The Townsville Crocodiles have been gone from the NBL for nearly a decade, but one passionate supporter is pushing to bring the club back.
18-year-old Tom Gillman has launched a petition calling for the team’s return to the competition. While he never had the chance to watch the Crocs play in person before the club folded in 2016, he hopes his campaign can help reignite basketball in the city.
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Backing the effort is Crocs legend Peter Crawford, who played for the club from 1999 to 2004 and again between 2009 and 2014 and was inducted into the Basketball Queensland Hall of Fame last year.
In an interview with the Townsville Bulletin, Gillman spoke about his love for the NBL and his desire to see the Crocs return to the court.
“I love the NBL, I try and catch every game that I can. I love my hometown too, and I really want to see us back in the competition,” Tom said.
His petition has already gathered 1,317 signatures and continues to gain traction online.
“First I went to the basketball community here in Townsville and got a bunch of signatures and then jumped onto social media,” Tom said.
“I even reached out to former Crocs player and legend Peter Crawford and he said he’d be happy to help with the campaign too.
“A decade, it’s a long time, but there’s a lot of people in Townsville who miss the Crocs and I’d love to see the team come back as soon as possible.”
The Crocodiles entered the NBL in 1998, though the franchise’s origins date back to 1993 when the team competed as the Townsville Suns. A trademark conflict with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns forced the club to change its name to avoid paying royalties.
Across 18 seasons in the NBL, the Crocs reached the finals once, in 2001, where they lost their series 2-1 to the Wollongong Hawks.
The club competed every season until the 2013-14 campaign, when ownership group Barrier Reef Basketball Pty Ltd relinquished its NBL licence, throwing the team’s future into doubt. Months later the Crocodiles returned as a community owned club, though financial pressure eventually forced them to withdraw from the 2016-17 season.
Despite never winning a championship, the Crocs produced three league MVPs, including the late Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams, who won the award in 2010 during his third and final season with the club.
Tom said he has been humbled by the response so far, with many local families eager to sign the petition.
“Down at the stadium, collecting signatures from parents and players, basically every reaction was ‘oh, yes, definitely’. They’d love to see the Crocs back. People really want this team back,” he said.
Basketball interest remains strong in Townsville, highlighted by the recent championship won by the Townsville Fire in the WNBL, the fifth title in the franchise’s history.
The NBL registered the trademark for “Townsville Crocodiles” in 2022 and holds the rights to the name until October 2030.
“I’d love to go to home games and see Townsville’s own players playing against the other teams in the NBL,” Tom said.
“It would be amazing. A dream come true.”
To support Tom’s campaign, the petition can be signed online.