Australian rules football leagues in regional Queensland
There are several Australian rules football leagues in regional Queensland.
The sport of Australian rules football has a rich history in Queensland which dates back to the 1860s, however the game outside of South East Queensland was slower to take off than in Brisbane.
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.
The Australian Football League has occasionally played pre-season matches in Cairns and there have been semi-regular premiership matches on the Gold Coast.
Current competitions
[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 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 Capricornia]
is an amateur competition played in the areas of Rockhampton, Gladstone and Yeppoon between the months of March and September in the cooler seasons of the Central 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 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 Mackay]
is an amateur competition formed as the Mackay Australian Football League in 1970. It is based around the city of Mackay with further clubs in Airlie Beach, Sarina, Alligator Creek, Pioneer Valley and Moranbah. The representative team is known as the Crows.[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. The city had 3 clubs by 1933. Another league was formed in 1955. However the current league wasn't established until much later.
Current clubs
Former clubs
Premiers
North West Australian Football League / Mount Isa AFL / AFL Mount Isa- 1967: Hawks
- 1968: Rovers
- 1969: Saints
- 1970: Saints
- 1971: Tigers
- 1972: Hawks
- 1973: Tigers
- 1974: Saints
- 1975: Hawks
- 1976: Rovers
- 1977: Mary Kathleen
- 1978: Mary Kathleen
- 1979: Mary Kathleen
- 1980: Rovers
- 1981: Rovers
- 1982: Rovers
- 1983: Tigers
- 1984: Rovers
- 1985: Rovers
- 1986: Rovers
- 1987: Saints
- 1988: Rovers
- 1989: Tigers
- 1990: Rovers
- 1991: Rovers
- 1992: Buffaloes
- 1993: Rovers
- 1994: Buffaloes
- 1995: Buffaloes
- 1996: Rovers
- 1997: Rovers
- 1998: Tigers
- 1999: Tigers
- 2000: Rovers
- 2001: Rovers
- 2002: Lake Nash
- 2003: Lake Nash
- 2004: Rovers
- 2005: Rovers
- 2006: Tigers
- 2007: Rovers
- 2008: Rovers
- 2009: Rovers
- 2010: Rovers
- 2011: Tigers
- 2012: Rovers
- 2013: Rovers
- 2014: Tigers
- 2015: Tigers
- 2016: Tigers
- 2017: Buffaloes
- 2018: Buffaloes
- 2019: Tigers
- 2020: Buffaloes
- 2021: Buffaloes
- 2022: Tigers
- 2023: Buffaloes
- 2024: Buffaloes
[AFL Townsville]
[AFL Wide Bay]
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.Defunct competitions
Bundaberg Australian Football League
The Bundaberg Australian 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, Western Suburbs, and North Bundaberg.
Clubs
Final
Former
Premiers
Bundaberg AFL- 1972: North Bundaberg
- 1973: Western Suburbs
- 1974: Western Suburbs
- 1975: North Bundaberg
- 1976: North Bundaberg
- 1977: Hervey Bay
- 1978: North Bundaberg
- 1979: North Bundaberg
- 1980: West Bundaberg
- 1981: South Bundaberg
- 1982: Hervey Bay
- 1983: Hervey Bay
- 1984: Urangan
- 1985: West Bundaberg
- 1986: West Bundaberg
Central Highlands Australian Football League
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.
Clubs
Final
Former
Premiers
Central Highlands AFL- 1983: Dysart
- 1984: Dysart
- 1985: Moranbah
- 1986: Moranbah
- 1987: Middlemount
- 1988: Emerald
- 1989: Emerald
- 1990: Blackwater
- 1991: Blackwater
- 1992: Blackwater
- 1993: Emerald
- 1994: Emerald
- 1995: Emerald
- 1996: Emerald
- 1997: Emerald
Gold Coast">Gold Coast, Queensland">Gold Coast [Australian Football League]
Clubs
Final
Former
Premiers
Gold Coast AFL / AFLQ - Gold Coast Division- 1961: Southport
- 1962: Southport
- 1963: Surfers Paradise
- 1964: Southport
- 1965: Palm Beach-Currumbin
- 1966: Southport
- 1967: Surfers Paradise
- 1968: Surfers Paradise
- 1969: Surfers Paradise
- 1970: Labrador
- 1971: Palm Beach-Currumbin
- 1972: Surfers Paradise
- 1973: Palm Beach-Currumbin
- 1974: Surfers Paradise
- 1975: Southport
- 1976: Southport
- 1977: Southport
- 1978: Coolangatta
- 1979: Southport
- 1980: Southport
- 1981: Coolangatta
- 1982: Coolangatta
- 1983: Coolangatta
- 1984: Surfers Paradise
- 1985: Palm Beach-Currumbin
- 1986: Labrador
- 1987: Broadbeach
- 1988: Coolangatta
- 1989: Coolangatta
- 1990: Surfers Paradise
- 1991: Labrador
- 1992: Surfers Paradise
- 1993: Labrador
- 1994: Labrador
- 1995: Palm Beach-Currumbin
- 1996: Broadbeach
- 1997: Palm Beach-Currumbin
- 1998: Surfers Paradise
- 1999: Palm Beach-Currumbin
Maryborough">Maryborough, Queensland">Maryborough [Australian Football League]
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.