| Boxwidth: | 250 |
| Australian rules football in South East Queensland | |
| Union: | AFL Queensland |
| Sport: | Australian rules football |
| Clubs: | 46 (divided in 5 divisions) |
| Club List: | QFA (Division 1 to 5) |
Australian rules football in South East Queensland has a varied history, and many changes were made especially in the 21st century. Ruled and organised by the AFL Queensland, the region had a total of 46 teams playing in different divisions.[1]
Occasionally inter-zone matches are held with separate South East Queensland representative sides taking part, they include the "Gold Coast Stingrays", the "Suncoast Power", the "Western Taipans", and the "Northern Raiders".
Additionally when the South East competes together they are known as the "South East Bushrangers".
See main article: Australian rules football in Queensland. The earliest known record of Australian rules football commencing in Queensland was in May 1866, when the Brisbane Football Club was formed,[2] with the aim of keeping cricketers fit in the winter months. The club played its first match on Saturday 9 June 1866 at Queen's Park (now part of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens).[3] By 1870 four more clubs had been created: Volunteer Artillery, Brisbane Grammar School, Civil Service and Ipswich, all adopting Victorian Rules over rugby football.
The original Brisbane Football Club disbanded in the late 1880s and has no direct relationship to the modern Brisbane Bears or Lions clubs.
The first schoolboys match was between Brisbane Grammar played matches against Ipswich Grammar in 1870 – the outcome was a draw. Early games in Queensland were exceptionally long – one match between IGS and Brisbane Grammar in 1876 commenced at 10.30am and ended at 2.30pm, at which time IGS had scored 6 goals to Brisbane Grammar's nil.
During this era, no local governing body for the game was established. All rules and decisions about the rules and competitions were still made from Melbourne and was known in Queensland as "Victorian Rules".
However Victorian rules was growing rapidly and was the most popular football code in Queensland by 1880. Queensland sent delegates to the Intercolonial Football Conference in 1883.
By the early 1880s, there may have been as many as 300 players in the Brisbane and Ipswich region, as contemporaneous newspaper records show that there were at least six active clubs (Brisbane, Excelsiors, Grammars, Wallaroos, Rovers and Athenians (Ipswich)), each of which had at least two teams ('senior' and 'junior' 20s).Matches were played at the Albert Ground, Kedron Park, Grammar School and Ipswich, with occasional matches at Queen's Park.[4] [5]
In 1887, one of the most significant events in the history of the code occurred at this time. Independent Schools headmasters voted by 1 vote to adopt rugby football.[6] The decision was influenced by the recent creation of a Queensland-based governing body to govern rugby, and 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. This dealt a significant blow to the sport and advantage to rugby union. Despite the advances made by Queensland football, it was clear that Victoria was progressing faster than any other state. 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.[7] Over the next few years, rugby union's popularity in South East Queensland would swamp Victorian Rules.
In 1969, the "South Queensland Australian Football Association" (SQAFA) was established with the purpose of developing players for the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL). Most of the players were amateurs. In 1992, the league changed its name to the "Brisbane Australian Football League" (BAFL) and included clubs from the Sunshine Coast.
Another name change in 2000 brought about AFL South Queensland. In 2006, AFL South Queensland was taken under the umbrella of AFL Queensland and rebranded as the Queensland State Association. In 2012, it was renamed South East Queensland AFL.[8] Finally in 2014 the local level was divided into two leagues, the Queensland Football Association (QFA) and the Queensland Amateur Football Association (QAFA). Again in 2017 the name will change again to the Queensland Football Association, now covering five divisions and the re-introduction of two regional based leagues (AFL Northern Rivers & AFL Sunshine Coast / Wide Bay).
Since 2017 to present:
| Queensland Football Association (QFA) league system | |||||||||||
| width=050px | Level | width=100px | Leagues | width=100px | N° of teams (Reserves) | width=100px | N° of teams (Seniors) | width=050px | ↑ Promotion | width=050px | ↓ Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | QFA Division 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1 ** | ||||||
| 2 | QFA Division 2 | 9 | 9 | 1 * | 1 ** | ||||||
| 3 | QFA Division 3 | 10 | 10 | 1 * | 0 | ||||||
| 4 | QFA Division 4 | 9 | 0 | 1 ** | |||||||
| 5 | QFA Division 5 | 9 | 1 * | 0 |
Clubs for the 2022 season:
| Colours | Club Name | Nickname | Suburb/s | Location/s | Home Ground/s | Formed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beenleigh | Buffaloes | Guardian Gantry Hire Oval | 1998 | ||||
| Caloundra | Panthers | Carter Park | 1973 | ||||
| Coorparoo | Kings | 1996 | |||||
| Hinterland | Blues | Sunshine Coast | G Rae Oval | 1970 | |||
| Mayne | Tigers | Enoggera Memorial Park | 1924 | ||||
| Moreton Bay | Lions | Moreton Bay Regional Sports Park | 1987 | ||||
| Springwood | Pumas | Lowe Oval | 1972 | ||||
| Uni. of Queensland | Red Lions | UQ Playing Field 2 | 1956 |
| Colours | Club Name | Nickname | Suburb/s | Location/s | Home Ground/s | Formed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Hills | Bombers | Keith Surridge Park | 1980 | ||||
| Gympie | Cats | Ray Warren Oval | 1971 | ||||
| Jindalee | Jags | Jindalee Districts AFC | 1971 | ||||
| Kedron | Lions | EK (Ted) Anderson Oval | 1937 | ||||
| Kenmore | Bears | Chelmer Oval | 1967 | ||||
| Park Ridge | Pirates | Park Ridge High School | 2013 | ||||
| Pine Rivers | Swans | Strathpine | Brisbane | Rob Akers Reserve | 1970 | ||
| Redcliffe | Tigers | Nathan Road Sports Complex | 1974 | ||||
| Sandgate | Hawks | Sandgate Hawks AFC | 1943 | ||||
| Wynnum | Vikings | Brisbane | Kianawah Oval | 1971 | |||
| Yeronga South Brisbane | Devils | Leyshon Park | 1929 | ||||
| Zillmere | Eagles | Zillmere | Brisbane | O'Callaghan Park | 1923 |
| Colours | Club Name | Nickname | Suburb/s | Location/s | Home Ground/s | Formed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bond University | Bullsharks | Bond University Oval | 2011 | ||||
| Burleigh | Bombers | Gold Coast | c. 1979 | ||||
| Carrara | Saints | Alan Nielsen Oval | 2012 | ||||
| Coolangatta Tweed Heads | Blues | 2012 | |||||
| Coomera | Magpies | Coomera Sports Park | 2009 | ||||
| Robina | Roos | Scottsdale Reserve | 1996 | ||||
| Southern Stingrays | Stingrays | Ballina, Byron Bay | New South Wales | Fripp Oval, Cavanbah Centre | 2024 | ||
| Tweed Coast | Tigers | Barry Sheppard Oval | 2009 |
| Colours | Club Name | Nickname | Suburb/s | Location/s | Home Ground/s | Formed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspley | Hornets | Brisbane | Graham Road | 1964 | |||
| Caloundra | Panthers | Golden Beach | Sunshine Coast | Carter Park | 1973 | ||
| Coorparoo | Kings | Coorparoo | Brisbane | Giffin Park | 1996 | ||
| Marcellin Old Collegians | Gorillas | Brisbane | iinergy Oval | 1945 | |||
| Maroochydore | Roos | Neil Upton Oval | 1969 | ||||
| Moreton Bay | Lions | Burpengary | Moreton Bay | Moreton Bay Regional Sports Park | 1987 | ||
| North Shore | Jets | Sunshine Coast | North Shore Multisports Complex | 1999 |
| Colours | Club Name | Nickname | Suburb/s | Location/s | Home Ground/s | Formed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collingwood Park | Power | Redbank Plains Recreational Reserve | 2012 | ||||
| Coorparoo | Kings | Giffin Park | 1996 | ||||
| Jimboomba | Redbacks | Glenlogan Park | 2000 | ||||
| Moorooka | Roosters | Brisbane | Alexander Park | 2009 | |||
| Morningside | Panthers | Jack Esplen Oval | 1947 | ||||
| Ormeau | Bulldogs | Ormeau Sports Park | 2008 | ||||
| Pacific Pines | Power | McAuley Parade Oval | 2005 | ||||
| Sherwood | Magpies | Powenyenna Oval | 1991 |
| Colours | Club Name | Nickname | Suburb/s | Location/s | Home Ground/s | Formed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferny Grove | Falcons | Ferny Grove Oval | 1991 | ||||
| Glasshouse Hinterland | Lions | Landsborough Sport & Recreation Centre | 1997 | ||||
| Hinterland | Blues | Palmwoods | Sunshine Coast | G Rae Oval | 1970 | ||
| Kedron | Lions | Kedron | Brisbane | EK (Ted) Anderson Oval | 1937 | ||
| Mayne | Tigers | Enoggera | Brisbane | Enoggera Memorial Park | 1924 | ||
| Redcliffe | Tigers | Kippa-Ring | Moreton Bay | Nathan Road Sports Complex | 1974 | ||
| Sandgate | Hawks | Brisbane | Sandgate Hawks AFC | 1943 | |||
| Uni. Of Queensland | Red Lions | UQ Playing Field 2 | 1956 | ||||
| Yeronga South Brisbane | Devils | Yeronga | Brisbane | Leyshon Park | 1929 |
| Colours | Club Name | Nickname | Suburb/s | Location/s | Home Ground/s | Formed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Valley | Rattlers | Fernvale Sports Park | 2016 | ||||
| Carrara | Saints | Carrara | Gold Coast | Alan Nielsen Oval | 2012 | ||
| Coolangatta Tweed Heads | Blues | 2012 | |||||
| Coomera | Magpies | Coomera Sports Park | 2009 | ||||
| Ipswich | Cats | Amberley | Ipswich | Ivor Marsden Memorial Sports Centre | 1959 | ||
| Ipswich | Eagles | Ipswich | Limestone Park | 2001 | |||
| Greater Springfield | Storm | Springfield Central Sports complex | 2022 | ||||
| Labrador | Tigers | 1964 | |||||
| Mount Gravatt | Vultures | Dittmer Park | 1964 | ||||
| Redland-Victoria Point | Sharks | Victoria Point | Redland | Totally Workwear Park | 2014 | ||
| Southport | Sharks | Gold Coast | Southport | Fankhauser Reserve | 1961 |
Several clubs from South East Queensland do not take part of local Leagues, giving priority to Queensland Australian Football League or Victorian Football League competitions where they compete.
Other clubs have teams in both, Queensland Football Association and Queensland Australian Football League/Victorian Football League or Australian Football League/Victorian Football League.
| Colours | Football Club Name | Nickname | City/Region | Suburb/s | QFA | Other League/s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspley | Hornets | Queensland Australian Football League | |||||
| Brisbane | Lions | – | |||||
| Broadbeach | Cats | – | Queensland Australian Football League | ||||
| Gold Coast | Suns | – | |||||
| Labrador | Tigers | Queensland Australian Football League | |||||
| Maroochydore | Roos | Queensland Australian Football League | |||||
| Morningside | Panthers | ||||||
| Mount Gravatt | Vultures | ||||||
| Noosa | Tigers | – | |||||
| Palm Beach Currumbin | Lions | – | |||||
| Redland-Victoria Point | Sharks | Queensland Australian Football League | |||||
| Southport | Sharks | – | Victorian Football League | ||||
| Sherwood Districts | Magpies | ||||||
| Wilston Grange | Gorillas |
| Colours | Club Name | Nickname | City/Town | Suburb/s | State/Territory | Home Ground/s | Formed | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballina | Bombers | Ballina | Ballina | New South Wales | Fripp Oval | 1984 | Senior men's team merged with Byron to form Southern Stingrays in 2024 | ||
| Banyo | Bloods | Nudgee Recreation Reserve | 1967 | Folded | |||||
| Bribie Island | Bulldogs | Bongaree | Bribie Island | Queensland | Bribie Island Recreation Reserve | In recess | |||
| Byron | Magpies | Byron Bay | Byron Bay | New South Wales | Cavanbah Centre | 1984 | Senior men's team merged with Ballina to form Southern Stingrays in 2024 | ||
| Calamvale | Leopards | Calamvale Sportsfield | ???? | Folded, still field junior teams | |||||
| Lismore | Swans | Lismore | Gloria Mortimer Oval | 2002 | Moved to AFL North Coast, in recess since 2022 floods | ||||
| Marsden | Hawks | Mudgee Street Park | 1992 | Folded | |||||
| Murri | Mavericks | Melrose Park | 1998 | Merged with Ferny Grove | |||||
| Pomona | Demons | Reserve Street Oval | 1973 | Entered recess, re-formed in AFL Wide Bay in 2024 |
| Year | SQAFA Division 1 | SQAFA Division 2 | SQAFA Division 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Sherwood | Deagon | ? | |||||
| 1971 | Mt Gravatt | University Queensland | Stafford | |||||
| 1972 | Mt Gravatt | Banyo | Mt Gravatt | |||||
| 1973 | Sherwood | Banyo | Stafford | |||||
| 1974 | Mt Gravatt | Wynnum | Aspley | |||||
| 1975 | Sherwood | Banyo | Redland | |||||
| 1976 | Sherwood | RAAF | Deagon | |||||
| 1977 | Sherwood | Deagon | Beenleigh-Slacks | |||||
| 1978 | Sherwood | Oakleigh | Everton | |||||
| 1979 | Sherwood | Ipswich | RAAF | |||||
| 1980 | Sherwood | Beenleigh | (No competition) | |||||
| 1981 | Sherwood | Everton | (No competition) | |||||
| 1982 | Sherwood | Banyo | (No competition) | |||||
| 1983 | Mt Gravatt | Ashgrove | (No competition) | |||||
| 1984 | Acacia Ridge | University Queensland | (No competition) | |||||
| 1985 | Aspley | Beenleigh | (No competition) | |||||
| 1986 | Aspley | Jindalee | (No competition) | |||||
| 1987 | Aspley | Redland | (No competition) | |||||
| 1988 | Aspley | Redcliffe | (No competition) | |||||
| 1989 | Aspley | Springwood | (No competition) | |||||
| 1990 | Aspley | Everton | (No competition) | |||||
| 1991 | Strathpine | Ipswich | (No competition) | |||||
| Year | BAFL Division 1 | BAFL Division 2 | BAFL Division 3 | |||||
| 1992 | Aspley | Moorooka | Uni | |||||
| 1993 | Maroochydore | Sandgate | Ipswich | |||||
| 1994 | Maroochydore | Sandgate | Marsden | |||||
| 1995 | Maroochydore | Marsden | ||||||
| 1996 | Maroochydore | Alexandra Hills | Toowong | |||||
| 1997 | Noosa | Wilston Grange | Kenmore | |||||
| 1998 | Redland | Moorooka | Kenmore | |||||
| 1999 | Redland | Caboolture | Redland | |||||
| Year | AFLSQ Premier Division | AFLSQ Division 1 | AFLSQ Division 2 | AFLSQ Division 3 | AFLSQ Division 4 | |||
| 2000 | Palm Beach-Currumbin | Coorparoo Kings | Gympie | ? | ? | |||
| 2001 | Coolangatta | Burleigh Heads | Coorparoo Kings | Gympie | ? | |||
| 2002 | Aspley | Springwood | Redcliffe | Kenmore | Wilston Grange | |||
| 2003 | Coolangatta | Strathpine | Wynnum | (No competition) | ? | |||
| 2004 | Burleigh | Strathpine | Robina | (No competition) | ? | |||
| 2005 | Burleigh | Redcliffe | Robina | (No competition) | ? | |||
| Year | AFLQ State League Div 2 | AFLQ State Assoc'n Div 1 | AFLQ State Assoc'n Div 2 | AFLQ State Assoc'n Div 3 North | AFLQ State Assoc'n Div 3 Central | |||
| 2006 | Western Magpies | Yeronga | Kenmore | (No competition) | ? | |||
| 2007 | Palm Beach-Currumbin | Yeronga | Kedron | Gympie | Western Magpies | |||
| 2008 | Western Magpies | Wynnum | Redcliffe | Nambour | Strathpine | |||
| 2009 | Palm Beach-Currumbin | Wynnum | Beenleigh | Nambour | Woodsmen | |||
| 2010 | Noosa | Caloundra | Robina | Nambour & Hinterland | Jimboomba | |||
| 2011 | Noosa | Coorparoo Kings | Nambour & Hinterland | Pomona | Jimboomba | |||
| Year | SEQAFL Division 1 | SEQAFL Division 2 | SEQAFL Division 3 | SEQAFL Division 4 North | SEQAFL Division 4 Central | SEQAFL Division 4 South | ||
| 2012 | Western Magpies | Coorparoo Kings | Redcliffe | Caloundra | Pine Rivers | Tweed Coast | ||
| 2013 | Springwood | Coorparoo Kings | Coomera | Pomona | Zillmere | Tweed Coast | ||
| Year | QFA North | QFA South | QAFA A Grade | QAFA B Grade North | QAFA B Grade Central | QAFA B Grade South | ||
| 2014 | Mayne | Springwood | Griffith Uni/Moorooka | Bribie Island | Woodsmen | Bond Uni | ||
| 2015 | Mayne | Springwood | Bond Uni | Gympie | Kedron | Tweed Coast | ||
| 2016 | Mayne | Coorparoo Kings | Southeast Suns | Maroochydore | Zillmere | Byron Magpies | ||
| Year | QFA Division 1 | QFA Division 2 | QFA Division 3 | QFA Division 4 | QFA Division 5 | QFA Northern Rivers | ||
| 2017 | Maroochydore | Aspley Hornets | Victoria Point | Zillmere | Mayne | Byron Magpies | ||
| 2018 | Maroochydore | Park Ridge | Carrara | Maroochydore | Yeronga South Brisbane | Byron Magpies | ||
| 2019 | Noosa | Bond University | Moreton Bay | Park Ridge | Bribie Island | Byron Magpies | ||
| Year | QFA Division 1 | QFA Division 2 North | QFA Division 2 South | QFA Division 3 | QFA Division 4 | |||
| 2020 | Noosa | Moreton Bay | Kenmore | Morningside | Ormeau | |||
| 2021 | Springwood | Moreton Bay | Burleigh | Sherwood Districts | Collingwood Park | |||
| 2022 | Coorparoo | Hinterland Blues | Coolangatta-Tweed Heads | Sherwood | Pacific Pines | |||
| Year | QFA Division 1 | QFA Division 2 North | QFA Division 2 South | QFA Division 3 North | QFA Division 3 South | QFA Division 4 North | QFA Division 4 South | |
| 2023 | Springwood | Alexandra Hills | Burleigh | Maroochydore | Pacific Pines | Caloundra | Mt Gravatt |
Notable former Queensland Football Association regional Divisions
All four AFL Bundaberg-Wide Bay Clubs from 2002, Hervey Bay Bombers, Across the Waves Bundaberg Eagles, Brothers Bulldogs and Maryborough Bears were joined by teams further south, Gympie Cats, Pomona Demons, Glasshouse and Bribie Island to play one season against each other before reverting to their various regional leagues in 2004 once again.
Finals summary: