AFL in Queensland - An Overview

AFL Queensland History

2008 State League
2008 Home-and-Away Season
2008 First Semi-Final
2008 Second Semi-Final
2008 Preliminary Final
2008 Grand Final

2009 QAFL
2009 Home-and-Away Season
2009 Qualifying and Elimination Finals
2009 Semi-Finals
2009 Preliminary Final
2009 Grand Final

A Supporter’s Guide
Suggestion Box

The Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL) is the premier AFL competition based in the state of Queensland.  The competition features teams from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Northern Territory, and is a wonderful example of suburban footy - a passionate, intimate experience for the footy fan.  A lack of formal documentation belies the competition’s long, colourful history.

Including the QAFL’s precursors, premiership competition began in 1904 and has been held every year since, with the exception of the period 1915 to 1919 when World War I intervened.  For more on the competition’s history, go to the History page.

Exciting news from late June 2008 was that, for the first time in the premiership’s 105-year history, a team from outside Queensland would be joining the competition.  It was announced that a team from the Northern Territory would enter the State League in 2009.

Other changes to the make-up of the State League in 2009 were the re-admission of the Western Magpies to the competition, and the inclusion of Aspley, who replaced their northern neighbours Zillmere Eagles.

This means that from 2009 the competition comprises ten teams:

Aspley  (Hornets)
Brisbane Lions
Broadbeach  (Cats)
Labrador  (Tigers)
Morningside  (Panthers)
Mount Gravatt  (Vultures)
Northern Territory (Thunder)
Redland  (Bombers)
Southport  (Sharks)
Western Magpies

With the inclusion of the Western Magpies (and not considering the Lions), the different regions of Brisbane can be considered to be represented in the QAFL as follows:

Northern suburbs  (Aspley)
Southern suburbs  (Mount Gravatt)
Eastern suburbs  (Morningside)
Western suburbs  (Western Magpies)
Bayside  (Redland)

The following teams are based on the Gold Coast, listed from north to south:

Labrador
Southport
Broadbeach

Many other teams from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast compete in the lower divisions.  The State League Division 2, known as the Pineapple Hotel Cup, is the second-tier competition.  In 2009, Palm Beach-Currumbin became premiers with a Grand Final victory over Noosa.

It’s worth noting that several of the teams from Division 2, namely Sandgate, Wilston-Grange and Mayne, have each competed at the top level in previous years.  Mayne was formed in 1924 and, with fifteen premierships to its credit in the top grade, boasts one of the best records in the history of the game in Queensland.

Last Modified:  29th January 2010

©2010 Greg Parker