In 1913, a team of servicemen briefly existed on Thursday Island, but was short-lived. In 1944, a league of servicemen was formed around the Atherton Tableland. Teams represented included Wongabel, Wondelca, Kairi, Mareeba and Ravenshoe. The league was a precursor to the nearby Cairns, Queensland league.
In 1955, the Townsville Australian Football League began. Two years later the Cairns Australian Football League was formed. AFL was also introduced to Mount Isa. In the early 1970s, organised leagues started appearing in Mackay, the Darling Downs and Central Queensland.
AFL Cairns is a semi-professional league that includes clubs from the Cairns region in Queensland, Australia. It is widely regarded as the strongest regional Australian rules football league in Queensland and has a large base at Cazaly's Stadium which has staged pre-season Australian Football League matches.
The league has significant coverage in local media such as The Cairns Post. Each year the Grand Final attracts between 2,000–3,000 spectators.
AFL Darling Downs is an amateur competition formed as the Darling Downs Australian Football League in 1971. It is based around the city of Toowoomba west of Brisbane. The senior representative team is known as the Demons 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 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 of Mount 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.
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 of Townsville. For a short period in the 1980s, the competition was played during the summer months. The representative team is known as the Eagles and they wear similar guernseys to the Zillmere Eagles old white and blue guernsey's.
The AFL 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 of Bundaberg, Maryborough and Hervey Bay. The representative team is known as the Tigers wearing guernseys similar to those of the Richmond Tigers.
Clubs
Club
Moniker
Colours
Years in competition
No. of Premierships
ATW Bundaberg
Eagles
1997–*
9
Bay Power
Power
2004–
–
Brothers Bulldogs
Bulldogs
1987–
3
Hervey Bay
Bombers
1987–
15
ATW Bundaberg Eagles was the result of the merger of North Bundaberg Kangaroos and South Bundaberg/ATW Magpies
Brothers Bulldogs were known as West Bundaberg Bulldogs 1987-1996
Former Clubs
Club
Moniker
Colours
Years in competition
No. of Premierships
Gympie
Cats
1984, 1987-1988, 1993-1999, 2003-2006, 2017
-
Maryborough
Bears
1988, 1990–1991, 1993–1999, 2001–2012, 2018*
–
Maryborough Bears' previous moniker was Maryborough Tigers from 1988–1994
Premiers
Bundaberg Wide Bay AFL (1987-1999) / AFL Bundaberg Wide Bay (2000-2009) / AFL Wide Bay (2010-present)
The BundabergAustralian 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.
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 in Mackay's competition.
The MaryboroughAustralian 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.
The Sunshine 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.
^"AUSTRALIAN RULES". The Brisbane Courier. No. 23, 485. Queensland, Australia. 9 May 1933. p. 16. Retrieved 19 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^Bird, Murray; Parker, Greg (2018). More of the Kangaroo: 150 Years of Australian Football in Queensland - 1866 to 2016. Morningside, Qld. p. vii. ISBN978-0-9943936-1-6. OCLC1082363978.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^"Rovers Win". The North West Star Mount Isa. Mount Isa, Queensland. 12 September 2005. p. 20.
^"Urangan in Rules Win". News Mail Bundaberg. Bundaberg, Queensland. 28 August 1984. p. 17.
^"Up There Cazaly". Maryborough Chronicle Maryborough. Maryborough, Queensland. 4 August 1981. p. 14.
^"Up There Cazaly". Maryborough Chronicle Maryborough. Maryborough, Queensland. 4 August 1981. p. 14.
^"Dolphins win final 158-32". Maryborough Chronicle Maryborough. Maryborough, Queensland. 23 August 1983. p. 14.
