Joeys show how Townsville became Queensland’s top Club
Townsville Judo Club is growing rapidly – and has become Queensland biggest Judo Club – after working hard to attract and retain very young judoka.
Head coach Boyd McMahon has developed the Joeys program inspired by his time shadowing Warren Rosser of UNSW Judo Club last year.
Boyd was one of two coaches awarded a $1000 scholarship under Judo Australia’s National Mentor Program, travelling to Sydney in August 2025 to study coaching approaches and business development tactics. He launched his Joeys program for three to five year old first time judoka as a play-oriented program undertaken on a trial membership.
“We applied for a grant from the government to buy crash mats and cheese slices and balls etc, the stuff we need to make it fun, and we waited and waited and didn’t hear, so had to bit the bullet in the end and buy it from club funds,” Boyd told Shane Alvisio.
“The response has been so worth it, and when you are attracting little kids to the program, that means more big kids, and some parents – it’s a great base for the Club.”
The key is fun, and helping the children to identify as judoka with free t-shirts on offer before – or even if – they choose to upgrade to judogi.
The Club has also invested heavily in signage, in attending exhibitions and recreation shows, and showing off everything Judo has to offer for all ages of prospective judoka. The business side of running a Club is key focus of the National Mentor Program, designed to encourage information sharing and skills development as part of the Play Well strategy.
The outcome – as well as obviously happy kids – is that by July 2026, Townsville Judo Club had 116 registered members to date, more than any other club in Queensland. Watch the fun below – and contact Shane Alvisio if you’d like to apply for the next round of National Mentor Program funding!
