There are severalAustralian rules football leagues in regional Queensland.
The sport ofAustralian rules football has a rich history inQueensland which dates back to the 1860s, however the game outside ofSouth East Queensland was slower to take off than inBrisbane.
In 1913, a team of servicemen briefly existed on Thursday Island, but was short-lived. In 1944, a league of servicemen was formed around theAtherton Tableland. Teams represented included Wongabel, Wondelca,Kairi,Mareeba andRavenshoe. The league was a precursor to the nearbyCairns,Queensland league.
In 1955, the Townsville Australian Football League began. Two years later the Cairns Australian Football League was formed. AFL was also introduced toMount Isa. In the early 1970s, organised leagues started appearing inMackay, theDarling Downs andCentral Queensland.
TheAustralian Football League has occasionally played pre-season matches inCairns and there have been semi-regular premiership matches on theGold Coast.
AFL Cairns is a semi-professional league that includes clubs from theCairns region inQueensland,Australia. It is widely regarded as the strongest regional Australian rules football league in Queensland and has a large base atCazaly's Stadium which has staged pre-seasonAustralian Football League matches.
The league has significant coverage in local media such asThe Cairns Post. Each year theGrand Final attracts between 2,000–3,000 spectators.
AFL Capricornia is an amateur competition played in the areas ofRockhampton,Gladstone andYeppoon between the months of March and September in the cooler seasons of theCentral Queensland climate.
The league is covered primarily by the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin in the local print media.
AFL Darling Downs is an amateur competition formed as the Darling Downs Australian Football League in 1971. It is based around the city ofToowoomba west ofBrisbane. The senior representative team is known as theDemons and wear guernseys modelled on the Melbourne Demons guernseys. The Under 18 representative team who participate in the AFLQ Under 18 competition are known as the "Crows" and wear guernseys modelled on the Adelaide Crows guernseys.
AFL Mackay is an amateur competition formed as the Mackay Australian Football League in 1970. It is based around the city ofMackay with further clubs inAirlie Beach,Sarina,Alligator Creek,Pioneer Valley andMoranbah. The representative team is known as theCrows.
AFL Mount Isa is an amateur competition formed as the North West Australian Football League in 1967, changing its name to the Mount Isa AFL in 1969. Prior to this the game was played but was not organised. It is based around the city ofMount Isa.
The first matches in Mount Isa were played in 1932.[1] The city had 3 clubs by 1933.[2] Another league was formed in 1955.[3] However the current league wasn't established until much later.
| Official Name | Colours | Nickname | Home | Years in competition | Premierships | Premiership Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Isa Buffaloes |  | Buffaloes | Legend Oval,Mount Isa | 1983- | 5 | 1992, 1994, 1995, 2017, 2018 |
| Mount Isa Tigers |  | Tigers | Legend Oval,Mount Isa | 1967- | 11 | 1971, 1973, 1983, 1989, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 |
| Lake Nash |  | Bats (formerlyBushies, Young Guns) | Alpurrurulam Oval,Alpurrurulam (NT) | *1993- | 2 | 2002, 2003 |
| Dajarra Rhinos |  | Rhinos | Monument Sports Oval,Dajarra | 2018- | 0 | - |
| Official Name | Colours | Nickname | Home | Years in competition | Premierships | Premiership Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Isa Rovers |  | Rovers | Legend Oval,Mount Isa | 1967-2020 | 24 | 1968, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986,1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 |
North West Australian Football League (1967-1968) /Mount Isa AFL (1969-1999) /AFL Mount Isa (2000-present)
AFL Townsville is an amateur competition formed as the Townsville Australian Football League in 1955, the first AFL competition to be formed in Queensland outside of the South East. It is based around the city ofTownsville. For a short period in the 1980s, the competition was played during the summer months. The representative team is known as theEagles and they wear similar guernseys to the Zillmere Eagles old white and blue guernsey's.
TheAFL Wide Bay competition was formerly known as the Bundaberg-Wide Bay Australian Football League which was formed in 1987 through the merger of the Bundaberg Australian Football League and Wide Bay Australian Football Leagues. The competition currently features teams from the cities ofBundaberg,Maryborough andHervey Bay. The representative team is known as theTigers wearing guernseys similar to those of the Richmond Tigers.
TheBundabergAustralian Football League was an amateur competition formed in 1972 and continued until 1986, before merging with the Wide Bay Australian Football League, starting a new competition called the Bundaberg Wide Bay Australian Football League in 1987, now known as AFL Wide Bay.
The four foundation clubs were Burnett Heads, Southern Suburbs (South Bundaberg), Western Suburbs (West Bundaberg), and North Bundaberg.
| Club | Colours | Years in Competition | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Bundaberg |  | 1972–1986 | 5 |
| South Bundaberg |  | 1972–1986 | 1 |
| West Bundaberg |  | 1972–1986 | 5 |
| Burnett Heads |  | 1972–1982 | - |
| Hervey Bay |  | 1977, 1982–1983 | 3 |
| South Bundaberg (2) |  | 1979 | - |
| Maryborough |  | 1979 | - |
| Biggenden |  | 1983 | - |
| Gympie | | 1984 | - |
| Cooloola Coast |  | 1984 | - |
| Urangan | | 1984 | 1 |
| Brothers | | 1985 | - |
Bundaberg AFL (1972-1986)
TheCentral HighlandsAustralian Football League was an amateur competition formed in 1983 and ceased operations after the 1997 season. Most of the previous clubs still exist and operateAuskick programs, includingDysart andEmerald. TheMoranbah Bulldogs moved to theMackay Australian Football League after the league folded.
The league was a once flourishing competition with Clubs competing in Seniors, Reserves and juniors in Under 16's, 14's, and 12's. Around 1994, the mines in the area shifted from a five-day week into a seven-day 12-hour roster, which in turn limited teams' playing rosters. The league then changed onfield playing numbers from 18 to 13 with unlimited bench players. Unfortunately this still did not help and most clubs were forced to cease operations due to lack of playing numbers and not of financial matters.
Prior to the formation of the competition, Dysart, Middlemount and Moranbah had played inMackay's competition.
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Years in competition | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwater | Dark Blue and White | Cats | 1983–1997 | 3 |
| Clermont | Red and Black | Bombers | 1985–1986 | - |
| Dysart | Red and White | Swans | 1983–1997 | 2 |
| Emerald | Black, White and Red | Saints | 1983–1997 | 7 |
| Middlemount | Blue and White | Kangaroos | 1983–1991 | 1 |
| Moranbah | Blue, White and Red | bulldogs | 1983–1988, 1994–1997 | 2 |
| Tieri | Black and Yellow | Tigers | 1983–1991, 1996 | - |
| United | Black and Yellow | Tigers | 1992–1995 | - |
Central Highlands AFL (1983-1997)
TheGold CoastAustralian Football League was a competition that operated from at least 1961 to 1996 before being absorbed by the Queensland AFL as itsGold Coast Division.
| Club | Colours | Years in Competition | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashmore Nerang | Black and White | 1985-1989 | 0 |
| Broadbeach | White and blue | 1971–1996 | 2 |
| Burleigh Heads | Red and Black | 1979–1996 | 0 |
| Coolangatta Tweed Heads | 1965–1996 | 6 | |
| Ipswich | 1963 | 0 | |
| Labrador | Black and Yellow | 1964–1996 | 5 |
| Lismore | 1968–1970, 1978–1983 | 0 | |
| Palm Beach-Currumbin | Yellow and Purple | 1961–1996 | 4 |
| Robina Roos | Blue and White | 1996 | 0 |
| Southport | White and black | 1961–1982 | 9 |
| Surfers Paradise | Red and Blue | 1962–1996 | 9 |
Gold Coast AFL (1961-1996) /AFLQ - Gold Coast Division (1997-1999)
TheMaryboroughAustralian Football League was an amateur competition that lasted two full seasons in 1981 and 1982. In 1983, there was only a limited number of fixtures, and due to lack of players, the competition folded after the season was over.
In 1983, Biggenden played in both the Bundaberg AFL and the Maryborough competition. Biggenden 2 lost to Cooloola Coast in the 1983 MAFL Grand Final, as their seniors did the previous year.
| Club | Colours | Years in Competition | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biggenden | Brown and White | 1981–1983 | 1 |
| Cooloola Coast | Navy Blue and White | 1982–1983 | 2 |
| Isis | Brown and Yellow | 1981–1983 | - |
| Maryborough[6] | Black and Gold | 1981–1983 | - |
| Torbanlea[citation needed] | Red and Blue | 1981 | - |
Maryborough AFL (1981-1983)
TheSunshine CoastAustralian Football League was an amateur competition that was formed in 1970 and continued until 1992. The three foundation clubs were Noosa, Maroochydore and Nambour.
In 1993, the clubs from the competition played in the Brisbane Australian Football League, and later split up into various AFL South Queensland Divisions.
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Years in competition | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caboolture | Maroon, Blue and Gold | Lions (Cats 1973-1975) | 1973–1975, 1984–1987, 1990 | - |
| Caloundra | Navy Blue and White | Panthers (Cats 1973-1980) | 1973–1983, 1985–1989, 1991–1992 | 4 |
| Gympie | Navy Blue and White | Cats | 1971–1983, 1992 | - |
| Hervey Bay | Red and Green | Seahawks | 1978–1981 | - |
| Kawana | Blue and Yellow | Eagles | 1983–1984, 1990–1992 | - |
| Maroochydore | Green and Gold | Roos | 1970–1992 | 11 |
| Maryborough | Black and Gold | Tigers | 1977 | - |
| Mooloolah Valley | Black and White | Magpies | 1985–1988 | - |
| Nambour | Navy Blue and White | Blues | 1970–1975, 1977–1992 | 1 |
| Noosa | Black and Gold | Tigers | 1970–1992 | 7 |
| Pomona | Blue and Gold | Demons | 1975, 1987–1990 | - |
| Pomona/Cooroy | Red and Blue | Demons | 1976–1986 | - |
| Pomona/Gympie | Blue, White and Gold | Devil Cats | 1991 | - |
| Southern Districts | Red, Blue and Gold | Wildcats | 1987–1989 | - |
Sunshine Coast AFL (1970-1992)
TheWide BayAustralian Football League was a short-lived amateur competition that was formed in 1985 as a result of a breakaway from theBundaberg Australian Football League. It only lasted two years before merging with the league it broke away from.
| Club | Colours | Years in competition | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooloola Coast | Navy Blue and White | 1985–1986 | - |
| Gympie Blues[9] | 1985 | - | |
| Gympie Cats | Navy Blue and White | 1985–1986 | - |
| Hervey Bay Bombers | Black and Red | 1985–1986 | 2 |
| Hervey Bay Hawks | Brown and Yellow | 1985 | - |
| Maryborough | Black and Gold | 1986 | - |
Wide Bay AFL (1985-1986)
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