club Best and Fairest Winners Women's

  • 2007: Australia Arlene Crooks
  • 2008: Australia Rebecca Wheatley
  • 2009: Australia Arlene Crooks
  • 2010: Australia Felicity Shaw
  • 2011: Australia Felicity Shaw

Individual honours

  • George Dale Medal Winner: Derek Schipper(2006), Todd Hingston(2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012)
  • 2006: Tasmanian State team selection: Derek Schipper / Marshall Pooley
  • 2007: Tasmanian State team selection: Thataetsile Kakadumane
  • 2008: Tasmanian Youth A-League Team: Mark Ambrose / Marshall Pooley
  • Fred Paice Medal Winners (Best & Fairest Winners Reserve Comp): Gabriel Tams (2003, 2008, 2012), Oytun Aykiran (2004), Peter Mcbeath (2005, 2007), Marshall Pooley (2015)
  • Under 18 League Best and Fairest winners: Stefan Jago (2009), Yitay Towns (2011)
  • Northern Premier League Coach of the Year: Mitchell Billing (2002), Roslan Sa'ad (2009), Adam Whitemore (2010)
  • Mitsubishi Medal Winners (Best & Fairest Winners PS4 National Premier League) : Yitay Towns (2015)

Life Members

  • 2000: Australia David Hughes
  • 2003: Scotland James Park
  • 2005: Netherlands Brendan Lichtendonk
  • 2008: Australia Mark Ackerly
  • 2008: Australia Ian Loft
  • 2011: Australia Luke Connors
  • 2011: Australia Derek Schipper
  • 2014: Australia Marshall Pooley
  • 2014: Australia Rod Fulton

Club Presidents

  • 1999–2002: David Hughes
  • 2002–2011: Mark Ackerly
  • 2012–2016: Mark Jefferson
  • 2016–2016: Coz Egberts
  • 2017–current: Rod Fulton

Senior Premier League records

  • First Senior Game played: 10 April 1999, against Launceston United at Birch Avenue.
  • First Senior win: 5 June 1999, Northern Rangers defeated George Town Utd. 5–2 at the NTCA.
  • Greatest Winning Margin: 19 May 2012, Northern Rangers defeated Riverside Olympic 8 nil at Windsor Park.
  • Greatest Losing Margin: 10 April 1999, Launceston United defeated Northern Rangers 14–2 at Birch Avenue.
  • Best Finish to a Season Men's: 2010, 1st place out of 9 with 12 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss, 56 goals for and 23 against.
  • Best Finish to a Season Women's: 2008, 3rd place out of 10 with 13 wins, 1 draws, 4 losses, 100 goals for and 36 against.
  • Worst Finish to a season: 1999, 10th place out of 11 with 2 wins, 2 draws, 16 losses, 41 goals for and 111 against
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