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Life and times TOWNSVILLE Kern United first flew the flag for North Queensland football 16 years before the North Queensland Cowboys' National Rugby League debut.
Established in 1979 to contest the brand-new Queensland State Soccer League, the club made the finals in their second season, won the Queensland champions title in 1982 and twice won the Ampol Cup, an FA Cup-style knockout competition.
During the five-year history of the league, clubs participated from Mareeba, Townsville, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Nambour, Gold Coast and Ipswich, together with Brisbane clubs, including Grange Thistle, Mount Gravatt, Eastern Suburbs and Brisbane Olympic.
Crowds of 5000 were common at Townsville's home games.
Reviewing the club's impact...