The Queensland Amateur Rugby Football League (QARFL) was formed in 1908 by seven former rugby union players who were dissatisfied with the administration of the Queensland Rugby Union. The new organisation was attacked by both the local press and the QRU for introducing professionalism, which they claimed would destroy the sport. The first official club competition kicked off in Brisbane on May 8 1909.
In 1922 the Brisbane Rugby Football League (BRFL, later BRL) was formed out of dissatisfaction with the way the QRL ran the game. Those involved took particular exception to the salary being earned by Harry Sunderland as secretary of the QRL.
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Main article: Queensland Rugby League |
The Queensland Rugby League (QRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and selects the members of Queensland State of Origin teams.
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Main article: National Rugby League |
The National Rugby League (NRL) is Australia's top level competition for the sport of rugby league.
There are three Queensland based teams in the NRL: Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland Cowboys. Gold Coast Chargers competed in the NRL in 1998.
| Club | Location | Home Ground(s) | First season |
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 Brisbane Broncos
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Brisbane | Suncorp Stadium (12 games) (52,500) | 1988 |
 Gold Coast Titans
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Gold Coast | Skilled Park (12 games) (27,500) | 2007 |
 North Queensland Cowboys
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Townsville | Dairy Farmers Stadium (12 games) (25,000) | 1995 |
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Main article: Queensland Cup |
The Queensland Cup has been contested since 1996. Since 1998 the team winning the Queensland Cup is considered to be the premier club team in Queensland. This is because in 1996 and 1997 it was contested parallel to the Brisbane Rugby League, which was considered the premier competition in the state.
The Queensland Cup grew out of the Winfield State League. Since its formation in 1995, the Queensland Cup has been known as the Queensland Cup, Bundy Gold Cup, Channel 9 Cup. For sponsorship reasons it is currently known as the Queensland Wizard Cup.
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Main article: Brisbane A-Grade Rugby League |
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Main article: FOGS Colts Challenge |
Also known as the FOGS Cup & FOGS Colts Challenge, they are run by the Queensland Rugby League's South East Division. It is made up of 12 clubs, 7 of which play in the Queensland Cup. Generally, it is regarded as the division below the Queensland Cup. The FOGS Cup and FOGS Colts Challenge are formerly known as the Quest Cup and Mixwell Cup
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Main article: Foley Shield |
The Foley Shield competition began in North Queensland in 1948. With the introduction of the Queensland Cup in 1996 the Foley Shield competition was scrapped, only to be reintroduced in 2000. Since the revamp in 2000 it has only contested by the three largest cities in North Queensland; Cairns, Mackay and Townsville.
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Main article: Brisbane Rugby League |
The Brisbane Rugby League (BRL) premiership was the premier competition in Queensland from 1909 until 1997. It was superseded by the Queensland Cup.
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Main article: Bulimba Cup |
The Bulimba Cup was a representative competition contested between Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba. It was contested between 1925 and 1972.
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Main article: Winfield State League |
The Winfield State League was a Queensland-wide competition that was held in a variety of formats between 1982 and 1995. This competition was superseded by the Queensland Cup.
The Queensland State of Origin side is by far Queensland's most loved football team. Purely a representative team, they play three games a year against New South Wales in the competition known as the State of Origin, thus named because players represent their state of birth or the state where they played their first senior game of football. They are currently captained by Darren Lockyer and coached by Mal Meninga.
The Queensland and New South Wales teams are heavily competitive. During the 1980s Queensland had the upper hand (8 out of 10 to Qld); during the 1990s, factoring in Super League which took out most of the Queensland team (through the Brisbane Broncos), the results were reasonably similar (6 out of 10 to NSW); and during the first decade of the 2000s, New South Wales has had the upper hand, but are by no means dominant (4 out of 7 to NSW, with the most recent to Qld).
