| Australian rules football in Queensland | |
|---|---|
 Australian football atCarrara Stadium on theGold Coast 2011 | |
| Governing body | AFL Queensland |
| Representative team | Queensland |
| First played | Brisbane 9 June 1866; 159 years ago (1866-06-09) |
| Registered players | 58,208 (total)[1] 16,753 (female)[1] 3,798 (child)[1] |
| Clubs | 130 (10 competitions) |
| Club competitions | |
| Audience records | |
| Single match | 37,473 (2019).AFL Second Qualifying FinalBrisbane Lions vsRichmond (Gabba,Brisbane)[2] |
InQueensland,Australian rules football (known mainly as "AFL") is a moderately popular spectator and participation sport governed byAFL Queensland. It dates back to thecolonial era in 1866 and was the first and most popular football code until 1883 when it fell behind theBarassi line. There has been continuous organised competition since the 20th century.
The state is the sport's third largest audience with theAustralian Football League (AFL) Premiership Season generating more than a million television viewers, though spectator numbers fluctuate with the success of its two fully professional AFL clubs: theBrisbane Lions (founded in 1996 through the merger of the Queensland based Brisbane Bears with a Victorian club) andGold Coast Suns (founded 2009). Both clubs also field a side in the national women's competition (AFLW) and compete against each other in theQClash. Queensland was the second state in history to hold anAFL Grand Final and the first to hold anAFL Women's Grand Final.
The participation rate is 1.3%. Despite having the third largest population, it has the second lowest player base and participation rate of any state. There are 51,941 adult and 3,798 children (around a quarter are female) playing full contact across more than 10 competitions and 130 clubs. The most popular competitions are inSouth East Queensland and theCairns Region, the semi-professionalQueensland Australian Football League andAFL Cairns respectively. Despite being the fourth in football participation behind soccer, touch and rugby league, according to Ausplay it is one of the top 10 team sports in the state.
Queensland's first representative football team, known as the "Maroons", experienced limited success in its matches between 1884 and 1988. Brisbane hosted national carnivals in1958 and1961. Despite a poor record historically, Queensland won Section B national titles in 1974 and 1979. Zane Taylor holds the record for the number of representative caps. The Teal Cup competition (nowAFL National Championships) began in Brisbane. Prior to its national expansion, Queensland's underage side dominated the competition with 12 titles. Since going national from 1976–2016, it won 4 Division 2 titles, the most recent in 2015.
More than 150 born and raised players have participated at AFL/AFLW level sinceErwin Dornau's debut in 1948.Jason Dunstall, the first inducted into theAustralian Football Hall of Fame and granted Legend status, has the most goals, his tally of 1254 is thethird highest in league history.Dayne Zorko has the most games.Ally Anderson won thecompetition best and fairest also has themost games whileKatie Brennan has themost goals.
Football matches had been played early on in what was known as "Moreton Bay", with some of the earliest evidence dating back to 1849, however it is not known under what rules they played and there were no established codes. The Victorian Rules, first drafted in 1859, were brought to the newly self-governedColony of Queensland by migrants from theColony of Victoria and in the 1860s was the first organized code to arrive.
Tom Wills who chaired that meeting in 1859 and helped popularise the code across Victoria, moved to Queensland along with his fatherHoratio Wills in October 1861 to work on the family grazing property nearSpringsure inCentral Queensland. While Horatio was killed during theCullin-la-ringo massacre and Tom returned to Victoria in 1864, his brothers Cedric and Horace (both played alongside Tom at theGeelong Football Club) continued their football involvement in Brisbane, as did many other associates of Wills.[3][4]
Not long after theredrafting of the laws on 1 May 1866 and the widespread distribution in the Australasian on 19 May, an advertisement appearing in the Brisbane Courier on 21 May called for a meeting to form a Brisbane club.[5] The firstBrisbane Football Club was incorporated the following day on 22 May 1866 and chose to play under the then widely distributed Victorian Rules.[6]
Queensland at the time was one of the poorest colonies (especially in comparison tobooming Victoria), having begun as a penal settlement it was very much a frontier colony and relied heavily on investment from the southern colonies.[7] With its population of under 90,000 in 1866, it was dwarfed by Victoria's rapidly growing population of 640,000. In contrast to Victoria's population which migrated from around the world, the Queensland colony consisted primarily of those from Great Britain and New South Wales.[8] Nevertheless, Brisbane was the first football club of any code in the colony.
The majority of the founders of Brisbane FC had prior exposure to the game during its rapid rise in popularity in Victoria. Of the six founding members four were from Victoria – none were from Queensland. One of three members of the founding committee was Charles Edward Wallen, who had played forScotch College in the experimental rules matches umpired by Tom Wills in 1858.[9] Tom Board and George Clencross-Smith were both teammates of Tom Wills at Geelong Football Club.[10] Studholme Hart had played in 1859 withSouth Yarra.[5] Founding chairDavid Watterston moved from Melbourne to Ipswich in 1860 and was a member of Brisbane's Victorian Cricket Club (formed 1863 and consisting of ex-Victorian players).[11] His cricket club had on 26 May proposed that cricket make way off-season for football.[12] Significantly, on 1 June 1866, the Brisbane Courier published the Melbourne Football Club rules as the official rules for the Queensland colony.[5]
The club played the first of several scratch matches on Saturday 9 June 1866 at Queen's Park (now part of the BrisbaneCity Botanic Gardens).[13][14][15] The early rules stipulated that the first team to reach 2 of 3 goals would be declared the winner.[16] The first official fixture scheduled for 14 July was cancelled due to wet weather, but later played on 21 July 1866 between the All Comers and Civil Servants, the game was declared a nil all draw.[17] It was decided to continue the match a week later on 28 July, but and after a marathon 5 hours without scoring it was declared a draw. Matches often went scoreless and it wasn't until 4 August that the first goal would be kicked after an hour of play by former SydneysiderGeorge Cowlishaw while playing for the All Comers.[18] While there were sufficient numbers for scratch matches Brisbane FC struggled early on for competition and at times during its early years switched toassociation football to facilitate matches with early teams like Volunteer Artillery.[19]
Ipswich Grammar School in the town ofIpswich west of Brisbane was the first school in Queensland to adopt football in 1868[20] care of new headmaster John McCrae of Scotch College in Melbourne.[21] The National School was to join the fledgeling schools' competition in 1869.[21]Brisbane Grammar travelled to Ipswich to play Ipswich Grammar in October 1869 to play the first ever school match[22] and would form the Brisbane Grammar School Football Club in May 1870.[23]
Despite the slow start the game began to spread rapidly during the 1870s. By 1870 there were five clubs: Brisbane, Volunteer Artillery, Brisbane Grammar, Civil Service and Ipswich, all adopting theVictorian Rules (as it was then known).
The code continued to expand to the west in Ipswich, with Ipswich Grammar helping popularise the code there and help establish the senior Ipswich Football Club and Ipswich Railways (known as "Railway Workshop Football Club") in May 1870 and April 1871 respectively.[24][25] Ipswich Grammar's influence in the code's development was formidable, while the senior clubs went into recess early in the decade due to player numbers, the school continued to fly the flag and by the end of the decade the flow of juniors helped the become the major stronghold for the code with no less than 7 clubs regularly competing against each other.
A club also formed inRockhampton,Capricornia in 1873 to play under Australian rules on the local cricket ground.[26]
By the time rugby was imported from Britain in 1876, Victorian Rules had well established itself as the colony's premier football code. Though in areas outside Brisbane there was growing confusion amongst clubs over which set of rules to adopt, and while some experimented with rugby most simply defaulted to the Victorian rules.[27] The code in Brisbane was still dominant and in 1876 several newly formed Brisbane rugby union clubs including Rangers and Bonnet Rouge moved to switch codes[28] citing the game's huge popularity in Melbourne.[29]
The game had spread to theDarling Downs andToowoomba by 1876 with a match between Civil Service and the newly formed Toowoomba Football Club.[30] The region sooned formed the football league, the Toowoomba Football Association which initially featured four senior clubs – Light Infantry, Civil Service, Toowoomba and Warwick but expanded to include a number of junior and regional clubs including Stanthorpe, Adavale, Roma, and Thargomindah.[31] As the game spread further west of theGreat Divide[27] clubs were split on whether to adopt rugby. Some of the Downs clubs lacked nearby opponents and appear to have preferred rugby, as a result competition went into recess a few years later until matches were played byToowoomba Grammar.[32]
Queensland clubs affiliated with theVictorian Football Association (VFA) in 1877, and the game became known in Queensland as the "Victorian Association rules", "Victorian association football" (or sometimes just "Association Football" or "Association rules").
In 1878, the main clubs playing rugby, Rangers and Bonnet Rouge folded, and Brisbane FC, lacking opposition teams returned to Australian rules. Rugby was left without any clubs in the city. However, it was beginning to gain ground in smaller country towns which didn't have the numbers of funds to tour as full Australian football teams.
Former Brisbane Grammarian and Brisbane FC player Herbert W. Bryant, while playing withEssendon in the VFA had the honour of being the first Queenslander to play forVictoria's team in the first intercolonialVictoria v South Australia (1879).[33]
Competition began inWide Bay–Burnett in 1881, with the establishment of clubs inMaryborough[34] andGympie.[35] The Darling Downs competition also expanded to includeAllora in 1883 providing more regular interaction between the clubs.[36]
Competition inFar North Queensland was recorded as early as August 1884 with the first match in Cairns was played against a representative team from Townsville.[37] An association also began inCharters Towers with the town competing against nearby Millchester in 1885.[38] The code also reached theMackay Region in 1885 however was short-lived there.[39]
By 1885 the code had expanded further west still, with clubs established inStanthorpe and had penetrated the outback as far asCunnamulla,Roma,Adavale,Thargominda andNormanton. The Capricornia competition had also expanded in Rockhampton with the formation of the North Rockhampton Football Club[40] and a club inGladstone.
A meeting was held on 30 April 1880 at the Queen's Hotel[41] for the purpose of forming theQueensland Football Association (QFA) to affiliate with theVictorian Football Association. The formation was opposed by the premier Queensland club, the Brisbane Football Club, through its representative E.C. Binge, believing that it had the right to govern itself and use its position of influence to lead the other clubs. However, his motion lapsed and the formation proceeded.[41] While there were no dedicated rugby clubs, many of Brisbane and Wallaroo's best players preferred to play both codes, so rugby matches were facilitated during the season on a Saturday every 4 weeks. While club rugby was nowhere near as popular with the public, Brisbane FC being by far the strongest club would often field its best players in rugby and its seconds in Victorian Association matches.
While Victorian Association was popular, Queensland clubs, particularly the newly formed ones that were beginning to make hard decisions on rule adoption. Many players wanted to represent Queensland and many were convinced that adopting rugby would be the best option for this. Rules to protect players against dangerouspushing during contests for example were desperately sought, and some in the Brisbane media were claiming that rugby rules were safer as a result. Clubs were becoming increasingly disgruntled by the lack of representation or consultation on the laws of the game and governance from Melbourne.[42]
By 1883 QFA membership consisted of 900 Victorian Association members from throughout the colony and 80 Rugby Union members mostly from Brisbane.[43]
If that game (Rugby) takes root in the Brisbane schools, let alone Ipswich or other towns, then say good bye Melbourne, prepare your own epitaph, select your burial year and place, your death is nigh at hand.
Migration trends did no favours for the code with Brisbane's population tripling over the next decade, migration from Victoria was rapidly supplanted by the British Isles and neighbouring New South Wales[44] bringing with them a strong preference toward the British football codes.
A growing rift between Victorian Association and its Rugby Union members came to a head in 1883 after QFA clubs had been pushed annually to vote as to whether to continue under the Victorian Association or adopt Rugby Union rules. Whilst the rugby fraternity was vastly outnumbered (just a handful of rugby clubs compared to more than 50 senior Victorian association clubs[45]), their push for intercolonial matches against New South Wales was enormously popular. There was increasing discontent among all QFA members with Melbourne's apparent disinterest in sending teams to Queensland. The QFA felt that the wealthier Victorian Association were more capable of covering the travel expenses than the Queenslanders, while the Rugby Union members were more than prepared to cover the costs of the shorter trip to Sydney. Rugby players were also disgruntled with having to play under Association rules and were dissatisfied with the Victorian Association's growing contempt for rugby.[46] Under pressure from its members, the QFA organised the first intercolonial to be played under Victorian Rules between New South Wales and Queensland. The two colonies played each other in a two-game series in Brisbane in August 1884 resulting in a 1–1 draw.[47][48] The first match attracted a modest crowd of 300 spectators and increased interest in the contest resulted in the second match drawing 2,000. Many of the players also played rugby and Queensland rugby footballers began to bypass the QFA to directly organise rugby tests with New South Wales. This angered the QFA and in an effort to uphold Victorian Rules, and with support unforthcoming from Melbourne on the issue, a motion was passed by the QFA secretary that effectively barred players found to be playing Rugby Union from playing at a Victorian Association club, effectively segregating the two codes for the first time since its inception.[49] The move was to backfire as the breakawayNorthern Rugby Union (NRU) formed, taking disgruntled clubs and players with it.[43] These clubs in response, instituted the barring of rugby players from playing Victorian rules[50] and Rugby players and officials began derogatively reverting to the term "Melbourne Association" and "Melbourne Rules" in reference to the QFA and its rules[51] fuelling a sentiment of them being increasingly anti-rugby and anti-Queensland.
The lack of a player transfer system was exposed in 1886 when players began freely changing clubs and codes from week to week without accountability, the situation was becoming farcical and supporters quickly lost confidence in the QFA.[52]
Suffering from dwindling numbers, the 1886 Queensland team was humiliated by New South Wales in their intercolonial matches. The Victorian game supporters were struggling hard to uphold the premier position they had gained. In contrast within just two years of its founding, the locally governed breakaway NRU competition came to dominate sport in Queensland and, according to one writer, "The defining moment in the code battle came with the 1886 Queensland [Rugby] side, who defeated NSW for the first time inSydney. The success of this team undoubtedly won the day for rugby game in Queensland. After the brilliant performance of the 1886 Queensland rugby team, who lost only one match through their tour, the rugby game became very popular and the next season several new clubs were formed and the Victorian game began to wane".[53]
Australian rules, however, was still strong in the schools. Brisbane Grammar throughRichard Powell Francis had switched to rugby in 1885. Though Grammar continued to play Victorian Association matches against Ipswich, it lobbied hard for the other Independent Schools to switch away from them. Perhaps the death blow occurred when Independent Schools headmasters in 1887 voted by 1 vote to adopt rugby.[54] The majority of councillors objected on the basis that the reference of "Victorian" in the name of the sport did not represent the interests of Queenslanders.
Between 1885 and 1887, for the first time in the history of the colony, mainstream newspapers began to report rugby results first, followed by Australian football and association football, signalling the premier status of the rugby code. Despite the Victorian Association having 10 times the participation of rugby in terms of players and clubs, regular competitive intercolonial representation was by far the most important to the players and the public, the QFA was just not able to offer this.
Despite the advances made by Queensland football, it was clear that Victoria was progressing faster than any other state while the code in Queensland had been going backwards. In an effort to reverse the decline, the QFA had been calling on the VFA for years to send teams to Queensland to play exhibition matches which were largely ignored. In 1888 it finally secured the first visit from a colonial team slated to be from all of Victoria. However a representative Melbourne team arrived in June 1888. The QFA assembled a Queensland team consisting of players principally from Ipswich topped up with a scattering of players from Brisbane. The match was played at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds with the home team lost 3–5 to the visitors 6–16 in front of 5,000 spectators.[55][56] Rugby officials had deferred matches for the event, though noted that both Queenslander players and spectators appeared to have little understanding of the game.[56] Several Melbourne clubs followed shortly thereafter including theMelbourne Football Club.
A representative match between Brisbane and Ipswich was held in June 1890 won by Brisbane 3 goals 6 to Ipswich 3 goals 5.[57]
On 21 June 1890,South Melbourne Football Club toured, playing against Queensland on Albion Park. The result of the match was a complete 6–17 to 1–0 humiliation (behinds were recorded in the scores at the time but did not actually count until 1897). The humiliation was obviously felt by the players as when Queensland defeated a New South Wales Rugby Union team shortly afterwards many of the former rugby players receded from the Australian football ranks and formed clubs of their own.[58]
The Queensland Football Association, already under heavy criticism,[59] folded at the end of the 1890 season. With the gap left by the collapse of Victorian Association, the majority of the Brisbane clubs switched to rugby, while clubs in Ipswich and Toowoomba also switched, folded or joined the ranks of theAnglo-Queensland Football Association. The Australian code quietly disappeared with no clubs surviving the 1890s.
A meeting was held in July 1892 to re-establish the code instigated by the Ipswich Football Club.[60] It was initially successful, with a well attended representative match played between Brisbane and Ipswich staged at the North Ipswich Reserve. Ipswich won 4 goals 12 to 3 goals 7.[61] Optimistic of an Australian rules revival, Ipswich's Athenian Football Club reformed, consisting almost entirely of rugby converts, and contested another high-profile match against a reformed Ipswich Football Club at the North Ipswich Reserve, the match won by the Athenians 6 goals 4 to 4 goals 5.[62] Ipswich and Brisbane teams met again in August at Queens Park in Brisbane.[63] While interest remained strong in Ipswich, the rugby dominated Brisbane media appeared disinterested in the return match and the code's comeback attempt failed. Reluctantly the Ipswich and Athenian clubs returned to playing rugby the following year.
WithFederation of the colonies Australian rules was to benefit from a renewed interest inAustralian nationalism.
A meeting was held in 1900 in an effort to revive the code.[64] However this was made more difficult as rugby interests had rebranded their sport in Queensland as "Australian Football" and soccer was then known as "Anglo-Australian Football", presenting a major branding obstacle. In an effort to differentiate, the new association chose the provisional title for the new league as the rather awkwardly worded "Queensland Association of the Australian Game of Football".[64]
Competition recommenced in 1900 in of all places, Maryborough in Wide Bay, with senior and junior competitions including the Wallaroo club, which had continued to field both Australian rules and rugby teams, and the Victorians club. This was followed by a match between Brisbane and Ipswich.
TheQueensland Football League (QFL) was formed in July 1903 at a meeting with 50 present at the South Brisbane Cycling Club and a total of 150 signed on as members.[65] Unlike the previous league which affiliated with the VFA, this new body decided to affiliate with theVictorian Football League.[66] Practice matches were held in August that year in the Botanical Gardens and attracted large crowds and interest.[67] The first premiership was held in 1904 with most games being played at Queen's Park, a sporting facility within the grounds of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.
Competition in Ipswich, once the code's stronghold in Queensland was rekindled through an exhibition match between Locomotives and Brisbanes.[68][69] The Ipswich Football Club was reformed in May 1906[70] and matches resumed at theNorth Ipswich Reserve.[71][72] Several Ipswich clubs and schools resuming to play the sport from the following year including juniors atIpswich North State School andNewtown schools.[73][74]
From 1905 to 1914 games were regularly played at theBrisbane Cricket Ground. Clubs included Brisbanes, Locomotives, Ipswich, Citys, Valleys and Wynnum.
In 1908, Queensland again sent delegates to the Australasian Football Council, this time, fielding a side in theJubilee Australian Football Carnival which saw all Australian states as well asNew Zealand compete.
The sport was reintroduced toFar North Queensland during both World Wars. In 1913, a team of servicemen briefly existed onThursday Island.
In 1914 a carnival to promote the code was held in Brisbane. The participating teams wereCollingwood (representing Victoria),Perth (representing West Australia),South Adelaide (representing South Australia) andCananore (representing Tasmania).
Between 1915 and 1919 the Queensland Football League went into recess owing toWorld War I.
In August 1927 at a meeting of the Australian National Football Council it was decided that each of the state leagues were to include the words 'Australian National' in their names. Accordingly, the QFL was renamed the Queensland Australian National Football League (QANFL) and football continued a steady growth in Brisbane.
The first matches in Mount Isa were played in 1932.[75] The city had 3 clubs by 1933.[76] An association was also formed around Cairns in 1932.[77][78] In its first match combined Cairns-Gordonvale team defeated a team fromTully 9 goals 9 to 5 goals 10.[79] However these competitions were short-lived as promotional assistance from the ANFC was not forthcoming.
A VFL exhibition match was played between powerhouse clubsCarlton FC andRichmond FC at the Exhibition Ground in 1930 drew 12,000 and raised £622 for the clubs.[80][81]
In 1944, a league of servicemen was formed around theAtherton Tableland. Teams represented included Wongabel, Wondelca,Kairi,Mareeba andRavenshoe.
The late 1940s and early 1950s would see an era of growth.
In 1946, Queensland defeated New South Wales for the first time in interstate football. Unlike the first few decades, matches during the following decades would be close between the two sides increasing the interest in the contests.
Erwin Dornau became the first Queenslander in to play in the VFL in 1948.[82]
With the increasing interest in the code, Brisbane Rugby League administrators began to block access to the Brisbane Cricket Ground for proposed exhibition matches by the VFL[83] leaving only the Brisbane Exhibition Ground for the VFL to play on.
Prior to the establishment of the Sunshine Coast urban area and resort towns likeNoosa Heads, matches were played there as early as 1952 in the original settlements of the area. Following an exhibition match betweenYeronga Football Club andKedron Football Club atCooroy showgrounds that attracted an enthusiastic crowd of 650, a local league known as the "Cooroy National Football Association" was active with clubs in Cooroy,Nambour andTewantin, however was short-lived.[84][85]
In 1952, theBrisbane Exhibition Ground hosted aVFL match between Essendon andGeelong for "National Day Round" drew 28,000 spectators and was the first official VFL match to be played underfloodlights.[86]
The first recorded women's match was played in 1955 in front of a crowd of 4,000 at Perry Park between the Brisbane Bombers and Sandgate Sirens.[87]
In 1955 a league was introduced toTownsville.[88] Competition also began that year in Cairns[88] and in 1957 land was purchased inCairns for the first dedicated field and competition began there. In the same year a league was also introduced toMount Isa.[88]
Another VFL exhibition game was played at theBrisbane Cricket Ground in 1959, attracting a large crowd.
The code boomed at junior level during the 1950s and by 1960, with a tripling of the number of schools playing the code and more than 5,000 juniors playing across the state.[88]
In 1961, the first league commenced on the Gold Coast.[88]
In 1964 the QANFL became the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL), a limited liability company.
In the early 1970s, the first permanent leagues appeared on theSunshine Coast (1970)[89]Mackay (1970), theDarling Downs (1971),Bundaberg-Wide Bay (1971) andRockhampton (Capricornia) (1972).[88]
Born and raised QueenslanderJason Dunstall debuted for theHawthorn Hawks in 1985 and quickly became one of the greatest players in the game, despite remaining almost unknown in his home state. He briefly represented a QueenslandState of Origin team which played in a low key game againstNew South Wales inSydney.
On 1 October 1986 the VFL board was announced that teams from Brisbane (Brisbane Bears) and Perth (West Coast Eagles) would compete in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1987.[90] Much of the Bears team wereSouth Australian players from theSouth Australian National Football League and Victorians from theVictorian Football League. Although the team was known as Brisbane, home games were played atCarrara Stadium on theGold Coast, nearly 100 km from Brisbane.
The Bears were hugely unsuccessful on the field, and with the admission of the successfulBrisbane Broncos rugby league team into theNew South Wales Rugby League, the popularity of Australian rules football plummeted, while the successful Broncos, made up primarily of local talent, thrived. The NSWRL had resisted the move for a team in Queensland for years but created the Broncos and theGold Coast-Tweed Giants the very next season.
The admission of the Bears had a deleterious effect on the QAFL which weakened over the following years.
During this era, few local players, besides Jason Dunstall, were produced with the exception ofGavin Crosisca andMarcus Ashcroft who were successful at VFL level.
Demographic trends saw Victorian and South Australians (states where the code is extremely popular) migrating interstate in large numbers to Queensland. Support for Australian rules football grew, despite a lack of success from the Bears and support from fans.
1990 saw the Brisbane Bears receive their first Wooden Spoon, which saw new coach Queensland-bornNorm Dare sacked at the end of the season.
1991 was a mixed year for the Brisbane Bears. At the end of the home and away season, the Bears' Seniors team would receive the Wooden Spoon again while the Bears' Reserves team finished in 3rd position. They qualified for the Reserves Grand Final, where they scored a 34-point victory over theMelbourne Demons to become the first team from outside Victoria to win an AFL premiership. The Queensland Independent Schools Australian Football League (QISAFL) began in 1991, the first dedicated league for private schools in the state.
1992 saw the debut for the Brisbane Bears of the most significant locally produced young talent to emerge from the state –Michael Voss. Although born in country Victoria, Voss spent most of his childhood in Queensland and represented the state at junior level where he shone, before going on to captaining the Brisbane Lions and becoming one of the all-time greats of the game. Voss was followed by a small number of players from Queensland to find their way into the newly named Australian Football League (AFL).
In 1993, theBrisbane Bears moved from theGold Coast, to the Brisbane Cricket Ground in the inner-Brisbane suburb ofWoolloongabba. Interest, crowds and membership in the team increased considerably. Games between the Bears and popular Victorian sides Collingwood, Essendon and Hawthorn drew particular interest.
In 1995, the Bears made the AFL finals for the first time.
In 1996, six sell-out games at the Gabba caused the State Government to consider funding re-development of the ground, something that would be done several times over the following years to transform the small stadium into a world-class venue.
After the 1996 season, the QAFL, having weakened significantly with the introduction of the Bears, finally went into receivership. A new governing body, the Queensland Australian Football Council, was formed in 1997, alongside a new premiership competition, Queensland State Football League (QSFL).
TheBrisbane Lions began in 1996, when the AFL approved a merger between the Brisbane Bears and the formerlyMelbourne basedFitzroy Football Club and on-field success increased substantially with the injection of Fitzroy players, further boosting the popularity of the code.
A major breakthrough for was participation byGPS schools in South East Queensland playing the code for the first time since the turn of the century. Previously to this, South East Queensland private schools had been a staunchlyrugby union stronghold and many schools did not allow Australian Football to be played as it would compete with rugby for players. John Stackpoole introduced Australian rules to GPS schoolNudgee College in 1998, the school was to become a powerhouse in the Independent Schools competition.[91] The Jason Dunstall Cup (senior competition named after champion ACGS productJason Dunstall) and Clint Bizzel Cup (year 9 named after BBC productClint Bizzell) was later awarded to the champion school. In subsequent decades all of the prestigious GPS schools (with the exception of St Joseph's Gregory Terrace): Nudgee,BBC,ACGS, Brisbane Grammar, Ipswich Grammar andThe Southport School participated at one stage or another in the first division of the Queensland Independent Schools Australian Football League (QISAFL) (Toowoomba Grammar competed in a Darling Downs division of the competition). During these years of competition, it became a nursery for AFL players. However, the competition struggled to maintain interest in the schools and unlike rugby (and soccer in 1991) it has never become an officialGreat Public Schools Association of Queensland sport. Many AFL players who attended independent schools, notably: Jason Dunstall, Chris Scott, Jason Akermanis, Clint Bizzell, Clark Keating, Brad Moran, Nick Riewoldt, Steven Lawrence, Tom Williams, Marcus Allan, Scott Clouston and John Williams never had the opportunity to play for their school.
Also in the 1990s, the Cairns league experienced enormous growth financially on the back of gaming, with the Cazaly's social club quickly becoming the largest sporting club north of Brisbane. The Cazaly's Stadium received lights to play popular night football games and the western stand from the Gabba was transplanted toCazaly's Stadium, enabling it to host AFL matches.
In 1999, the QSFL also went into voluntary liquidation, being replaced by a new organisation,AFL Queensland (AFLQ) in 2000. The new premiership competition was called the AFLQ State League. That year,Nick Riewoldt became the first Queensland produced player to be taken as number 1 pick in theAFL draft, recognised as the best junior talent in the nation.
In 2001, aWomen's Footy competition began in earnest.
Three successive premierships for theBrisbane Lions in 2001, 2002 and 2003 saw crowds toAustralian Football League matches in Brisbane to grow to an average of over 30,000, and in terms of attendance and membership, the AFL team in 2003 was the most popular team of any football code in the state. However, despite increasing television ratings and media exposure, Australian rules football remains overall less popular than league and union in the state.
During the Lions premiership years, junior Aussie Rules numbers exploded in South East Queensland, and grew solidly right across the state.
From 2005, the growing local State League expanded to two divisions.
A record number of 13 Queenslanders were invited to attend the2006 AFL draft camp, representing 18% of the 72 camp invitees.[92]
Although state league crowds have dwindled with the increase in support for the Brisbane Lions AFL team, a healthy crowd of 3,257 saw the Southport Sharks defeat Morningside in the 2005 AFLQGrand Final at the Gabba, while a crowd of over 3,000 saw theSouthport Sharks win back-to-back premierships in 2006 at Carrara.
In 2006, support for the Brisbane Lions waned substantially due to two successive seasons out of the finals. From 2005 to 2006 total memberships decreased from 30,027 to 26,429 and the average home crowd fell from 33,101 to 28,305.
The impact of the Brisbane Lions fall from grace was felt at grassroots level by the sport in Brisbane. From 2006, the much celebrated Jason Dunstall Cup was no longer contested by its former powerhouse schools –ACGS orBBC. Most other major private schools ceased playing the sport at the top level. Despite the decline of school competitions, local junior club numbers continued to grow.
Nevertheless, Queensland performed extremely well in the2006 AFL draft with a record 11 recruits, including 8 of the first 32 picks. Surprisingly, the majority of the movement was in the regional areas, with some picks from previously undrafted regional areas such asTownsville,Toowoomba andMackay providing AFL talent.[93][94]
In 2019, theAssociated Independent Colleges began participating, with such Brisbane and Ipswich schools asSt Laurence's,St Patrick's,Marist College Ashgrove,Villanova,Padua College,Iona College andSt Edmund's College, Ipswich which had previously only played rugby and soccer. Marist College had been competing informally on and off against other private schools, and kickstarted the careers of such players as Charlie Cameron and Lachlan Keeffe however this new competition provided the opportunity for regular competition between the schools for the first time.[95]
TheGold Coast, where a hole had been left once theBrisbane Bears moved away, had grown to become the 6th biggest urban area with nearly half a million people, many of which had migrated from states where Australian Rules is popular. Several bids were made for a new AFL franchise by the powerhouseSouthport Sharks Australian Football Club, including attempts to lure a Melbourne-based club in 2004.[96] Many of these attempts were knocked back due to the city's many failed sporting franchises. However demographic trends suggested a growing demand for Australian rules football and in 2005 a pre-season practice match between theBrisbane Lions andEssendon drew a healthy audience of 16,591. Following the match, the Australian Football League stepped up efforts to expand into the Gold Coast market. A series of pre-season games and a home and away match was scheduled at Carrara for 2006. In response, the rival NRL competition admitted aGold Coast Titans franchise. Despite an average crowd of around 10,000 (comparatively low by AFL standards), the AFL officially announced a strategy to include a Gold Coast side in the next 5 years.[97] A bitter turf war with theNational Rugby League resulted over the use of Carrara stadium.[98] In the same year, AFL CEOAndrew Demetriou was quoted to declare that the league would compete directly with the NRL for marketshare in Queensland.
In July 2006, with the backing of the local government and the AFL, theKangaroos did a deal which saw them move their home games scheduled atManuka Oval inCanberra to play a number of home games atCarrara Stadium on theGold Coast in 2007.[99] The AFL began a heavily subsidised grassroots participation program and pushed for the number of AFL games, including pre-season matches to steadily increase to ready the region for its own side. Relocation of the Kangaroos was seen by many to be the safest option for the AFL, and an existing Queensland Government deal prevented use of the Brisbane Cricket Ground for a second Queensland side until 2010. The AFL's plans were further complicated by growing competition in the market. The entry of several licences from other sports into the market as well as the proposed expansion ofA-League put additional pressure on the league to fast-track the relocation of the Kangaroos.
In December 2007, after two years of resisting the AFL's push for their relocation, the Kangaroos finally officially rejected the AFL's $100 million proposal.[100] This was despite threats from the league to pull financial assistance from the club and cancel the Gold Coast home game agreement if they don't move. The failure of the AFL to secure a stadium deal for Carrara with theQueensland Government was seen as one of the deciding factors. A consortium was selected by the AFL in early 2008 and theGC17 set out to make an official bid for the licence with criteria defined by the league. The Queensland government finally committed to funding for a stadium in early 2009 after which the AFL was granted a provisional licence pending further federal government funding. In 2010 The Gold Coast Suns were created and entered a team in the NEAFL. In 2011 they made their debut playing in the AFL and vindicated the investment in creating the new AFL side by outdrawing the rival football codes on the coast.
In 2018 it passedrugby union in player and child playing numbers for the first time since the 1890s.[101]
Queensland was the first state other than Victoria to host anAFL Grand Final, the2020 AFL Grand Final held at theBrisbane Cricket Ground.[102][103]
Apart from affecting the availability of AFL venues, theCOVID-19 pandemic had an overall positive effect on the sport in Queensland, both in terms of AFL clubs being based in the state and grassroots participation.[104] At one stage in the 2020 season, all but three AFL clubs (the two South Australian clubs, and Hawthorn) were based in the state.[105]
AFL venues have seen significant recent investment during this time, including the $70 million development of a new AFLW stadium atThe Reserve, Springfield, $2.7 million expansion of theMaroochydore Multi Sports Complex.
The firstAustralian Football International Cup tournament scheduled to be hosted outside of Victoria (on theSunshine Coast) was cancelled due to COVID,[106] the Maroochydore complex will instead host the 2024 Pacific Cup.
Underneath the professional AFL, there are several semi-professional leagues with Queensland clubs. Between2011 and 2020 Queensland based teams have competed in the northern division of theNorth East Australian Football League (NEAFL, also contested by teams fromNew South Wales,Northern Territory andAustralian Capital Territory). This competition became the second tier for Queensland-based clubs. Some of these clubs later joined the VFL. TheQueensland Australian Football League (former "AFLQ State League", first started in 1903) remains the premier semi-professional club competition based in Queensland.
| Active competition |
| League | Years with QLD clubs | Senior QLD clubs | Divisions | Headquarters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toowoomba Football Association | 1876–1886 | 4 | 1 | Toowoomba | Queensland's first football association. Affiliated with the QFA/VFA in 1880 as the Darling Downs Football Association. Switched to rugby in 1887 |
| Queensland Football Association (1880-1890) | 1880–1890 | 19 | 1 | Brisbane | Folded |
| Queensland Australian Football League | 1903– | 12 | 2: Seniors; Reserves | Brisbane | [107] |
| Cooroy National Football League | 1951–54 | 3 | 1 | Cooroy | |
| AFL Townsville | 1955– | 5 | 2: Seniors; Reserves | Townsville | [108] |
| AFL Cairns | 1955– | 10 | 3: Seniors, Development; Division 3 | Cairns | [109] |
| Gold Coast Australian Football League | 1961–1996 | 11 | 1 | Gold Coast | Competition absorbed into expanded QAFL and AFLQ State Association |
| AFL Mount Isa | 1967– | 3 | 1: Seniors | Mount Isa | [110] |
| Queensland Football Association | 1969– | 52 | 7: Seniors (4); Reserves (3) | Brisbane | [107] Known by a variety of different names including SQAFA, SEQ AFL, QAFA and Brisbane AFL. Renamed QFA in 2021 |
| AFL Capricornia | 1969– | 6 | 2: Seniors; Reserves | Rockhampton | [111] |
| AFL Mackay | 1970– | 6 | 2: Seniors; Reserves | Mackay | [112] |
| Sunshine Coast Australian Football League | 1970–1992 | 14 | 1 | Sunshine Coast | Competition absorbed into expanded QAFL and AFLQ State Association |
| AFL Darling Downs | 1971– | 8 | 1: Seniors | Toowoomba | [113] |
| Bundaberg Australian Football League | 1972–1986 | 12 | 1 | Bundaberg | Merged with Wide Bay AFL to become AFL Wide Bay |
| NFL Night Series | 1979 | 2 | 1 | Melbourne, Victoria | Discontinued |
| Maryborough Australian Football League | 1981–1983 | 5 | 1 | Maryborough | Folded |
| Central Highlands Australian Football League | 1983–1997 | 8 | 1 | Emerald | Folded |
| Wide Bay Australian Football League | 1985–1987 | 6 | 1 | Hervey Bay | Merged with Bundaberg AFL to become AFL Wide Bay |
| AFL Masters Queensland | 1984– | 32 | 5: 35s (2); 45s (2); Mixed | Brisbane | [114] |
| AFL Wide Bay | 1987– | 4 | 2: Seniors; Reserves | Bundaberg | [115] |
| Australian Football League | 1987– | 2 | 1 | Melbourne, Victoria | Brisbane Lions andGold Coast Suns combined membership was 89,429 in 2024[116] |
| North East Australian Football League | 2011–2020 | 9 | 1 | Sydney, New South Wales | Folded Foxtel Cup |
| League Championship Cup | 2011–2014 | 5 | 1 | Melbourne, Victoria | Discontinued |
| QFA (Northern Rivers) | 2012–2021 | – | 1 | Byron Bay | In New South Wales but governed by AFL Queensland. Folded |
| Victorian Football League | 2020– | 3 | 1: Seniors | Melbourne, Victoria | [117] |
| Active competition |
| League | Years with QLD clubs | Senior QLD clubs | Divisions | Headquarters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QAFLW | 2001– | 8 | 1: Seniors | Brisbane | [107] |
| AFL Cairns Women's | 2002– | 6 | 1: Seniors | Cairns | [109] |
| AFL Capricornia Women's | 2010– | 6 | 1: Seniors | Rockhampton | [111] |
| AFL Darling Downs Women's | 2013– | 6 | 1: Seniors | Toowoomba | [113] |
| QFAW | 2017– | 21 | 6: Seniors (4); Reserves (2) | Brisbane | [107] |
| AFL Mackay Women's | 2017– | 7 | 1: Seniors | Mackay | [112] |
| AFL Women's | 2017– | 2 | 1: Seniors | Melbourne, Victoria | [118] |
| AFL Townsville Women's | 2019– | 5 | 1: Seniors | Townsville | [108] |
| AFL Wide Bay Women's | 2022– | 5 | 1: Seniors | Bundaberg | [115] |
| Isa Women's | 2022–2023 | 2 | 1: Seniors | Mount Isa | [110] |
| AFL Masters Queensland Women's | 2023– | 12 | 2: Seniors; Mixed | Brisbane | [114] |
| Active competition |
| League | Years with QLD clubs | QLD clubs | Divisions | Headquarters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Football State School Premiership Competition | 1926–? | Brisbane | |||
| AFL Cairns Juniors | 1955– | 8 | Mixed: U8-U13; M: U15-U17; F: U15-U17 | Cairns | [109] |
| AFL Brisbane Juniors | 1957–2022 | Brisbane | Merged into AFL SEQ Juniors in 2022 | ||
| AFL Gold Coast Juniors | 1970–2022 | Gold Coast | Merged into AFL SEQ Juniors in 2022 | ||
| AFL Sunshine Coast Juniors | 2005–2022 | Sunshine Coast | Merged into AFL SEQ Juniors in 2022 | ||
| AFL Mount Isa Juniors | 2020–2023 | Mt Isa | Folded[110] | ||
| AFL Darling Downs Juniors | 2003– | 4 | Mixed: U8-U14; M: U17; F: U17 | Toowoomba | [113] |
| AFL Capricornia Juniors | 2005– | 6 | Mixed: U9-U13; M: U11-U17; F: U11-U16 | Rockhampton | [111] |
| AFL Mackay Juniors | 2015– | 5 | Mixed: U12-U14; M: U17; F: None | Mackay | [107] |
| AFL Wide Bay Juniors | 2012– | 4 | Mixed: U12-U14; M: U17; F: None | Bundaberg | [115] |
| AFL Cape York Juniors | 1992– | 1 | M: U16-U17; F: U16-U17 | Weipa | Fields a representative side in the AFL Cairns comp |
| Queensland Independent Schools Australian Football League (QISAFL) | 1991–2021 | 7 | 1 | Brisbane | AIS schools formed their own competition andGreat Public Schools Association of Queensland decided collectively to abandon their participation |
| AFL National Championships | 2017– | 2 | 4: M: U16, U18; F: U16, U18 | Melbourne, Victoria | [119][120] |
| Associated Independent Colleges (AIS) First XVIII | 2019– | 7 | 1 | Brisbane | [121] |
| Talent League | 2019– | 2 | 4: M: U16, U18; F: U16, U18 | Melbourne, Victoria | [122] |
| AFL SEQ Juniors | 2022– | 132 | 47: Mixed: U8-U13; M: U15-U17; F: U9-U17 | Brisbane | [123] |
| AFLQ Schools Cup | 2016– | 10 | M: U11-U18; F: U11-U18 | Brisbane | [124] |
| Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA) | 2024– | 10 | 1 | Brisbane |
There are two fully professional football clubs in Queensland, theBrisbane Lions and theGold Coast Suns who both play in the main national league, theAustralian Football League (AFL). They also play (with reserve teams) in the interstate competitionNorth East Australian Football League. Other teams from the region that take part of it areAspley,Redland andSouthport.
The main competition of Queensland,Queensland Australian Football League, has 9 teams participating of it.
The Queensland state team, known as the "Maroons" has played interstate representative matches against all other Australian states, as well as selectingState of Origin teams as both Queensland. Queensland's last open appearance was in the1988 Adelaide Bicentennial Carnival where it lost toTasmania. In 1993 the after taking over as governing body the AFL Commission merged Queensland with the Northern Territory to create a composite side before disbanding it altogether.
Queensland debuted in 1884 at Queens Park following pressure from rugby members of the QFA to play annual representative matches and the result was a drawn series against New South Wales. After rugby split from the QFA and held its annual NSW vs QLD matches, the team did not regularly compete however in 1888 and 1890 suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of the first visiting Victorian teams. Following this, Queensland was reluctant to compete against the stronger states, and resumed tests with NSW until theJubilee Australasian Football Carnival in 1908. Queensland sent a team to carnival performing a stirring aboriginal war cry prior to its matches against New Zealand[125][126] however the team performed poorly, failing to win a game. Its carnival record since has been poor, and it has never won a senior carnival in either division.
    Queensland |   Queensland/N.T. |
| Date | Location | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 1884 | Queens Park | Queensland drewNew South Wales[47][48] | 300 |
| 30 August 1884 | Albert Sports Ground | Queensland 3 def New South Wales 2 | 2,000 |
| 19 June 1886 | Sydney Cricket Ground | New South Wales 4 def Queensland 1 | 1,200 |
| 26 June 1886 | Sydney Cricket Ground | New South Wales 9 def Queensland 1 | 1,000 |
| 3 September 1904 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | Queensland 4.15 (39) def New South Wales 3.13(31)[127] | 3.000 |
| 14 August 1905 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | Queensland 10.16(76) def New South Wales 9.7(61)[128][129] | 2,000 |
| 15 August 1905 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | Queensland 9.11(59) def New South Wales 7.7(49)[130] | |
| 23 June 1906 | Sydney Cricket Ground | New South Wales 11.10(76) def Queensland 3.5(23)[131] | 6,000 |
| 13 July 1907 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | Queensland 9.22(76) def New South Wales 6.4(40)[132][133][134] | 8,000 |
| 15 July 1907 | North Ipswich Reserve | Queensland 2.10(22) def. byNew South Wales 8.6(54)[135] | |
| 4 September 1909 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | Queensland 11.12(87) def New South Wales 6.10(46)[136] | |
| 12 June 1910 | Brisbane Cricket Ground | Queensland 5.7(37) def. byNew South Wales 9.15(69)[137] | |
| 20 August 1910 | Queensland 8.12(60) def. byNew South Wales 10.5(65)[137] | ||
| 25 August 1910 | Erskineville Oval | Queensland 83 def Riverina 80[137] | |
| 17 August 1912 | Alexandria Oval | New South Wales 19.22(136) def Queensland 12.9(81)[138] | 1,500 |
| 7 June 1913 | Brisbane Cricket Ground | Queensland 7.10(52) def. byNew South Wales 9.15(69)[139] | |
| 5 August 1914 | Sydney Cricket Ground | New South Wales 13.15(93) def Queensland 2.4(16)[140] | |
| 11 July 1921 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | Queensland 14.16(100) def New South Wales 11.10(76)[141] | |
| 13 July 1921 | North Ipswich Reserve | Queensland (65) def. byNew South Wales (128)[142] | |
| 16 July 1921 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | Queensland 12.13(85) def New South Wales 9.11(65)[143] | |
| 2 June 1934 | Perry Park | Queensland 13.15(93) def. byNew South Wales 13.15(93)[144] | |
| 4 June 1934 | Perry Park | Queensland 11.16(82) def. byNew South Wales 13.15(93)[144] | |
| 18 August 1934 | Sydney Cricket Ground | New South Wales 17.14(116) def Queensland 12.10(82)[144] | |
| 26 May 1947 | Trumper Oval | New South Wales 17.13(115) def Queensland 15.17(107)[145] | |
| 30 July 1948 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | Queensland 17.13(115) def Queensland 16.18(114)[146] | |
| 30 July 1949 | Sydney Cricket Ground | New South Wales 16.14(110) def Queensland 8.15(63)[147] |
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In early carnivals Queensland only made rare appearances. It broke its 20-game carnival losing streak in 1933 when it defeated the Australian Capital Territory. This was followed up by another win against the ACT in 1947 and 1950. Queensland achieved a breakthrough when it defeated New South Wales for the first time in the 1958 carnival. However, in the 1960s it was relegated to the "minor states" where it again accounted for New South Wales at the1968 Minor States Carnival and both New South Wales and ACT at the1974 Minor States Carnival taking its first Section 2 title. It was not to reappear in the national carnival until the1979 Perth State of Origin Carnival when it once again accounted for the Australian Capital Territory and claimed the title. It made its last senior appearance at the1993 State of Origin Championships as a combined Queensland-NT team defeat Tasmania and take out the Section Two title. With theAFL Commission taking over the game nationally it created a concept in which Queenslanders would compete under the banner of the AFL'sThe Allies along with players from New South Wales, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory and the AFL's focus on its national club competition effectively saw the end of Queensland players representing their state of origin.
Originally led bySubiaco marketing manager Leon Larkin in 1977, interstate matches involving Queensland in the late 1980s and early 1990s were regularly played under state-of-origin rules as opposed to the state-of-league rules that were previously used. This rule change allowed the Queensland state team to select higher quality players of Queensland origin that were playing in theVictorian Football League such as the Brisbane born and raised duo ofAustralian Football Hall of FamerJason Dunstall andCollingwood premiership playerGavin Crosisca. Both players competed for Queensland in their famous victory against Victoria at the Gabba in 1991.
| 3 March 1988 | Football Park | Victoria VFA 17.10 (112) def Queensland 4.11 (45) | – |
| 4 March 1988 | Norwood Oval | Tasmania 11.16 (82) def Queensland 10.10 (70) | – |
| 16 July 1991 | The Gabba | Queensland 23.14 (152) def Victoria 15.8 (108)[148] | 8,519 |
| 12 May 1992 | Sydney Cricket Ground | New South Wales 22.9 (141) def Queensland 6.12 (48) | 7,223 |
| 6 June 1993 | Bellerive Oval | Queensland 16.14 (110) def Tasmania 6.12 (48) | 9,660 |
| Name | Years as captain |
|---|---|
| George Henry Pritchard | 1884 |
| Ralph McKellar | 1908 |
| George Paget | 1910 |
| Leo O'Connor | 1919–1922 |
| Artie McCaul | 1920s |
| A. Nicholson | 1930 |
| Clem Ryan | 1930s (7 years) |
| Dick Parton | 1946–1947 |
| Tom Calder | 1948 |
| Doug Pittard | 1949–1952 |
| Tom Broadbent | 1950s |
| Norm Reidy | 1958 |
| Alex McGill | 1960 |
| Dick Verdon | 1961, 1965 |
| Ken Grimley | 1963–1964 |
| Syd Guildford | 1965 |
| Lindsay Jacob | 1970 |
| Wayne Stewart | 1971–1973 |
| John Stackpoole | 1970s (7 times) |
| Bill Ryan | 1974–1975 |
| Barry Roberts-Thomson | 1977 |
| Barry Clarke | 1979 (1) |
| Mick Nolan | 1983, 1984 |
| Tony Beckett | 1985 |
| Kevin O'Keefe | 1986 |
| Zane Taylor | 1987 |
| Terry O'Neill | 1988 |
| Roger Merrett | 1991 |
| Craig Cowley | 1991–1992 (1) |
| Jason Dunstall | 1993 (2) |
(1) Subject to State of Origin selection criteria(2) QLD/NT combined side[149]
In inter-league matches since 1991, Queensland (QAFL) has defeated bothTasmania and theAustralian Capital Territory, and has had some close games including a near-wins againstWestern Australia.
Also there are representative sides for areas within Queensland used during inter-league matches with-in Queensland itself. They include:
The Queensland Under-16, Under-17 and Under-18 representative sides are known as theScorpions.
The state senior women's team is known as the "Sunfire" and competed since 1992 in theAFL Women's National Championship. It last competed in 2015 before the AFL took over the women's sport nationally and disbanded the senior women's championships. Its best results were in the2001 AFL Women's National Championships and2003 AFL Women's National Championships where it was named the second strongest women's team behind Victoria.
Queensland competes at Under 16, Under-17 and Under-18 representative level at theAFL Women's Under 18 Championships.
The following venues meet AFL Standard criteria and have been used to host AFL (National Standard) or AFLW level matches (Regional Standard).[150]
| Brisbane | Gold Coast | Cairns |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Cricket Ground | Carrara Stadium | Cazaly's Stadium |
| Capacity: 37,478 | Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 13,500 |
| Record: 37,478 (2019)[151] | Record: 24,032 (2014)[152] | Record: 11,197 (2013)[153] |
 | |  |
| Townsville | Mackay | Ipswich |
| Riverway Stadium | Great Barrier Reef Arena | Springfield Central Stadium |
| Capacity: 10,000 | Capacity: 10,000 | Capacity: 8,000 |
| Record: 7,243 (2013)[154] | Record: 2,788 (2020)[155] | Record: 7,512 (2022)[156] |
 |  | |
| Moreton Bay | Gold Coast | Sunshine Coast |
| Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex | Fankhauser Reserve | Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex |
| Capacity: 8,000 | Capacity: 8,000 | Capacity: 5,000 |
| Record: 6,200 (2016)[157] | Record: 4,053 (2020)[158] | Record: 5,147 (2012)[159] |
 |  |  |
| Gold Coast | ||
| Bond Sports Park (Field 2) | ||
| Capacity: 3,000 | ||
| Record: 1,419 (2022)[160] |
According to Ausplay in 2024 the participation rate per capita was 1.2%, down from 1.6% in 2022.[162] There are 51,941 adults, just under half of which are female, and 30,563 children though only about a fifth of juniors are female.[162] It is the seventh most participated team sport and fourth code of football aftersoccer,touch andrugby league.[162]
Historically AFL Queensland has reported inflated participation figures, for example in 2017 it estimated more than 250,000 participants and that more than 40% were female, however official Australian government statistics and later AFL Queensland reports have cited less than a fifth of this total.[163] AFL Queensland figures typically include players from northern New South Wales and participants in Auskick sessions which could not be classified as regular players.
| Adult players[164][165] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2016 | 2017 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
| 3,300[166] | 47,274[101] | 44,996[167] | 55,191[168] | 51,941[162] | 58,208[1] |
Over the years, Queensland has produced an array of talent for elite leagues such as theAustralian Football League.
Excluding current players, this list includes such players asJason Dunstall,Marcus Ashcroft,Michael Voss,Gavin Crosisca,Scott McIvor,Simon Black,Jason Akermanis,Nick Riewoldt,Danny Dickfos,Mitch Hahn,Dayne Beams,David Hale,Sam Gilbert,Daniel Merrett,Che Cockatoo-Collins,Steven Lawrence,Clark Keating,Jamie Charman,Brett Voss,Brad Miller,Mal Michael,Ben Hudson,Matthew Kennedy,David Armitage,Robert Copeland,Dayne Beams,Kurt Tippett,Jarrod Harbrow,Tom Hickey andCharlie Dixon.
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Queensland based AFL clubs have priority development access to the Northern AcademyRecruitment Zone via the Brisbane Lions Academy and Gold Coast Suns Academy.[169] As a result, many of the players from these areas end up playing in the AFL with the designated club.
| QLD AFL Club | Zones |
|---|---|
| Brisbane Lions | Brisbane (Logan,Brisbane,Ipswich,Moreton Local Government Areas),Sunshine Coast,Darling Downs,Wide Bay-Burnett,Outback Queensland |
| Gold Coast | Gold Coast region,Northern Queensland (Cairns,Townsville,Rockhampton,Mackay,Mt. Isa,Cape York) |
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| National governing bodies | |||||||||
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| By state or territory | |||||||||
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