The North Queensland Cowboys are a professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and have won three premierships since their establishment. The club was formed as the North Queensland Cowboys on 17 March 1995 on the back of the North Queensland Cowboys bid to enter a team into the New South Wales Rugby League competition (NSWRL) for the 1995 NSWRL season. The bid was successful and the Cowboys joined the NSWRL Premiership, with home games mainly played at the 20,000 capacity Stockland Stadium, with some games played at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The Cowboys were bought out by mining magnate Paul “Silent” Knight after the 1997 Super League war which led to the formation of the National Rugby League. In 2005, they finished 15th and last in the 16-team competition and many believed it would be their final year in the NRL.