Soccer in Queensland
Soccer was first played in Queensland on a regular basis in Brisbane, in 1884. It is the most participated team sport in the state with 341,917 players in 2024 just under a third of which are female. The game in Queensland is administered by the peak body, Football Queensland, together with several subordinate zone councils, each representing regions of Queensland.
History
The Brisbane Football Club formed in 1866 under Australian Rules football rules but dabbled in both soccer and rugby football for much of its history, but appears to have been involved in many of the early soccer matches in Brisbane from 1867 to 1870.The earliest mention of matches under London Association rules is a July 1867 match Between Brisbane FC and the Volunteer Artillery World eleven. Volunteer Artillery later switched to Australian rules.
Brisbane FC also played soccer at Woogaroo, west of Brisbane, in 1875 against the inmates and warders of the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum."
The following year at a meeting at the Railway Hotel, Petrie Terrace in April 1876, a new club was being formed in Brisbane to play under London Association rules is made with the intention of starting a neighbourhood league.
The Anglo-Queensland Football Association began in 1884. The Brisbane Courier reported in early May 1884:
The first fixture match was played on 7 June 1884, on the Pineapple Sportsfield, Kangaroo Point.
By 1886, the game had spread west to Ipswich and then to other regional centres.
Administration of football in Queensland
Football Queensland
Football Queensland was preceded by a number of organisations:- 1884-1889: Anglo-Queensland Football Association
- 1890-1919: Queensland British Football Association
- 1920-1927: Queensland Football Association
- 1928-1939: Queensland Soccer Council
- 1940-1961: Queensland Soccer Football Association
- 1962-2005: Queensland Soccer Federation
- 2006-Present: Football Queensland
Queensland Zones
The game is administered locally by zone councils:National representation
National Soccer League (NSL) 1977-2004
There were a number of Queensland teams that played in the now defunct National Soccer League.| Club name | Years in the NSL | Premierships | Cups |
| Brisbane City | 1977-1986 | -- | 1977, 1978 |
| Brisbane Lions | 1977-1986 & 1988 | -- | 1981 |
| Brisbane Strikers | 1992-2004 | 1997 | -- |
A-League (2005-present)
The Brisbane Roar, a privately owned football club, was the only Queensland team to compete in the inaugural season of the national A-League.In the 2009-10 Hyundai A-League season, two other clubs joined the Roar, Gold Coast United FC and the North Queensland Fury FC. However, the Fury team withdrew from the competition after season 2010-11, citing financial difficulties. Gold Coast United also left the A-league after the 2011-12 season. They have now reformed in August 2017 and currently compete in the National Premier Leagues Queensland.
Club competitions
Queensland statewide competitions
The Queensland State League was established in 2008 to provide a second tier competition between the A-League and the Queensland regional competitions. The QSL consisted of a single division, comprising nine teams without provision for promotion or relegation.In 2013 the QSL was replaced by the National Premier Leagues Queensland which forms a division within the National Premier Leagues. The winner enters a national finals series against the winners of the other NPL divisions. In 2018 the NPL Queensland will introduce promotion from and relegation to, a new league the Football Queensland Premier League.