Noosa Pirates Rugby League Club

Est. 1975
Junior & Senior rugby League teams from U6 to opens boys, girls, men & womens team’s
We have two great facilities here on the sunshine coast, one in Tewantin & one in Cooroy. Col Christensen, along with Robyn Hart and his (Col's) brother Gary Christensen, formed what was then known as the Noosa & District Junior Rugby League Club in 1983. Rugby League in the Noosa area actually started

in Tewantin at Read Park. The club was known as the ‘Tewantin Pelicans’. Col took his son Greg down to sign on as a Pelican at around age 10. When he turned up, he couldn’t find a Registrar and there wasn’t much organisation. Col says the Pelicans eventually fell away, which is when he decided to resurrect the club in the Cooroy area, and the named changed to the 'Pirates'. The club started in Cooroy with 4 sides in the first year, consisting of the Under 9’s through to the Under 12’s. By the second year, a few more sides were added. Back then, games were played on the Cooroy Showgrounds opposite our current home ground. The home paddock for the Pirates today is known as ‘Christensen Oval’, which was developed in 1985. Col, along with the local publican Reg Cannon, brought the Pirates Clubhouse to life through a whole town effort. The only trades which required payment throughout the whole construction process were the bricklayers and roofers. All other help came from community members who volunteered their time. It was not only community members who helped, but local businesses and Council pitched in. PGH Brickworks supplied every single brick free of charge, and Council loaned the team a grader for a weekend to level the ground out. All of the Christensen brothers were involved with the Clubhouse being built, with Col’s brother Ray prepping the ground with his dozer for building to start. Funds were raised through Goose Clubs and Raffles at the Cooroy Hotel, and Local Member at the time, Bruce Simpson, was instrumental in helping to finance the development of the Clubhouse. While building was underway, the Bonnell Bros supplied the machinery which developed the main field. The Clubhouse and field were completed in just 4 months, and the Noosa & District Junior Rugby League Club was then fielding teams from the Under 9’s through to the Under 16’s. Along with parents of all Pirates players, Cols wife Del, made sure that the canteen was functional for many years while they were both involved. Col and Del were named the first Life Members for the Pirates in 1990. In September 2019 both the Junior and Senior clubs merged to become one united entity known as the Noosa District Rugby League Football Club. The Noosa Pirates boasts junior teams from Under 6's to U/17's, and senior teams from U/18 to Open Age Divisions - boys, girls, men and women! The club has two great facilities located at Christensen Oval, 57 Mary River Rd Cooroy along with club headquarters at the Noosa District Sports Complex, 31 Butler Street, Tewantin.