History of association football in Brisbane, Queensland
Encyclopedia
The first recorded regular games of Association Football (soccer) in Brisbane
were played in 1884, by a group comprising mostly Scottish immigrants, at the sportsfield behind the Pineapple Hotel, Kangaroo Point
. These games were conducted by the newly formed Anglo-Queensland Football Association.
After a promising start, the game in Brisbane then developed erratically, hampered by the overwhelming popularity of the Rugby football codes: Rugby Union
, which had commenced in Brisbane some years earlier, then Rugby League
from the 1920s onwards. The game also suffered from ongoing periodic disunity, caused initially by disaffected clubs from nearby Ipswich
and later by disagreements over funding of the game and payments to players. In contrast with this the game boomed in Ipswich, with clubs from that city dominating Brisbane and combined Brisbane-Ipswich competitions until around 1960.
The large numbers of European and British immigrants arriving after World War II
changed the character of the local game dramatically, as it led to the formation of wealthy ethnic-based clubs, which dominated Brisbane football competitions during the 1960s and 70s. Unfortunately, this also created a perception amongst many members of the public that football was a 'migrants' game' (and as a result, sometimes referred to as 'wogball').
From the 1980s onwards, the local game thrived in terms of participation by junior and senior males and large numbers of female players, but not at a professional level. Despite a promising start, the Brisbane Roar FC, which joined the re-formed national A-League
competition in its inaugural year (2005), is yet to make serious inroads into the popularity enjoyed by the other football codes. As well as this, the local game in Brisbane continues to suffer disunity, with disagreements between Brisbane clubs and both the Brisbane and State associations, regarding the structure of various junior and senior competitions and the allocation of resources.
from very early times, as evidenced by this notice in The Moreton Bay Courier in 1849 (a mere 25 years after the arrival of the first white settlers in the Brisbane region, at which time the population was around 2000 people, many of whom were former convicts and poor Irish immigrants):
Given the inchoate nature of the various types of football at that time, they may have been playing simple mob football
. Alternatively, they could have been playing in accordance with the recently published Rugby school rules
(1845) or the Cambridge Rules (1848), the latter being the forerunner of Association Football rules.
(formed in 1866) and that they were playing in accordance with the 'Melbourne Rules' (codified in 1859, now known as 'Australian rules football
'). The 'football ground' referred to here is most likely the area then known as 'Queen's Park' (now part of the City Botanic Gardens) or possibly the sports field located in the area then known as 'Green Hills' (then located beside Countess Street Petrie Terrace opposite the Victoria Barracks
- now occupied by the Northern Busway
), where cricket matches were also played since at least the early 1860s.
The attached image entitled "Soccer Team Brisbane ca 1870" (from the John Oxley Library at the State Library of Queensland
), if correctly dated, is more likely a photograph of a Brisbane 'Melbourne Rules' team (teams in the latter game comprised 13 players, which matches the number in the photograph, and was played with a near-spherical ball
.)
This is the earliest known game of 'soccer' played in the Brisbane region (and possibly in Australia) - regular games of 'soccer' did not commence in Brisbane until 1884, as noted below.
The first known reference to an association football club in Brisbane was the Petrie Terrace
Football Club formed in 1876, whose players initially elected to adopt the
"London Association rules" (codified in 1863 - now the Football Association 'Laws of the Game') "until better ones could be framed ...". However, it appears that the club subsequently adopted the recently codified 'Rugby Union
rules' (1871), as just a week later it was reported that "At a meeting of the newly-formed football club at Petrie-terrace, held yesterday evening, it was decided to call the club the "Bonnet Rouge Football Club;" the uniform to be a red cap, of any shape whatever. The Rugby Union Football Rules were finally adopted, as it was understood that these had been decided upon by other Brisbane clubs."
As well as the Brisbane Football Club, the only other known Brisbane club at the time was the Rangers Football Club (formed in 1876), both of which were now playing according to both the Melbourne Rules and the Rugby Union rules.
The first reported association football matches were played by a group who originally practised at Queen's Park (now part of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens), on the flat area near the Brisbane River
, adjacent to Alice Street and between Edward
and Albert Streets
, around 1883 (see the far end of the park in the adjacent photograph). These players were presumably mostly recent Scottish migrants, given they were referred to as 'Scotch rulers' by players of the other codes, as well as the team names they eventually adopted.
After disagreements over ground-sharing with cricketers and the Rugby Union and Melbourne Rules players, they sought another ground. Eventually, they received permission from the publican of the Pineapple Hotel, almost directly across the river at Kangaroo Point
, to play at his 'Pineapple Sportsground' behind the hotel (this ground is now part of Raymond Park).
These players organised themselves into three teams and adopted the names 'Queen's Park', 'Rangers' (presumably after the well-known Glasgow football clubs) and 'St Andrew's' (possibly after the town
by that name in east Scotland) and played a series of fixtures, in the process forming the Anglo-Queensland Football Association (AQFA). It is highly likely that the players were inspired by the success of the contemporary Scottish national team
which, in adopting the Glasgow Queen's Park
club's 'playing style
', had dominated the English national teams during the 1870s and 1880s (Scottish players of the time were dubbed the 'Scotch Professors
', a reference to their 'scientific' approach, which ultimately transformed the tactics of the game).
St Andrew's was captained by Wylie and Queen's Park by Princeps. Despite the “good play” of Princeps, Holland, Wearne and Allison for Queen’s Park, the Saints overwhelmed them 7-0 (with two early goals by Macreadie of the Saints).
Curiously, The Queenslander newspaper reported over a month later:
“ST. ANDREW'S V. QUEEN'S PARK. The first round of matches of this association was played in the Botanical Gardens on Saturday between the above clubs, and resulted in a win for the St. Andrews by 7 goals to nil.” This latter report provided considerable detail regarding the play and individual players, and noted goal scorers who were different to those in the Courier report. However, the Brisbane Courier report should be given historical precedence, given its earlier date.
The final tie of that season between St Andrew's and Rangers was held at the Queen's Park ground on Saturday 9 August. The players were presumably playing as amateurs, as a newspaper advertisement promoting that game noted that “Collection Boxes in aid of the Hospital will be at Garden Gates.” The match was won by Rangers 1-0 and they were awarded the winners’ badges.
Whilst there are no known records of organised games under ‘Association’ rules prior to that 1884 season, a speech at the Queen's Park Football Club annual dinner in late 1885 by Mr Pring Roberts (a guest representing the local Rugby Union) suggests there may gave been earlier games. Mr Roberts acknowledged "the increasing popularity of the [Association football] game in the metropolis and the great strides made since its revival by the Anglo-Football Association some two seasons ago ..." .
By 1886, the game was rapidly becoming popular, as around 400 spectators watched as Queen's Park hosted St Andrew's for the opening match of the season, with Saint Andrew's winning 7-0 (including an own goal). Other matches reported in August 1886 included St Andrew's 5-1 against the Rangers at 'The Pineapple', Second St Andrew's 3-1 against Swifts at Albert Park and Bundamba Rovers 3-1 against Queenslanders at Bundamba.
St Andrew's went on to win all of its 10 matches during the 1886 season and became "premier club and the winners of the association badges."
The third annual meeting of the AQFA in May 1887 reported overall results for six clubs in the 1886 season (although, apparently, not all were participating in the AQFA competition): the original three (Queen's Park, Rangers and St. Andrew's), together with Swifts (Brisbane), Bundamba Rovers, and Queenslanders (both of Ipswich). Matches between Brisbane and Ipswich teams were made possible by the Brisbane to Ipswich railway line, which had opened in 1876 (Ipswich
, about 40 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, was where many Welsh and northern English coal miners had settled from the mid-nineteenth century onwards).
The Thistle Football Club, a breakaway group from the St Andrew's club, joined the competition in 1887 and went on to win the AQFA Cup final the following year, defeating Bundamba Rovers 5-1 at the "Five Ways, Woolloongabba (now the Brisbane Cricket Ground
). In front of 300 spectators ...".
. "The success of this team undoubtedly won the day for rugby game in Queensland. The Victorian game supporters were struggling hard to uphold the premier position they had gained but after the brilliant performance of the 1886 team, who lost only one match through their tour, the rugby game became very popular and the next season several new clubs were formed and the Victorian game began to wane". Inspired by this performance, schools started to change to Rugby and by 1887 the NRU boasted 25 clubs.
Toward the end of the 1880s, a newspaper reported regarding the state of football in the colony: "Rugby, an unbounded success; Melbourne rules very sick indeed, in fact on their last legs; British Association Rules, also in a sickly state but if anything showing more life than the Victorian game." At the QRU annual meeting in 1894, it was asserted that “the football game of Queensland was undoubtedly rugby. There were no signs that any other game was likely to become so popular as it." (that the amateur Rugby code would be disbanded within a generation would have been beyond their comprehension - see 'The Great War' below).
The Ipswich clubs' success may be attributed to a number of reasons: Ipswich "enjoyed prosperity during the boom of the 1880s ... there was remarkable growth of mining ... [and] miners swelled the population of the Ipswich area." Many of these miners had emigrated from Great Britain
, where they would have experienced the enormous growth of professional association football there in the late nineteenth century. The Ipswich colliery owners also encouraged the growth of football: "Ebbw Vale Memorial Park was first known as the Whitwood ground, as in the early 1890s the owners of the Whitwood Colliery made the land available for their employees to use as a football ground ... Several collieries had football teams formed by miners including Stafford brothers at Dinmore, Wright's at Tivoli and Lewis Thomas at Blackstone."
The game in Ipswich did not have the same level of competition for players as there was in Brisbane from the other established football codes: it was reported in 1898 that "The [Association] game has recently taken a strong hold here [Ipswich], especially since Ipswich has been unable to muster a senior Rugby team. It also has a big following at Blackstone, Bundamba, Dinmore,&c ...". As well as these factors, it is likely there was a fierce rivalry with Brisbane, particularly as the latter town had become the capital of Queensland
ahead of Ipswich in 1859.
Towards the end of the 1899 season, a match between South Brisbane and the ultimate Premiers, Dinmore Bush Rats, was played at the "Rugby Union Ground, Bowen Bridge Road ... Admission Sixpence; Ladies free" (the result is not recorded).
This was the first of several disruptions by disaffected groups that hampered the growth of the game in Brisbane during the course of the twentieth century.
With the Association game in turmoil, the strength of the Rugby code in Brisbane was demonstrated when England played Australia at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
in 1899 in front of about 15,000 people, the largest sporting crowd ever witnessed in the colony. Unfortunately for the home team, the visitors won 11-0.
The Brisbane Courier also reported that the annual meeting of the QBFA in March 1903 had to be postponed, as "less than a dozen members put in an appearance, and most of these belonged to the one club". The meeting was held in April and decided that "the association should make some special effort to place the game on a better footing than at present." It was also noted that "Arrangements are also to be made to secure the Botanic Gardens for playing. It was decided that a letter be sent to Mr. E. Donegan [presumably the publican of the Pineapple Hotel], thanking him for the use of the Pineapple ground."
The opening match of the 1903 season saw Cities defeat Stars 7-1 at the 'Pineapple-paddock'. Despite the difficulties of the previous years, the Ipswich clubs rejoined the QBFA in 1903, with the Bush Rats winning the senior final of that competition, defeating Royals (of North Ipswich) 1-0 at the Reliance Ground, Dinmore. Other teams playing that season included Eskgroves (Brisbane), Milton
, Wellingtons and Reliance (Ipswich).
The 1904 season saw eight teams in the competition: Blackstone Rovers A, Blackstone Rovers B, Dinmore Bush Rats, Market, Milton, Norman Park, Rangers and Reliance.
Around 1907, Association Football is referred to as 'soccer' in local newspapers for the first time (the term is widely considered to be Oxford University slang dating from the 1890s). The local game continued to be referred to as 'soccer' or 'soccer football' for almost 100 years, until the newly-formed Football Federation Australia
changed the official name back to simply 'football' in 2005.
The opening game of the 1907 season between Milton and Dinmore at Gregory Park (which Dinmore won 4-1), saw goal nets used for the first time in Brisbane.
The game continued to struggle during this decade, with only five senior clubs affiliated in 1909, increasing to seven senior and nine junior clubs in 1910. At the annual meeting of the QBFA in September 1910, the secretary reported that the association was "without doubt, the strongest association that had existed for some considerable time." Australian Rules football appeared to be faring little better in Brisbane around this time, as the Ipswich A Grade side beat Brisbane 102 points to 1.
By 1912, the game was growing again as that season featured at least three grades, including teams such as Albion (probably playing at the 'Albion Flats' - likely to be the present Allan Border Field
), Blackstone Rovers (the eventual Premiers), Bulimba Rangers (1911 Premiers), Bush Rats (Dinmore), Eskgrove (possibly Heath Park), Pineapple Rovers (Raymond Park, Kangaroo Point), Red Rovers, Rebels (Dunn's Paddock, Kangaroo Point) and Shafston Rovers (Raymond Park).
A newspaper report for the 1913 season noted that a "record number of teams have entered for the various competitions". The 'senior' teams were Albion, Australian Meat Works, Bulimba Rangers, Corinthians, Eskgrove, Toowong, Wellington and YMCA (it is noteworthy that once again no Ipswich teams entered the competition). The opening match of the season was held at the Brisbane Cricket Ground
, "before one of the biggest attendances which a club "soccer" match has had in Brisbane", where Wellingtons defeated Bulimba Rangers 1-0. The reporter noted that "There was a little combination work, which was very pretty, but for the most part the play was very ladylike. Almost every time the ball was kicked it seemed to go out." It is not known who the 1913 Premiers were.
The oldest known extant club from this era is Oxley United FC, founded in 1913.
in Europe just two months later.
Once again it appears that the Ipswich clubs decided to break away from the Brisbane competition - a letter to the editor from 'Lancashire Lad' in 1914 lamented that "It is a pity the Ipswich and district clubs found it necessary to break away from the Brisbane competition, for we have much to learn from our West Moreton footballers-especially I may say, in the matter of enthusiasm for the game."
However, by 1914, the game had become so popular in Brisbane that "Soccer devotees attended in their thousands at the Albion Flats", to watch Ipswich defeat Brisbane 2-1. The Ipswich team included players from Booval, Dinmore Bush Rats, Goodna, Ipswich City, Bundamba Rangers and St Stephen's. The Brisbane players' clubs are not recorded. The Queensland team chosen after this match went on to play New South Wales and either won 3-2 or lost 6-2, according to conflicting newspaper reports. The Ipswich and West Moreton competition was clearly very strong at this time, as their representative team defeated the New South Wales team 4-1.
1915 season featured at least fourteen teams: Ashley, Balmoral (Bulimba), Brisbane City I and II (Albion), Bulimba Rangers, St Ellena's (Rosalie), Goodna, Ipswich City, Merthyr Thistle (New Farm). Merton Rovers, Pineapple Rovers I and II, Toowong Caledonians and Wallaby (Hendra)
The first grade senior competition was won by Merthyr Thistle (probably based at New Farm Park) and the second grade by Brisbane City II (probably based at Toowong). The Challenge Cup was won by Corinthians (named after the famous English amateur football team) and the Charity Cup by Brisbane City I. 1915 also saw reporting of junior competitions: winners' trophies were presented to the "first grade junior, Rag Tag Club, second grade junior, Brisbane City II; third grade junior, Wallaby I".
The annual meeting of the QBFA in early 1916 reported that "31 clubs played in the various competitions last season, comprising over 600 registered players." The meeting also passed a resolution "That no competition be held in the Senior, First or Second Grade competitions and that no player of military age be allowed to take part in a lower competition ... [but] clubs ... should be allowed to play friendly matches."
However, the 1917 season saw at least twenty teams contesting the QBFA competitions: Ashley Rovers, Excelsiors (New Farm Park), Imperial Boy Scouts, Junction Park Royals, Kangaroos (Pineapple Ground, Kangaroo Point), King's Own, Kurilpa Rovers, Latrobe (Milton
), Mallina (Milton), Merthyr Thistle (New Farm), Natives (Yeronga Park), New Farm, Park Church (Musgrave Park, South Brisbane), St Ellena's, St Philips', Technical College, Twilights, Wallabies, Wellington Rovers and White Stars (Nundah).
St Ellena and Latrobe contested the Premiership final at New Farm
, with St Ellena winning 2 - 1. The only Brisbane club in continuous existence in some form from the 1917 season is Latrobe (now Bardon-Latrobe at Bowman Park Bardon, after a series of mergers).
The 1918 season showed that clubs were in a state of flux, with the competition being contested by sixteen teams, including Celtics, St Ellena's, Excelsior, Fairfield, Kalinga, Kurilpas, Latrobe, Natives, Oxley, Park Church, Pineapple, Rangers, Rebels, Violets, Wallabies and Wellington.
It is noteworthy that during the Great War the Ipswich teams once again did not play in the QFBA competition, with at least some of those teams re-joining by the 1921 season (as noted below).
By 1919, the men's competition comprised at least three grades: on September 20 at the Exhibition Ground, Merthyrs played Latrobe in the Third Grade semi-final, at 1.35, Pineapple Rovers played St Barnabas in the Second Grade at 2.40 and Bulimba Rangers played Pineapple Rovers in the First Grade at 3.45. Pineapple Rovers were the eventual First Grade Premiers for 1919 (see 'Premiers and Cup winners' below). Interestingly, each match was obviously no more than one hour long.
had been the dominant code since the mid-1880s. According to the official Queensland Rugby Union history, after the advent of Rugby League in Brisbane in 1908, "[R]ugby union took a downturn in Queensland.... The effect of league developing, compounded with the First World War, was immediate and strong with major clubs and the GPS schools all changing to [Rugby] league [in 1918], which effectively lead to the disbandment of the Queensland Rugby Union in 1919."
The Rugby Union did not re-form until 1928, but by this time Rugby League had become the dominant football code in Brisbane (likely assisted by the apparent turmoil in the Association game at the time), a situation that exists to this day.
- the 1930 Premiership was won by Latrobe after their 1-0 defeat of the Pineapple Rovers, in a game described as "one of the best witnessed at headquarters this season ...".
For football, the 1921 season saw eight teams in the First Grade: Brisbane City, Bundamba, Corinthians, Dinmore Bush Rats, Pineapple Rovers, South Brisbane, Thistle and Wynnum (remarkably, Wynnum (now Brisbane Wolves) made its First Grade debut in the year the club was formed).
The Second and Third Grade competitions included teams such as Caledonians, Glenallen, Kangaroos, Latrobe, Merthyr, Nundah, Ovals, Rovers, Triangles, Toowong Cadets, Violets and Wilstons.
The 1923 season was a troubled one: Bush Rats withdrew from the competition, alleging "that no matter what suggestions were made by them to the association they never got any real consideration." The season also saw many on-field disturbances (foul and abusive language, fighting, and ungentlemanly conduct) officials suspended and a Natives FC supporter deliberately breaking a window at the Toombul club.
1928 saw the formation of the Brisbane and District Football Association (BDFA), replacing the QFA. For that year, the league had at least two divisions: the First Division comprised nine teams (Bundamba, Blackstone, Brisbane City, Dinmore Bush Rats, Latrobe-Milton, Norman Park, Pineapple Rovers, Thistle and Wynnum) and the Second Division eight (Bulimba, Ipswich Railways, Kedron, Merton Rovers, Milton, St Helens, Toombul and Wilston).
The Premiership for that year was won by Bundamba (their second in a row), with Latrobe-Milton winning the Moore Cup and Bush Rats the Tristram Shield.
In the same year, a "strong Queensland XI" was selected to "avenge the narrow defeat inflicted on the maroons by New South Wales last Saturday." The goalkeeper was from Blackstone, the two fullbacks Norman Park and Pineapple Rovers, the three halfbacks from Latrobe and Pineapple Rovers, the five forwards from Blackstone, Bundamba, Latrobe, Pineapple Rovers (at that time, teams played the so-called 'M-W' formation).
However, at least one report from the late 1920s declared that the local game was struggling: "Little wonder, therefore, that many who agreed with the booting out of the old governing body, now are patiently waiting for the new controllers to gracefully retire from the arena. The first season of the Brisbane and District League looks like proving a dismal failure." This state of affairs, presumably, led to breakaway groups (see below).
The Ipswich clubs were fined and suspended and, despite attempts at mediation, were not included in the Brisbane competition for 1930 (see below).
The newly-formed Queensland Soccer Association (QSA) directed the formation of a First Division for the 1930 season comprising eight Brisbane clubs, each required to field a reserve grade team. The Thistle club elected to compete in the Ipswich competition, leaving three First Division clubs (Latrobe-Milton, Pineapple Rovers and Norman Park) and five newly-promoted Second Division clubs (Bulimba, Wynnum, Toowong, Toombul and YMCA). Matches were to be played at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, Memorial Park (Wynnum), Pineapple Paddock (Kangaroo Point), Nundah Sports Ground, Toowong, Lang Park (Milton) and Kalinga.
By 1934 season, the game appears to have dwindled: the First Division now included Latrobe and Milton (both at Gregory Park, Milton
), Pineapple Rovers, Shafston Rovers (both Raymond Park, Kangaroo Point), Toombul (Nundah), Toowong, Wynnum and YMCA, and the Second Division only six teams (Merton Rovers, Milton, St Oswalds, Toombul, Wynnum and YMCA).
(Lang Park), Merton Rovers, Shafston Rovers, Toombul United (Nundah), United Rangers (playing at Raymond Park No 2 field, Kangaroo Point) Wynnum and YMCA (ultimate Premiers); the Second Division six teams: Corinthians (Raymond Park No 1), Merton Rovers (Yeronga Park), Pineapple Rovers, Redfern United (Lanham Park, Grange
), Toombul United and YMCA.
The matter was resolved after much negotiation between the QSC and the tenant clubs, which could explain the QSC's decision to merge the Brisbane and Ipswich associations for the 1937 season, when the Ipswich and Brisbane teams resumed competition together for the first time since 1929. Bundamba Rangers won the 1937 Premiership (as well as those for 1938 and 1939). The season saw fourteen teams contesting the title: Booval, Brothers, Corinthians, Bundamba Rangers, Latrobe, Merton Rovers, Milton, Oxley Ramblers, Rosewood, Shafston Rovers, St Helens, Toombul United, Rangers and YMCA. The Second Division included Ashley, Blackstone Rovers, Kookaburras, Merton Rovers, Redfern United, Toombul United, Wynnum and Y.M.C.A. As noted above, Bundamba won the First Division and were presented with the Tristram Cup. Blackstone Rovers won all competitions for the Second Division and were presented with the G.H. Price, Nissen and Tedman Cups.
Notwithstanding this, G. R. Tainton, a former secretary of the QFA, declared in July 1937 that "Soccer football nowadays is not the buoyant force in Brisbane sport it was a decade ago ... [However] the English amateur team's visit to Brisbane next week is bound to interest thousands who would otherwise not give it more than a passing thought. It is doubtful, however, whether the English amateurs will prove the same draw in Brisbane as the English professional team of 1925."
In the same article, Tainton also commented that "Professionalism, of course, is not unknown to Brisbane Soccer. The now defunct Norman Park Club once tried the experiment of payment for players. The scale was 10/- [ten shillings - approximately $35 in 2010] for a win and 5/- [approximately $18 in 2010] for a defeat, but financial difficulties soon ended an innovation many years before its time. Professional football and club solvency cannot go hand in hand with out finance — and that means big 'gates.' When players like Park, Kyle, May, and McGovern were 'starring' for Thistle, 10 years ago, a £50 [fifty pounds - approximately $3,500 in 2010] 'gate' was not uncommon at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, the then headquarters of the code."
However, at that season's end, the Courier Mail reported that the president of the QSC (Mr W. Elson Green) "claimed that the growth in popularity of the code during last season was such that an independent analysis of attendances at club games would, reveal numbers that excelled that of Rugby Union and approached Rugby League."
More change occurred for the 1938 season, with the First Division comprising only ten teams: Booval, Christian Brothers, Bundamba Rovers, Corinthians, Evans Deakin, Latrobe, Oxley, Pineapple Rovers, Shafston Rovers and St Helens.
The only known extant (or descendant) clubs from the 1930s Brisbane competitions are Bundamba and St Helens (merged to form Ipswich Knights), Latrobe (merged as Bardon-Latrobe), Merton Rovers (merged with Eastern Suburbs), Pineapple Rovers (revived, then renamed Kangaroo Point Rovers FC
), Toowong (revived as Toowong F.C.), Oxley Ramblers (now Oxley United F.C.), and Wynnum (now renamed Brisbane Wolves Football Club).
The Ipswich teams, with the exception of St Helens, ultimately joined the Brisbane competition for that year, with some of the St Helens players joining Brisbane clubs to continue their playing careers. Latrobe boasted "four international players", including two former Bundamba players, which suggests that Latrobe, if not other clubs as well, was operating on a semi-professional basis, in order to attract players from relatively distant locations (despite this being 'illegal' under the QSFA rules - see 'Post-war to 1960s' below). A newspaper article in 1940 appears to confirm this by reporting criticism of "certain first division clubs ... [which] continued to offer inducements to [younger] players to leave the club ..." (whilst there is no known evidence, the experiences of other football codes and competitions suggest it is likely that 'illegal' payments (often referred to as boot money)' were paid to players from early days of the competitions).
The teams for the 1940 season included Blackstone, Booval, Bundamba, Corinthians, Easts, Latrobe, Wynnum and YMCA. Notwithstanding Latrobe's strong squad, Corinthians went on to win the Premiership (see 'Premiers and Cup winners' below).
Play resumed in 1944, with the 'A' Grade comprising six teams: Blackstone, Bundamba Rangers, Corinthians, Eastern Suburbs, St Helens and Y.M.C.A. For 1945, there were ten teams, including Shafston Rovers, Thistles, Royal Navy I and II (see photo).
).
The Ipswich domination of the football competition continued after the war, with its clubs (in particular St Helens, Dinmore Bushrats and Bundamba Rangers) winning eight of the premierships between 1946 and 1959. The quality of Ipswich football at the time is evidenced by the inclusion of four of its players in the Australian team at the 1956 Olympics
in Melbourne
: Brian “Chookie” Vogler, Al Warren, Cliff Sander and Col Kitching (Australia defeated Japan 2-0, but was knocked out in the quarter-finals
by India 4-2, after two Australian goals were disallowed).
However, the Ipswich domination was not to last: according to one source, the advent of wealthy ethnic clubs in Brisbane in the 1950s and 60s led to the decline of football in Ipswich, through those clubs attracting the best Ipswich players (including Brian Vogler, who had "been lured to the big-spending Brisbane club Hellenic") and also to "the birth of professionalism in Queensland soccer." However, the Ipswich 'decline' may have started as early as 1940 (see above).
, which continued until 1973. As well as British and Irish migrants, the government sponsored migrants from European countries, particularly Italy, Greece, Germany and Turkey. As association football was the overwhelmingly dominant sport in the British Isles and Europe, these people swelled the ranks of players and supporters in Australia and formed their own ethnic-based social clubs and football teams. In Brisbane, the larger ethnic groups produced strong teams, such as Azzurri (Italian, now Brisbane City FC at Newmarket), Budapest-Grovely (Hungarian, now Westside Football Club
at Grovely), Dnipro (Ukrainian, now defunct), Germania (German, now Southside Eagles at Bulimba), Hellenic (Greek club, later St George South (after name changes required by the QSF - see below), now defunct), Hollandia (Dutch, now Queensland Lions Soccer Club
at Richlands) and Polonia (Polish, now defunct). As as well as this, for many years Latrobe (now Bardon-Latrobe at Bardon) predominantly comprised British and Irish players (Latrobe manager William 'Pop' Harper, himself a British migrant in the early 1900s, encouraged migrants with offers of jobs, accommodation and semi-professional football).
Indeed, from 1960 to 1978 inclusive, every Brisbane First Division Premiership was won by an ethnic-based club: Azzurri/Brisbane City, Germania/Southside Eagles, Hellenic/St George South, Hollandia/Lions and Latrobe (see 'Premiers and Cup Winners' below).
However, all was not well in the game during this period - as one writer argues:
The early 1960s saw the local game in turmoil once again: The eight first division clubs broke away from the Queensland Soccer Football Association and joined the newly-formed Queensland Soccer Federation (QSF).
The National Soccer League
(NSL) commenced in 1977, with fourteen teams from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. The two teams from Brisbane - Brisbane Lions (formerly Hollandia, with their home ground at Richlands) and Brisbane City (formerly Azzurri SFC, with their home ground at Spencer Park, Newmarket) finished ninth and tenth respectively.
Neither club succeeded in winning the championship, but did win the NSL cup (Brisbane City in 1977 and 1978, Brisbane Lions in 1981).
In 1979, a Queensland-wide State League competition was commenced, with Grange Thistle winning the inaugural premiership and grand final. However, this competition was to last only until 1982 (see 'Premiers and Cup Winners' below).
The early 1980s of the State League and Brisbane competitions were dominated by the relatively young Mt Gravatt club (established in 1960), winning four (and runners-up in the other) of the first five premierships of this decade.
With the ending of the State League in 1982, the QSF restructured the Brisbane men's senior competition, renaming the top tier as the 'Premier' division for 1983. The premierships for the rest of the decade were shared by Brisbane City, Brisbane Lions (now Queensland Lions), Ipswich United and North Star (now merged with Brisbane Strikers).
The Brisbane United team was re-badged the Brisbane Strikers for the 1993-94 season and finished eighth out of fourteen teams. In the following seasons they performed strongly and ultimately won the championship in the 1996/97 season, defeating Sydney United 2-0 in front of a then record crowd of over 40,000 people at Lang Park in Brisbane.
During this decade, the Brisbane Premier League was dominated by Brisbane City (four Premierships), with Brisbane Lions and North Star each winning two.
A significant development for football and adversely for Rugby Union was the establishment of the game as an official sport in the private schools in the early 1990s (see Great Public Schools Association of Queensland Inc.). Anecdotally, this move was very strongly resisted by the Rugby fraternity in the schools, as they wished to maintain what was perceived as the traditions of amateur football (Rugby was not to become a professional game officially until 1995). Since that time, the game has developed such that many schools now have as many football teams as they have Rugby teams.
The early years of this decade were dominated by the Richlands-based Queensland Lions
, which won almost all of the Premierships and cup competitions from 2002 to 2004. The Lions club (as Queensland Roar FC), was then successful with their nomination (ahead of the Brisbane Strikers) for the inaugural national A-League
competition, which commenced in the 2005-06 (Summer) season. The club changed its name to Brisbane Roar FC in 2009, when teams from the Gold Coast and Townsville were accepted into the A-League in 2009. The Brisbane Roar, despite drawing reasonable crowds, is yet to make serious inroads into the popularity enjoyed by the other football codes (in particular the Brisbane Broncos
, Brisbane Lions
and the Queensland Reds
- see adjacent graph).
Brisbane Roar acquired its first trophies in the A-League competition by winning the Premiership Plate for season 2010-11, after losing only one match during the season. They then won the 2010-11 Championship grand final in dramatic fashion, scoring twice in the last four minutes of extra time to draw 2 - 2 against the Central Coast Mariners, before going on to win a penalty shoot-out 4 - 2.
With the departure of the Brisbane Lions club from the local league, Palm Beach (Gold Coast) and the Brisbane Strikers respectively dominated the following two seasons. Rochedale Rovers dominated the Premiership for the rest of the decade, sharing some silverware with Peninsula Power, Brisbane Wolves and others.
(QSL) was established in 2008 as the second tier below the A-League, and included local teams the Brisbane Strikers, Olympic FC and Redlands Devils in the inaugural season. However, Redlands and Olympic withdrew from the QSL after the 2009 season and re-entered the Brisbane Premier League
. The Strikers club has performed strongly in this competition, finishing as runners-up and champions in the first three seasons of the league.
In 2007, all of the Brisbane football bodies (Brisbane Men's Football, Brisbane Women's Soccer, Brisbane North & Districts Junior Soccer Association, Brisbane Southern Districts Junior Soccer Association and Soccer Australia Referees (Brisbane)) amalgamated to form Football Brisbane.
The Code in Brisbane in the 2000s continues to suffer some disunity, with ongoing disagreements between Brisbane clubs and both the Brisbane and State associations, regarding the structure of various junior and senior competitions and the allocation of resources.
The oldest extant club that has played continuously in Brisbane senior men's competitions appears to be Wynnum, which entered the Brisbane First Division in 1921, the year the club was formed. The club is now known as Brisbane Wolves and plays at Carmichael Park, Tingalpa.
The oldest club that has played continuously in Brisbane competitions appears to be Bardon-Latrobe Soccer Club. The Latrobe club first appears in newspaper reports in 1917, probably playing at Gregory Park (adjacent to the Milton State School). After mergers and de-mergers with the Milton (1930s) and Bardon (1941) clubs, the club merged with Bardon again around 1970, and commenced playing at Bowman Park Bardon
(the Bardon club's home ground). The senior section of the club then went through further mergers (with Mitchelton, Valleys and others), before rejoining as Bardon-Latrobe in the early 1980s. From the mid-1990s, the club played only in Brisbane junior competitions, but in 2011 rejoined the ranks of senior mens football with a team in the Brisbane Metropolitan League.
The oldest club in its original form and still using its original name that has played continuously in the Brisbane senior competitions appears to be Taringa Rovers, formed in 1949. The club plays at Jack Speare Park
at Indooroopilly, where it has been since 1955.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
were played in 1884, by a group comprising mostly Scottish immigrants, at the sportsfield behind the Pineapple Hotel, Kangaroo Point
Kangaroo Point, Queensland
Kangaroo Point is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia located directly east across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane central business district.- Geography :...
. These games were conducted by the newly formed Anglo-Queensland Football Association.
After a promising start, the game in Brisbane then developed erratically, hampered by the overwhelming popularity of the Rugby football codes: Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, which had commenced in Brisbane some years earlier, then Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
from the 1920s onwards. The game also suffered from ongoing periodic disunity, caused initially by disaffected clubs from nearby Ipswich
Ipswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
and later by disagreements over funding of the game and payments to players. In contrast with this the game boomed in Ipswich, with clubs from that city dominating Brisbane and combined Brisbane-Ipswich competitions until around 1960.
The large numbers of European and British immigrants arriving after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
changed the character of the local game dramatically, as it led to the formation of wealthy ethnic-based clubs, which dominated Brisbane football competitions during the 1960s and 70s. Unfortunately, this also created a perception amongst many members of the public that football was a 'migrants' game' (and as a result, sometimes referred to as 'wogball').
From the 1980s onwards, the local game thrived in terms of participation by junior and senior males and large numbers of female players, but not at a professional level. Despite a promising start, the Brisbane Roar FC, which joined the re-formed national A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
competition in its inaugural year (2005), is yet to make serious inroads into the popularity enjoyed by the other football codes. As well as this, the local game in Brisbane continues to suffer disunity, with disagreements between Brisbane clubs and both the Brisbane and State associations, regarding the structure of various junior and senior competitions and the allocation of resources.
Mid-1800s: First football games in Brisbane
Football has been played in BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
from very early times, as evidenced by this notice in The Moreton Bay Courier in 1849 (a mere 25 years after the arrival of the first white settlers in the Brisbane region, at which time the population was around 2000 people, many of whom were former convicts and poor Irish immigrants):
- ANNIVERSARY.
- TO the SPORTING BLADES of BRISBANE.
- BEING determined that the Anniversary [now called Australia DayAustralia DayAustralia Day is the official national day of Australia...
] shall not pass over without a little fun, in addition to the usual English Sports, the Lads of Kangaroo Point - CHALLENGE
- all comers to a Game of Foot Ball – preliminaries to be settled at the Commercial Inn, Kangaroo Point, on the evening of the 24th.
Given the inchoate nature of the various types of football at that time, they may have been playing simple mob football
Mob football
Mob football is the name given to some varieties of Medieval football, which emerged in Europe during the Middle Ages.Mob football distinguished itself from other codes by typically having an unlimited number of players and very few rules. By some accounts, any means could be used to move the ball...
. Alternatively, they could have been playing in accordance with the recently published Rugby school rules
History of rugby union
The history of rugby union follows from various football games played long before the 19th century, but it was not until the middle of that century that rules were formulated and codified....
(1845) or the Cambridge Rules (1848), the latter being the forerunner of Association Football rules.
First football clubs
Organised games of football were being played in Brisbane by the mid-1860s, as reported by the Brisbane Courier in 1866: "ON the football ground, on Saturday afternoon, there was no match; but two sides were chosen, and a very lively game was played ...Five goals were kicked ... The football season will end in a few weeks and the committee of the club contemplate getting up some athletic sports as an appropriate finale." However, it is most likely that this report referred to the Brisbane Football ClubBrisbane Australian Football Club
The now-defunct Brisbane Football Club, formed in May 1866, is the first known football club of any code in Brisbane, Queensland.The club initially played according to what was then known as the 'Victorian Rules'...
(formed in 1866) and that they were playing in accordance with the 'Melbourne Rules' (codified in 1859, now known as 'Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
'). The 'football ground' referred to here is most likely the area then known as 'Queen's Park' (now part of the City Botanic Gardens) or possibly the sports field located in the area then known as 'Green Hills' (then located beside Countess Street Petrie Terrace opposite the Victoria Barracks
Victoria Barracks, Brisbane
Victoria Barracks is an Australian Army base in the Brisbane suburb of Petrie Terrace in Queensland.The Victoria Barracks Museum is located on the site, and contains a large collection of replica and service medals covering the Army's involvement in the Boer War, World War I and World War...
- now occupied by the Northern Busway
Northern Busway, Brisbane
Northern Busway is a bus-only road in Brisbane, Queensland. The busway allows buses to travel north/south through the Brisbane City without encountering car traffic. The first section of the Northern Busway opened in February 2004 had one station, QUT Kelvin Grove, later Normanby and RCH Herston...
), where cricket matches were also played since at least the early 1860s.
The attached image entitled "Soccer Team Brisbane ca 1870" (from the John Oxley Library at the State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland
The State Library of Queensland is a large public library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988...
), if correctly dated, is more likely a photograph of a Brisbane 'Melbourne Rules' team (teams in the latter game comprised 13 players, which matches the number in the photograph, and was played with a near-spherical ball
Football (ball)
A football is an inflated ball used to play one of the various sports known as football.The first balls were made of natural materials, such as an inflated pig bladder, sometimes inside a leather cover...
.)
First games under 'Association' rules
It also appears that Brisbane FC played at least one game of 'London Association Football' ('soccer'): The Queenslander of 14 August 1875 reported that on Saturday 7 August 1875, Brisbane FC played a game against the inmates and warders of the Woogaroo (now Goodna) Lunatic Asylum: "… play commenced at half-past 2 ... One rule provided that the ball should not be handled nor carried." This evidence is corroborated by the Victorian publication The Footballer, which reported in 1875 in its section on "Football in Queensland" that "the match was played without handling the ball under any circumstances whatever (Association rules)."This is the earliest known game of 'soccer' played in the Brisbane region (and possibly in Australia) - regular games of 'soccer' did not commence in Brisbane until 1884, as noted below.
The first known reference to an association football club in Brisbane was the Petrie Terrace
Petrie Terrace, Queensland
Petrie Terrace is an inner-city suburb and major thoroughfare in Brisbane, Australia. It is located under 2 km to the west of the Brisbane General Post Office. The suburb is bordered to the west by Hale Street and to the east by Countess Street...
Football Club formed in 1876, whose players initially elected to adopt the
"London Association rules" (codified in 1863 - now the Football Association 'Laws of the Game') "until better ones could be framed ...". However, it appears that the club subsequently adopted the recently codified 'Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
rules' (1871), as just a week later it was reported that "At a meeting of the newly-formed football club at Petrie-terrace, held yesterday evening, it was decided to call the club the "Bonnet Rouge Football Club;" the uniform to be a red cap, of any shape whatever. The Rugby Union Football Rules were finally adopted, as it was understood that these had been decided upon by other Brisbane clubs."
As well as the Brisbane Football Club, the only other known Brisbane club at the time was the Rangers Football Club (formed in 1876), both of which were now playing according to both the Melbourne Rules and the Rugby Union rules.
1880s: First recorded fixtures in Brisbane
This decade was a boom period for immigration in the colony: Between 1881 and 1891 metropolitan Brisbane's population grew from 37,000 to 100,000.The first reported association football matches were played by a group who originally practised at Queen's Park (now part of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens), on the flat area near the Brisbane River
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...
, adjacent to Alice Street and between Edward
Edward Street, Brisbane
Edward Street is a busy thoroughfare in the Brisbane central business district, Queensland, Australia. It is a one way street located between Albert Street and Creek Street, and runs from Upper Edward Street to Alice Street....
and Albert Streets
Albert Street, Brisbane
Albert Street is a road in Brisbane, Australia. It was named after Prince Albert, the Prince Consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and it runs between George Street and Edward Street, and from Alice Street to Wickham Terrace....
, around 1883 (see the far end of the park in the adjacent photograph). These players were presumably mostly recent Scottish migrants, given they were referred to as 'Scotch rulers' by players of the other codes, as well as the team names they eventually adopted.
After disagreements over ground-sharing with cricketers and the Rugby Union and Melbourne Rules players, they sought another ground. Eventually, they received permission from the publican of the Pineapple Hotel, almost directly across the river at Kangaroo Point
Kangaroo Point, Queensland
Kangaroo Point is a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia located directly east across the Brisbane River from the Brisbane central business district.- Geography :...
, to play at his 'Pineapple Sportsground' behind the hotel (this ground is now part of Raymond Park).
These players organised themselves into three teams and adopted the names 'Queen's Park', 'Rangers' (presumably after the well-known Glasgow football clubs) and 'St Andrew's' (possibly after the town
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
by that name in east Scotland) and played a series of fixtures, in the process forming the Anglo-Queensland Football Association (AQFA). It is highly likely that the players were inspired by the success of the contemporary Scottish national team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
which, in adopting the Glasgow Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
club's 'playing style
Combination Game
The Combination Game was a style of association football based around team work and cooperation. It would gradually favour the passing of the ball between players over individual dribbling skills which had been a notable feature of early Association games. It developed from "scientific" football...
', had dominated the English national teams during the 1870s and 1880s (Scottish players of the time were dubbed the 'Scotch Professors
Scotch Professors
The Scotch Professors were Scottish football players of the late 19th century who moved south to play for clubs participating in the English Football League during the period when football had become professional in England but remained amateur in Scotland.- Details :The origin of the name was...
', a reference to their 'scientific' approach, which ultimately transformed the tactics of the game).
First fixture matches
The Brisbane Courier reported the first match of that first season in June 1884:- The first match under the auspices of the Anglo-Queensland Football Association took place on the Pineapple ground, Kangaroo Point on Saturday [7 June 1884], the contending clubs being the Queen's Park and St Andrew's. The clubs played eleven aside, being the usual number in matches under this association. The colours were-for St Andrews dark blue and for Queen's Park blue and white. Mr Shiers was umpire for the Queen's Park, and Mr Curry filled the same position for the other side, Mr Hudson being referee. The attendance numbered about sixty, and most of them took a lively interest in the game.
St Andrew's was captained by Wylie and Queen's Park by Princeps. Despite the “good play” of Princeps, Holland, Wearne and Allison for Queen’s Park, the Saints overwhelmed them 7-0 (with two early goals by Macreadie of the Saints).
Curiously, The Queenslander newspaper reported over a month later:
“ST. ANDREW'S V. QUEEN'S PARK. The first round of matches of this association was played in the Botanical Gardens on Saturday between the above clubs, and resulted in a win for the St. Andrews by 7 goals to nil.” This latter report provided considerable detail regarding the play and individual players, and noted goal scorers who were different to those in the Courier report. However, the Brisbane Courier report should be given historical precedence, given its earlier date.
The final tie of that season between St Andrew's and Rangers was held at the Queen's Park ground on Saturday 9 August. The players were presumably playing as amateurs, as a newspaper advertisement promoting that game noted that “Collection Boxes in aid of the Hospital will be at Garden Gates.” The match was won by Rangers 1-0 and they were awarded the winners’ badges.
Whilst there are no known records of organised games under ‘Association’ rules prior to that 1884 season, a speech at the Queen's Park Football Club annual dinner in late 1885 by Mr Pring Roberts (a guest representing the local Rugby Union) suggests there may gave been earlier games. Mr Roberts acknowledged "the increasing popularity of the [Association football] game in the metropolis and the great strides made since its revival by the Anglo-Football Association some two seasons ago ..." .
By 1886, the game was rapidly becoming popular, as around 400 spectators watched as Queen's Park hosted St Andrew's for the opening match of the season, with Saint Andrew's winning 7-0 (including an own goal). Other matches reported in August 1886 included St Andrew's 5-1 against the Rangers at 'The Pineapple', Second St Andrew's 3-1 against Swifts at Albert Park and Bundamba Rovers 3-1 against Queenslanders at Bundamba.
St Andrew's went on to win all of its 10 matches during the 1886 season and became "premier club and the winners of the association badges."
The third annual meeting of the AQFA in May 1887 reported overall results for six clubs in the 1886 season (although, apparently, not all were participating in the AQFA competition): the original three (Queen's Park, Rangers and St. Andrew's), together with Swifts (Brisbane), Bundamba Rovers, and Queenslanders (both of Ipswich). Matches between Brisbane and Ipswich teams were made possible by the Brisbane to Ipswich railway line, which had opened in 1876 (Ipswich
Ipswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
, about 40 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, was where many Welsh and northern English coal miners had settled from the mid-nineteenth century onwards).
The Thistle Football Club, a breakaway group from the St Andrew's club, joined the competition in 1887 and went on to win the AQFA Cup final the following year, defeating Bundamba Rovers 5-1 at the "Five Ways, Woolloongabba (now the Brisbane Cricket Ground
Brisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
). In front of 300 spectators ...".
The battle of the Codes
However, and unfortunately for the progress of the Association game, the Northern Rugby Union (NRU) was also formed in 1884, as a breakaway from the Queensland Football Association (the body which administered both Victorian Rules and Rugby at that time). Within two years, the NRU competition had six teams and, according to one writer, “The defining moment in the code battle came with the 1886 Queensland [Rugby] side, who defeated NSW for the first time in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. "The success of this team undoubtedly won the day for rugby game in Queensland. The Victorian game supporters were struggling hard to uphold the premier position they had gained but after the brilliant performance of the 1886 team, who lost only one match through their tour, the rugby game became very popular and the next season several new clubs were formed and the Victorian game began to wane". Inspired by this performance, schools started to change to Rugby and by 1887 the NRU boasted 25 clubs.
Toward the end of the 1880s, a newspaper reported regarding the state of football in the colony: "Rugby, an unbounded success; Melbourne rules very sick indeed, in fact on their last legs; British Association Rules, also in a sickly state but if anything showing more life than the Victorian game." At the QRU annual meeting in 1894, it was asserted that “the football game of Queensland was undoubtedly rugby. There were no signs that any other game was likely to become so popular as it." (that the amateur Rugby code would be disbanded within a generation would have been beyond their comprehension - see 'The Great War' below).
1890s: Ipswich dominance commences
The Queensland British Football Association
Perhaps in deference to the large numbers of Scottish and Welsh migrants playing the game locally, the AQFA re-formed as the Queensland British Football Association (QBFA), at the annual meeting of "the clubs in Brisbane and Ipswich playing under the British Football Association rules ...", held in April 1890.First inter-colonial matches
By this time, the game had developed to the extent that a representative team played a visiting 'South Melbourne' team in June 1890. The Queensland team colours were "blue and white guernsey and cap, white knickers, and blue stockings.". In August, a team was sent to play "intercolonial" matches against the New South Wales association. Queensland defeated NSW 3-1 and 1-0, as well as playing a match at Newcastle. Overall, the Queensland team "scored ten goals and lost three" on this tour.Ipswich teams join the competition
At a general meeting of the QBFA held at the Shamrock Hotel in Fortitude Valley in early 1891, it was reported that "The association is to be strengthened this year by the addition of three clubs from the Ipswich district, besides others from Brisbane." The names of those teams are not recorded, but were likely to have included Bundamba Rangers, Blackstone Rovers and the Dinmore Bush Rats. The Bundamba Rangers went on to win 'the badges' in 1895 (see photograph) and the Bush Rats team then won several premierships in the late 1890s and early 1900s. This was the beginning of a dominance of the Brisbane/Ipswich competition by Ipswich teams that was to last until the mid-20th century, with Ipswich teams winning a disproportionate number of premierships and producing many State and Australian players.The Ipswich clubs' success may be attributed to a number of reasons: Ipswich "enjoyed prosperity during the boom of the 1880s ... there was remarkable growth of mining ... [and] miners swelled the population of the Ipswich area." Many of these miners had emigrated from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, where they would have experienced the enormous growth of professional association football there in the late nineteenth century. The Ipswich colliery owners also encouraged the growth of football: "Ebbw Vale Memorial Park was first known as the Whitwood ground, as in the early 1890s the owners of the Whitwood Colliery made the land available for their employees to use as a football ground ... Several collieries had football teams formed by miners including Stafford brothers at Dinmore, Wright's at Tivoli and Lewis Thomas at Blackstone."
The game in Ipswich did not have the same level of competition for players as there was in Brisbane from the other established football codes: it was reported in 1898 that "The [Association] game has recently taken a strong hold here [Ipswich], especially since Ipswich has been unable to muster a senior Rugby team. It also has a big following at Blackstone, Bundamba, Dinmore,&c ...". As well as these factors, it is likely there was a fierce rivalry with Brisbane, particularly as the latter town had become the capital of Queensland
History of Queensland
The human history of Queensland encompasses both a long Aboriginal Australian presence as well as the more recent European settlement. Before being charted and claimed for England by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770, the north-eastern Australian region was explored by Dutch, Portuguese and French...
ahead of Ipswich in 1859.
Towards the end of the 1899 season, a match between South Brisbane and the ultimate Premiers, Dinmore Bush Rats, was played at the "Rugby Union Ground, Bowen Bridge Road ... Admission Sixpence; Ladies free" (the result is not recorded).
Ipswich teams withdraw
By the late 1890s, the 'Ipswich and West Moreton' clubs were becoming discontented with their treatment by the QBFA, particularly as, according to one report, there were three strong clubs in Ipswich (Blackstone, Bundamba and Dinmore) and only two Brisbane clubs in the competition at that time (the two clubs are not named, but were likely Rosebank and either South Brisbane or Thistle). Subsequently, the Ipswich and West Moreton British Football Association was formed and those teams withdrew from the QBFA competition, with the powerful Dinmore Bush Rats team defeating Blackstone Rovers 3-0 for the 1900 Ipswich Association premiership.This was the first of several disruptions by disaffected groups that hampered the growth of the game in Brisbane during the course of the twentieth century.
With the Association game in turmoil, the strength of the Rugby code in Brisbane was demonstrated when England played Australia at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
Brisbane Exhibition Ground
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland...
in 1899 in front of about 15,000 people, the largest sporting crowd ever witnessed in the colony. Unfortunately for the home team, the visitors won 11-0.
1900s: Brisbane competition in decline
The Brisbane game suffered as a result of Ipswich's withdrawal, as noted at the annual meeting of the Ipswich Association in early 1901: "The president (Mr. E.G. Morgan) referred with regret to the poor state of the association game in the metropolis [Brisbane], and suggested that overtures be made to the Queensland Association with a view to taking over the Challenge and Charity Cups, and offering the same for competition, until a revival of the game in Brisbane warrants the resumption of regular fixtures there." Further evidence of the decline in the Brisbane game is provided by a newspaper report that only two Brisbane teams (Rovers and Thistles) had nominated for the 1900 Challenge Cup against Ipswich teams.The Brisbane Courier also reported that the annual meeting of the QBFA in March 1903 had to be postponed, as "less than a dozen members put in an appearance, and most of these belonged to the one club". The meeting was held in April and decided that "the association should make some special effort to place the game on a better footing than at present." It was also noted that "Arrangements are also to be made to secure the Botanic Gardens for playing. It was decided that a letter be sent to Mr. E. Donegan [presumably the publican of the Pineapple Hotel], thanking him for the use of the Pineapple ground."
The opening match of the 1903 season saw Cities defeat Stars 7-1 at the 'Pineapple-paddock'. Despite the difficulties of the previous years, the Ipswich clubs rejoined the QBFA in 1903, with the Bush Rats winning the senior final of that competition, defeating Royals (of North Ipswich) 1-0 at the Reliance Ground, Dinmore. Other teams playing that season included Eskgroves (Brisbane), Milton
Milton, Queensland
Milton is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located approximately west of Brisbane's central business district. The suburb is a mixture of light industry, warehouses, commercial offices, retail and single and multiple occupancy residences...
, Wellingtons and Reliance (Ipswich).
The 1904 season saw eight teams in the competition: Blackstone Rovers A, Blackstone Rovers B, Dinmore Bush Rats, Market, Milton, Norman Park, Rangers and Reliance.
Around 1907, Association Football is referred to as 'soccer' in local newspapers for the first time (the term is widely considered to be Oxford University slang dating from the 1890s). The local game continued to be referred to as 'soccer' or 'soccer football' for almost 100 years, until the newly-formed Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
changed the official name back to simply 'football' in 2005.
The opening game of the 1907 season between Milton and Dinmore at Gregory Park (which Dinmore won 4-1), saw goal nets used for the first time in Brisbane.
The game continued to struggle during this decade, with only five senior clubs affiliated in 1909, increasing to seven senior and nine junior clubs in 1910. At the annual meeting of the QBFA in September 1910, the secretary reported that the association was "without doubt, the strongest association that had existed for some considerable time." Australian Rules football appeared to be faring little better in Brisbane around this time, as the Ipswich A Grade side beat Brisbane 102 points to 1.
By 1912, the game was growing again as that season featured at least three grades, including teams such as Albion (probably playing at the 'Albion Flats' - likely to be the present Allan Border Field
Allan Border Field
Allan Border Field is a small cricket ground in the Brisbane suburb of Albion in Queensland. The Australian Cricket Academy has been based at the oval since 2004 using it as a base for the development of elite cricketers throughout Australia....
), Blackstone Rovers (the eventual Premiers), Bulimba Rangers (1911 Premiers), Bush Rats (Dinmore), Eskgrove (possibly Heath Park), Pineapple Rovers (Raymond Park, Kangaroo Point), Red Rovers, Rebels (Dunn's Paddock, Kangaroo Point) and Shafston Rovers (Raymond Park).
A newspaper report for the 1913 season noted that a "record number of teams have entered for the various competitions". The 'senior' teams were Albion, Australian Meat Works, Bulimba Rangers, Corinthians, Eskgrove, Toowong, Wellington and YMCA (it is noteworthy that once again no Ipswich teams entered the competition). The opening match of the season was held at the Brisbane Cricket Ground
Brisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
, "before one of the biggest attendances which a club "soccer" match has had in Brisbane", where Wellingtons defeated Bulimba Rangers 1-0. The reporter noted that "There was a little combination work, which was very pretty, but for the most part the play was very ladylike. Almost every time the ball was kicked it seemed to go out." It is not known who the 1913 Premiers were.
The oldest known extant club from this era is Oxley United FC, founded in 1913.
The Great War years: The game goes on
Brisbane hosted the second annual meeting of the Commonwealth Football Association at the Grosvenor Hotel in April 1914. Amongst other things, the meeting resolved "Regarding the Olympic Games at Berlin in 1916, the congress strongly recommended each State to co-operate with the various local Olympic Committees, with a view to representation at Berlin." This, of course, was not to be, with the beginning of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in Europe just two months later.
Once again it appears that the Ipswich clubs decided to break away from the Brisbane competition - a letter to the editor from 'Lancashire Lad' in 1914 lamented that "It is a pity the Ipswich and district clubs found it necessary to break away from the Brisbane competition, for we have much to learn from our West Moreton footballers-especially I may say, in the matter of enthusiasm for the game."
However, by 1914, the game had become so popular in Brisbane that "Soccer devotees attended in their thousands at the Albion Flats", to watch Ipswich defeat Brisbane 2-1. The Ipswich team included players from Booval, Dinmore Bush Rats, Goodna, Ipswich City, Bundamba Rangers and St Stephen's. The Brisbane players' clubs are not recorded. The Queensland team chosen after this match went on to play New South Wales and either won 3-2 or lost 6-2, according to conflicting newspaper reports. The Ipswich and West Moreton competition was clearly very strong at this time, as their representative team defeated the New South Wales team 4-1.
1915 season featured at least fourteen teams: Ashley, Balmoral (Bulimba), Brisbane City I and II (Albion), Bulimba Rangers, St Ellena's (Rosalie), Goodna, Ipswich City, Merthyr Thistle (New Farm). Merton Rovers, Pineapple Rovers I and II, Toowong Caledonians and Wallaby (Hendra)
The first grade senior competition was won by Merthyr Thistle (probably based at New Farm Park) and the second grade by Brisbane City II (probably based at Toowong). The Challenge Cup was won by Corinthians (named after the famous English amateur football team) and the Charity Cup by Brisbane City I. 1915 also saw reporting of junior competitions: winners' trophies were presented to the "first grade junior, Rag Tag Club, second grade junior, Brisbane City II; third grade junior, Wallaby I".
The annual meeting of the QBFA in early 1916 reported that "31 clubs played in the various competitions last season, comprising over 600 registered players." The meeting also passed a resolution "That no competition be held in the Senior, First or Second Grade competitions and that no player of military age be allowed to take part in a lower competition ... [but] clubs ... should be allowed to play friendly matches."
However, the 1917 season saw at least twenty teams contesting the QBFA competitions: Ashley Rovers, Excelsiors (New Farm Park), Imperial Boy Scouts, Junction Park Royals, Kangaroos (Pineapple Ground, Kangaroo Point), King's Own, Kurilpa Rovers, Latrobe (Milton
Milton, Queensland
Milton is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located approximately west of Brisbane's central business district. The suburb is a mixture of light industry, warehouses, commercial offices, retail and single and multiple occupancy residences...
), Mallina (Milton), Merthyr Thistle (New Farm), Natives (Yeronga Park), New Farm, Park Church (Musgrave Park, South Brisbane), St Ellena's, St Philips', Technical College, Twilights, Wallabies, Wellington Rovers and White Stars (Nundah).
St Ellena and Latrobe contested the Premiership final at New Farm
New Farm, Queensland
New Farm is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located 2 km east of the Brisbane CBD on a large bend of the Brisbane River. New Farm is partly surrounded by the Brisbane River, with land access from the north west through Fortitude Valley and from the north through...
, with St Ellena winning 2 - 1. The only Brisbane club in continuous existence in some form from the 1917 season is Latrobe (now Bardon-Latrobe at Bowman Park Bardon, after a series of mergers).
The 1918 season showed that clubs were in a state of flux, with the competition being contested by sixteen teams, including Celtics, St Ellena's, Excelsior, Fairfield, Kalinga, Kurilpas, Latrobe, Natives, Oxley, Park Church, Pineapple, Rangers, Rebels, Violets, Wallabies and Wellington.
It is noteworthy that during the Great War the Ipswich teams once again did not play in the QFBA competition, with at least some of those teams re-joining by the 1921 season (as noted below).
By 1919, the men's competition comprised at least three grades: on September 20 at the Exhibition Ground, Merthyrs played Latrobe in the Third Grade semi-final, at 1.35, Pineapple Rovers played St Barnabas in the Second Grade at 2.40 and Bulimba Rangers played Pineapple Rovers in the First Grade at 3.45. Pineapple Rovers were the eventual First Grade Premiers for 1919 (see 'Premiers and Cup winners' below). Interestingly, each match was obviously no more than one hour long.
Rugby League becomes the dominant Code in Brisbane
The post-war years were pivotal for the development of all of the football codes in Brisbane, where Rugby UnionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
had been the dominant code since the mid-1880s. According to the official Queensland Rugby Union history, after the advent of Rugby League in Brisbane in 1908, "[R]ugby union took a downturn in Queensland.... The effect of league developing, compounded with the First World War, was immediate and strong with major clubs and the GPS schools all changing to [Rugby] league [in 1918], which effectively lead to the disbandment of the Queensland Rugby Union in 1919."
The Rugby Union did not re-form until 1928, but by this time Rugby League had become the dominant football code in Brisbane (likely assisted by the apparent turmoil in the Association game at the time), a situation that exists to this day.
1920s: The game grows - then falters
The Queensland Football Association
By 1920, the QBFA had dropped 'British' from its name and was now known simply as the 'Queensland Football Association' (QFA). As noted below, Ipswich teams had now rejoined the Brisbane competition. Sometime during the 1920s, the Association became a tenant at the Brisbane Cricket GroundBrisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
- the 1930 Premiership was won by Latrobe after their 1-0 defeat of the Pineapple Rovers, in a game described as "one of the best witnessed at headquarters this season ...".
For football, the 1921 season saw eight teams in the First Grade: Brisbane City, Bundamba, Corinthians, Dinmore Bush Rats, Pineapple Rovers, South Brisbane, Thistle and Wynnum (remarkably, Wynnum (now Brisbane Wolves) made its First Grade debut in the year the club was formed).
The Second and Third Grade competitions included teams such as Caledonians, Glenallen, Kangaroos, Latrobe, Merthyr, Nundah, Ovals, Rovers, Triangles, Toowong Cadets, Violets and Wilstons.
Ladies competition formed
Another notable event in 1921 was the formation of the Queensland Ladies Soccer Football Association, at a meeting held in the Brisbane Gymnasium, at which "about 100 ladies were present." It appears that three clubs were formed and played 'friendly' matches during the season: Latrobe Ladies (see photo), North Brisbane and South Brisbane. The annual meeting in 1922 expressed the desire to commence regular fixtures during the forthcoming season with "about half a dozen teams", but there are no known records of the progress of this association after that time.The game grows
The 1923 senior competition comprised three divisions, including the following clubs: First - Brisbane City, Bundamba Rangers, Bush Rats, Corinthians, Pineapple Rovers and Thistle; Second - Blackstone, Bundamba Athletic, Bundamba United, Dinmore Wanderers, Latrobe, South Brisbane Scottish, Wilston and Wynnum; Third - Brisbane Gymnasium, Bulimba, Caledonians, Kedron United, Merthyr, Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Mitchelton, Toombul United and Waterside Workers.The 1923 season was a troubled one: Bush Rats withdrew from the competition, alleging "that no matter what suggestions were made by them to the association they never got any real consideration." The season also saw many on-field disturbances (foul and abusive language, fighting, and ungentlemanly conduct) officials suspended and a Natives FC supporter deliberately breaking a window at the Toombul club.
1928 saw the formation of the Brisbane and District Football Association (BDFA), replacing the QFA. For that year, the league had at least two divisions: the First Division comprised nine teams (Bundamba, Blackstone, Brisbane City, Dinmore Bush Rats, Latrobe-Milton, Norman Park, Pineapple Rovers, Thistle and Wynnum) and the Second Division eight (Bulimba, Ipswich Railways, Kedron, Merton Rovers, Milton, St Helens, Toombul and Wilston).
The Premiership for that year was won by Bundamba (their second in a row), with Latrobe-Milton winning the Moore Cup and Bush Rats the Tristram Shield.
In the same year, a "strong Queensland XI" was selected to "avenge the narrow defeat inflicted on the maroons by New South Wales last Saturday." The goalkeeper was from Blackstone, the two fullbacks Norman Park and Pineapple Rovers, the three halfbacks from Latrobe and Pineapple Rovers, the five forwards from Blackstone, Bundamba, Latrobe, Pineapple Rovers (at that time, teams played the so-called 'M-W' formation).
However, at least one report from the late 1920s declared that the local game was struggling: "Little wonder, therefore, that many who agreed with the booting out of the old governing body, now are patiently waiting for the new controllers to gracefully retire from the arena. The first season of the Brisbane and District League looks like proving a dismal failure." This state of affairs, presumably, led to breakaway groups (see below).
Ipswich teams withdraw
Matters deteriorated in 1929, when the three Ipswich clubs (Bundamba Rangers, Dinmore Bush Rats and St Helens) withdrew from the semi-final round, leaving only Brisbane club Latrobe. The reason given in a newspaper report was "because they were not allowed to share the profits of the matches which were to have been played at the Cricket Ground." However, the report also noted "they were parties to the original arrangement ... The four Brisbane clubs alone are responsible for the rent of the Brisbane Cricket Ground, and these semi-finals were to help liquidate the liability." Another report said "the whole future of the game in this State is in the melting pot. To put the matter bluntly, the Brisbane clubs are fed up with these incessant rows with Ipswich, and desire to end the business once and for all ..."The Ipswich clubs were fined and suspended and, despite attempts at mediation, were not included in the Brisbane competition for 1930 (see below).
Queensland Soccer Association
With the departure of the Ipswich clubs, Latrobe became the dominant team of the late 1920s and early 1930s, winning six of the seven Premierships between 1929 and 1935.The newly-formed Queensland Soccer Association (QSA) directed the formation of a First Division for the 1930 season comprising eight Brisbane clubs, each required to field a reserve grade team. The Thistle club elected to compete in the Ipswich competition, leaving three First Division clubs (Latrobe-Milton, Pineapple Rovers and Norman Park) and five newly-promoted Second Division clubs (Bulimba, Wynnum, Toowong, Toombul and YMCA). Matches were to be played at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, Memorial Park (Wynnum), Pineapple Paddock (Kangaroo Point), Nundah Sports Ground, Toowong, Lang Park (Milton) and Kalinga.
By 1934 season, the game appears to have dwindled: the First Division now included Latrobe and Milton (both at Gregory Park, Milton
Milton, Queensland
Milton is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located approximately west of Brisbane's central business district. The suburb is a mixture of light industry, warehouses, commercial offices, retail and single and multiple occupancy residences...
), Pineapple Rovers, Shafston Rovers (both Raymond Park, Kangaroo Point), Toombul (Nundah), Toowong, Wynnum and YMCA, and the Second Division only six teams (Merton Rovers, Milton, St Oswalds, Toombul, Wynnum and YMCA).
Soccer leases Lang Park
In 1935, the Queensland Soccer Council (QSC) had taken over the lease of Lang Park as its home ground, with a view to using it as the home ground for BDFA fixtures (and thus leaving the Brisbane Cricket Ground). Latrobe became a sub-tenant, using the ground for its home games. In 1936, the Brisbane competition had remained steady in size, with the First Division still comprising eight teams: Latrobe and MiltonMilton, Queensland
Milton is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia, located approximately west of Brisbane's central business district. The suburb is a mixture of light industry, warehouses, commercial offices, retail and single and multiple occupancy residences...
(Lang Park), Merton Rovers, Shafston Rovers, Toombul United (Nundah), United Rangers (playing at Raymond Park No 2 field, Kangaroo Point) Wynnum and YMCA (ultimate Premiers); the Second Division six teams: Corinthians (Raymond Park No 1), Merton Rovers (Yeronga Park), Pineapple Rovers, Redfern United (Lanham Park, Grange
Grange, Queensland
Grange is an inner-northern suburb of Brisbane, capital of the Australian state of Queensland. It is located north of the central business district, on the southern side of Kedron Brook. In 2001, the population of Grange stood at 3,941....
), Toombul United and YMCA.
Ipswich teams rejoin the competition
However, by 1937, the QSC was considering sub-leasing Lang Park to "another code of football" (most likely Western Suburbs Rugby League) as it "was not satisfied with the financial returns ... under the sub-lease to the Latrobe-Milton club". Latrobe in turn responded that "'If no action Is taken to introduce the Ipswich clubs into the Brisbane competition this' season ... the Latrobe-Milton Club cannot accept an increase in rental for Lang Park. Give us competition play with Ipswich and my club will hold the ground as headquarters for the code."The matter was resolved after much negotiation between the QSC and the tenant clubs, which could explain the QSC's decision to merge the Brisbane and Ipswich associations for the 1937 season, when the Ipswich and Brisbane teams resumed competition together for the first time since 1929. Bundamba Rangers won the 1937 Premiership (as well as those for 1938 and 1939). The season saw fourteen teams contesting the title: Booval, Brothers, Corinthians, Bundamba Rangers, Latrobe, Merton Rovers, Milton, Oxley Ramblers, Rosewood, Shafston Rovers, St Helens, Toombul United, Rangers and YMCA. The Second Division included Ashley, Blackstone Rovers, Kookaburras, Merton Rovers, Redfern United, Toombul United, Wynnum and Y.M.C.A. As noted above, Bundamba won the First Division and were presented with the Tristram Cup. Blackstone Rovers won all competitions for the Second Division and were presented with the G.H. Price, Nissen and Tedman Cups.
Notwithstanding this, G. R. Tainton, a former secretary of the QFA, declared in July 1937 that "Soccer football nowadays is not the buoyant force in Brisbane sport it was a decade ago ... [However] the English amateur team's visit to Brisbane next week is bound to interest thousands who would otherwise not give it more than a passing thought. It is doubtful, however, whether the English amateurs will prove the same draw in Brisbane as the English professional team of 1925."
In the same article, Tainton also commented that "Professionalism, of course, is not unknown to Brisbane Soccer. The now defunct Norman Park Club once tried the experiment of payment for players. The scale was 10/- [ten shillings - approximately $35 in 2010] for a win and 5/- [approximately $18 in 2010] for a defeat, but financial difficulties soon ended an innovation many years before its time. Professional football and club solvency cannot go hand in hand with out finance — and that means big 'gates.' When players like Park, Kyle, May, and McGovern were 'starring' for Thistle, 10 years ago, a £50 [fifty pounds - approximately $3,500 in 2010] 'gate' was not uncommon at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, the then headquarters of the code."
Signs of dissent
Despite what was described as a successful 1937 season, all was not well in the football community, with four senior club officials suspended over the issue of a circular stating "[T]hat there would be a general discussion of Soccer management," with the "idea of Soccer football being governed in a different manner than is at present the case." The secretary of the BDFA advised in late 1937 "[T]hat a grave crisis is likely to arise in the Brisbane area under its control, by reason of dissension among certain club officials ... [E]very effort must be made to prevent Soccer football from falling into the state of disruption which existed some few years ago."However, at that season's end, the Courier Mail reported that the president of the QSC (Mr W. Elson Green) "claimed that the growth in popularity of the code during last season was such that an independent analysis of attendances at club games would, reveal numbers that excelled that of Rugby Union and approached Rugby League."
More change occurred for the 1938 season, with the First Division comprising only ten teams: Booval, Christian Brothers, Bundamba Rovers, Corinthians, Evans Deakin, Latrobe, Oxley, Pineapple Rovers, Shafston Rovers and St Helens.
The only known extant (or descendant) clubs from the 1930s Brisbane competitions are Bundamba and St Helens (merged to form Ipswich Knights), Latrobe (merged as Bardon-Latrobe), Merton Rovers (merged with Eastern Suburbs), Pineapple Rovers (revived, then renamed Kangaroo Point Rovers FC
Kangaroo Point Rovers FC
Kangaroo Point Rovers Football Club is an Australian football club from Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed in 1996 as the Pineapple Rovers Soccer Football Club, but was renamed in 2005 after relocating to its current ground at Raymond Park, Kangaroo Point.The club currently fields first and...
), Toowong (revived as Toowong F.C.), Oxley Ramblers (now Oxley United F.C.), and Wynnum (now renamed Brisbane Wolves Football Club).
World War II years: Semi-professionalism surfaces
For the 1940 season, there was further change, with a proposal for the establishment of a 'district' competition. That year also saw the formation of the Queensland Soccer Football Association (QSFA) and more problems for the game: the major Ipswich clubs (Blackstone, Booval Stars, Bundamba Rangers and St. Helens) initially decided not to affiliate with the QSFA, as they considered it was "unconstitutional". Despite this, they decided this would not "break up any likely conference with the A grade clubs of Brisbane"The Ipswich teams, with the exception of St Helens, ultimately joined the Brisbane competition for that year, with some of the St Helens players joining Brisbane clubs to continue their playing careers. Latrobe boasted "four international players", including two former Bundamba players, which suggests that Latrobe, if not other clubs as well, was operating on a semi-professional basis, in order to attract players from relatively distant locations (despite this being 'illegal' under the QSFA rules - see 'Post-war to 1960s' below). A newspaper article in 1940 appears to confirm this by reporting criticism of "certain first division clubs ... [which] continued to offer inducements to [younger] players to leave the club ..." (whilst there is no known evidence, the experiences of other football codes and competitions suggest it is likely that 'illegal' payments (often referred to as boot money)' were paid to players from early days of the competitions).
The teams for the 1940 season included Blackstone, Booval, Bundamba, Corinthians, Easts, Latrobe, Wynnum and YMCA. Notwithstanding Latrobe's strong squad, Corinthians went on to win the Premiership (see 'Premiers and Cup winners' below).
Football competitions suspended
After the 1941 season, in which the Premiership was won by Blackstone Rovers (see 'Premiers and Cup winners' below), the competition was suspended (the only major games played were fixtures and friendlies between servicemen's teams, as well as teams formed from groups who stayed in Australia to maintain 'essential services').Play resumed in 1944, with the 'A' Grade comprising six teams: Blackstone, Bundamba Rangers, Corinthians, Eastern Suburbs, St Helens and Y.M.C.A. For 1945, there were ten teams, including Shafston Rovers, Thistles, Royal Navy I and II (see photo).
Post-war to the 1960s: Semi-professionalism and ethnic-based clubs
Trouble for the local game was brewing again in 1946, when the Corinthian club announced that it would defy the ban on player payments, in order to "bring the dispute with the QSFA to a head". They added "We hope to have a New South Wales team visit Queensland this season. Every member of that team will be a professional. To be logical, the association should decline to let Queensland amateurs play against them. We believe that players are entitled to a share of the profits from the game, and that Soccer in Queensland will progress when players are paid." This proved to be prescient, as the NSW team thrashed Queensland 10-0 (including eight goals scored by NSW centre-forward and Australian representative, Reg DateReg Date
Reg Date was an Australian football international and prolific goalscorer who plied his trade after the Second World War.-Biography:...
).
The Ipswich domination of the football competition continued after the war, with its clubs (in particular St Helens, Dinmore Bushrats and Bundamba Rangers) winning eight of the premierships between 1946 and 1959. The quality of Ipswich football at the time is evidenced by the inclusion of four of its players in the Australian team at the 1956 Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
: Brian “Chookie” Vogler, Al Warren, Cliff Sander and Col Kitching (Australia defeated Japan 2-0, but was knocked out in the quarter-finals
Football at the 1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Olympic Games football tournament with just 11 competing nations suffered from cancellations. It was an undistinguished tournament that featured mis-matches and walkovers.-Background:...
by India 4-2, after two Australian goals were disallowed).
However, the Ipswich domination was not to last: according to one source, the advent of wealthy ethnic clubs in Brisbane in the 1950s and 60s led to the decline of football in Ipswich, through those clubs attracting the best Ipswich players (including Brian Vogler, who had "been lured to the big-spending Brisbane club Hellenic") and also to "the birth of professionalism in Queensland soccer." However, the Ipswich 'decline' may have started as early as 1940 (see above).
Ethnic clubs dominate
After the war, as part of a "populate or perish" policy, the Australian Government initiated an assisted migration programTen Pound Poms
Ten Pound Poms is a colloquial term used in Australia to describe British subjects who migrated to Australia after the Second World War under an assisted passage scheme established and operated by the Government of Australia.The scheme, a follow-on to the unofficial Big Brother Movement,...
, which continued until 1973. As well as British and Irish migrants, the government sponsored migrants from European countries, particularly Italy, Greece, Germany and Turkey. As association football was the overwhelmingly dominant sport in the British Isles and Europe, these people swelled the ranks of players and supporters in Australia and formed their own ethnic-based social clubs and football teams. In Brisbane, the larger ethnic groups produced strong teams, such as Azzurri (Italian, now Brisbane City FC at Newmarket), Budapest-Grovely (Hungarian, now Westside Football Club
Westside FC
Westside FC are a football club based in Grovely, Queensland, Australia. The club was established in 1964, as "Budapest Grovely", and currently plays in the Football Brisbane Metro 1, Metro 1 Reserves, and Metro 5 competitions...
at Grovely), Dnipro (Ukrainian, now defunct), Germania (German, now Southside Eagles at Bulimba), Hellenic (Greek club, later St George South (after name changes required by the QSF - see below), now defunct), Hollandia (Dutch, now Queensland Lions Soccer Club
Queensland Lions Soccer Club
Queensland Lions Football Club is an football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:The club was founded in 1957 as Hollandia-Inala Soccer Club by Dutch immigrants. From the start they were based at grounds in the Brisbane suburb of Richlands, where they still play...
at Richlands) and Polonia (Polish, now defunct). As as well as this, for many years Latrobe (now Bardon-Latrobe at Bardon) predominantly comprised British and Irish players (Latrobe manager William 'Pop' Harper, himself a British migrant in the early 1900s, encouraged migrants with offers of jobs, accommodation and semi-professional football).
Indeed, from 1960 to 1978 inclusive, every Brisbane First Division Premiership was won by an ethnic-based club: Azzurri/Brisbane City, Germania/Southside Eagles, Hellenic/St George South, Hollandia/Lions and Latrobe (see 'Premiers and Cup Winners' below).
However, all was not well in the game during this period - as one writer argues:
- The code was also wracked for much of its early post-war history by a conflict between amateur and professional groups within the administration of the sport and clubs. Since only amateurs could take part in the Olympic Games which were to be held in Melbourne in 1956, there was a considerable incentive to ensure that the game was kept free of any taint of professionalism, just at the point when its popularity was taking off as a spectator sport which allowed the emergence of semi-professionalism on a significant scale for the first time. By 1957 the professionals were in the ascendancy, but momentum had been lost and the code was subject to a major split and suspension by FIFA for the poaching of players from European clubs without paying transfer fees. The resulting battles within the code were not ended until 1962.
The early 1960s saw the local game in turmoil once again: The eight first division clubs broke away from the Queensland Soccer Football Association and joined the newly-formed Queensland Soccer Federation (QSF).
1970s: National Soccer League (NSL) commences
In the interest of inclusiveness and because perceptions that members of the public saw football as a migrants' game, all clubs were required to adopt non-ethnic names after a ruling by the QSF in 1973 (see 'Post-war to the 1960s' above for more information regarding club names).The National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
(NSL) commenced in 1977, with fourteen teams from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. The two teams from Brisbane - Brisbane Lions (formerly Hollandia, with their home ground at Richlands) and Brisbane City (formerly Azzurri SFC, with their home ground at Spencer Park, Newmarket) finished ninth and tenth respectively.
Neither club succeeded in winning the championship, but did win the NSL cup (Brisbane City in 1977 and 1978, Brisbane Lions in 1981).
In 1979, a Queensland-wide State League competition was commenced, with Grange Thistle winning the inaugural premiership and grand final. However, this competition was to last only until 1982 (see 'Premiers and Cup Winners' below).
1980s: Brisbane competition restructured
Brisbane City and Brisbane Lions continued playing in the NSL, with little success (apart from 1981, as noted above). Both teams withdrew from competition after the 1986 season, with Lions re-entering for season 1988, but finishing last. Brisbane United, a new team backed by the QSF, entered the NSL competition in 1991-92 season (the NSL became a Summer competition in 1989-90), but had limited success.The early 1980s of the State League and Brisbane competitions were dominated by the relatively young Mt Gravatt club (established in 1960), winning four (and runners-up in the other) of the first five premierships of this decade.
With the ending of the State League in 1982, the QSF restructured the Brisbane men's senior competition, renaming the top tier as the 'Premier' division for 1983. The premierships for the rest of the decade were shared by Brisbane City, Brisbane Lions (now Queensland Lions), Ipswich United and North Star (now merged with Brisbane Strikers).
1990s: Brisbane Strikers win NSL
During this decade, the Brisbane Premier League was dominated by Brisbane City (four Premierships), with Brisbane Lions and North Star each winning two.
A significant development for football and adversely for Rugby Union was the establishment of the game as an official sport in the private schools in the early 1990s (see Great Public Schools Association of Queensland Inc.). Anecdotally, this move was very strongly resisted by the Rugby fraternity in the schools, as they wished to maintain what was perceived as the traditions of amateur football (Rugby was not to become a professional game officially until 1995). Since that time, the game has developed such that many schools now have as many football teams as they have Rugby teams.
2000s: A-League commences
In 2003, Brisbane Men's Football re-structured its senior competition into a semi-professional 'Premier League' with three divisions (Premier, Division 1 and Division 2 and accompanying reserve grade competitions) and an amateur 'Metropolitan League', with no limit to the number of divisions. The Premier divisions featured promotion and relegation each season, whilst the 'Metro' league divisions were populated by nomination.Queensland Lions Soccer Club
Queensland Lions Football Club is an football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:The club was founded in 1957 as Hollandia-Inala Soccer Club by Dutch immigrants. From the start they were based at grounds in the Brisbane suburb of Richlands, where they still play...
, which won almost all of the Premierships and cup competitions from 2002 to 2004. The Lions club (as Queensland Roar FC), was then successful with their nomination (ahead of the Brisbane Strikers) for the inaugural national A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
competition, which commenced in the 2005-06 (Summer) season. The club changed its name to Brisbane Roar FC in 2009, when teams from the Gold Coast and Townsville were accepted into the A-League in 2009. The Brisbane Roar, despite drawing reasonable crowds, is yet to make serious inroads into the popularity enjoyed by the other football codes (in particular the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
, Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
and the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
- see adjacent graph).
Brisbane Roar acquired its first trophies in the A-League competition by winning the Premiership Plate for season 2010-11, after losing only one match during the season. They then won the 2010-11 Championship grand final in dramatic fashion, scoring twice in the last four minutes of extra time to draw 2 - 2 against the Central Coast Mariners, before going on to win a penalty shoot-out 4 - 2.
With the departure of the Brisbane Lions club from the local league, Palm Beach (Gold Coast) and the Brisbane Strikers respectively dominated the following two seasons. Rochedale Rovers dominated the Premiership for the rest of the decade, sharing some silverware with Peninsula Power, Brisbane Wolves and others.
Queensland State League commences
The State-wide Queensland State LeagueQueensland State League (association football)
The Hyundai Queensland State League, often abbreviated to the QSL, is a men's semi-professional association football league in the Australian state of Queensland...
(QSL) was established in 2008 as the second tier below the A-League, and included local teams the Brisbane Strikers, Olympic FC and Redlands Devils in the inaugural season. However, Redlands and Olympic withdrew from the QSL after the 2009 season and re-entered the Brisbane Premier League
Brisbane Premier League
Brisbane Premier League is the first tier of senior football league in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, run by Football Brisbane . After a 26 match regular season, the top 6 teams on the league table qualify for the finals series...
. The Strikers club has performed strongly in this competition, finishing as runners-up and champions in the first three seasons of the league.
In 2007, all of the Brisbane football bodies (Brisbane Men's Football, Brisbane Women's Soccer, Brisbane North & Districts Junior Soccer Association, Brisbane Southern Districts Junior Soccer Association and Soccer Australia Referees (Brisbane)) amalgamated to form Football Brisbane.
The Code in Brisbane in the 2000s continues to suffer some disunity, with ongoing disagreements between Brisbane clubs and both the Brisbane and State associations, regarding the structure of various junior and senior competitions and the allocation of resources.
Oldest club
The oldest extant club in continuous existence appears to be Oxley United FC (formerly Oxley Soccer Club and Oxley Ramblers) which, according to club records, was established in 1912 or 1913. Oxley first appears in news reports for Brisbane football in 1918, then joined the Ipswich association in 1930 and rejoined the combined Brisbane-Ipswich association in 1937, in which it has played continuously to date. Oxley club reached its pinnacle in the late 1950s, winning the First Division premiership and a number of cup and shield competitions. The club now plays at Dunlop Park, Corinda.Other old clubs
- Kangaroo Point RoversKangaroo Point Rovers FCKangaroo Point Rovers Football Club is an Australian football club from Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed in 1996 as the Pineapple Rovers Soccer Football Club, but was renamed in 2005 after relocating to its current ground at Raymond Park, Kangaroo Point.The club currently fields first and...
: The KPR club history outlines links with the Pineapple Rovers club (possibly established in 1886), which also played at Raymond Park, Kangaroo Point (formerly part of the Pineapple Sportsground - see above) for many decades. However, Pineapple Rovers merged with Shafston Rovers to form Eastern Districts in 1940, so the links to the modern club are somewhat tenuous. - Grange Thistle SC: This club has indirect links to St Andrew's, one of the original AQFA teams from 1884. A 'Thistle' club formed as a breakaway from St Andrew's in 1887, then became Merthyr Thistle (New Farm Park) in the early 1900s, which disbanded when a group broke away to form the Thistle club (now Grange Thistle) in 1919. This club now plays at Lanham Park, GrangeGrange, QueenslandGrange is an inner-northern suburb of Brisbane, capital of the Australian state of Queensland. It is located north of the central business district, on the southern side of Kedron Brook. In 2001, the population of Grange stood at 3,941....
. - Ipswich Knights: Dinmore Bush Rats (1888) merged with Redbank in the 1950s, which merged with St Helens (formed 1912) in the 1960s. St Helens then merged with the Coalstars club (itself formed by a merger between Blackstone Rovers and Bundamba Rangers in 1964) in 1998 to form the modern Ipswich Knights. The Knights now play at the Eric Evans Reserve, Bundamba.
- Toowong Football Club: A Toowong club is reported as early as 1911, however it is uncertain which football code it was playing. The first results recorded for a Toowong ‘soccer’ club were in 1913, whilst reports also refer to a Toowong Caledonians 'soccer' club and a 'new' Toowong senior club forming in the early 1920s. However, Toowong clubs appear to have disbanded then re-formed a few times over the decades. The modern Toowong club plays at Dunmore Park, Auchenflower.
- Redlands (1918), Mitchelton (1920) and Easts (1922): These clubs' published histories assert the founding dates as noted. However, the available public records for these clubs do not appear for a few years after these dates, so their respective histories are uncertain.
The oldest extant club that has played continuously in Brisbane senior men's competitions appears to be Wynnum, which entered the Brisbane First Division in 1921, the year the club was formed. The club is now known as Brisbane Wolves and plays at Carmichael Park, Tingalpa.
The oldest club that has played continuously in Brisbane competitions appears to be Bardon-Latrobe Soccer Club. The Latrobe club first appears in newspaper reports in 1917, probably playing at Gregory Park (adjacent to the Milton State School). After mergers and de-mergers with the Milton (1930s) and Bardon (1941) clubs, the club merged with Bardon again around 1970, and commenced playing at Bowman Park Bardon
Bardon, Queensland
Bardon is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located approximately 5 km west of the Brisbane CBD. Bardon is a leafy residential suburb, much of which nestles into the foothills of Mount Coot-tha.-History:...
(the Bardon club's home ground). The senior section of the club then went through further mergers (with Mitchelton, Valleys and others), before rejoining as Bardon-Latrobe in the early 1980s. From the mid-1990s, the club played only in Brisbane junior competitions, but in 2011 rejoined the ranks of senior mens football with a team in the Brisbane Metropolitan League.
The oldest club in its original form and still using its original name that has played continuously in the Brisbane senior competitions appears to be Taringa Rovers, formed in 1949. The club plays at Jack Speare Park
Jack Speare Park
Jack Speare Park, formerly known as the Indooroopilly Recreation Reserve , was named for one of the founders of the Taringa Rovers Soccer Football Club and Taringa Rovers Cricket Club....
at Indooroopilly, where it has been since 1955.
Premiers and Cup winners: 1884 to present
Lists of the Premiers and Cup winners of the Brisbane and Brisbane and Ipswich football Associations since 1884 are available at the Football Brisbane Men's Competition ArchiveSee also
- Association football in QueenslandAssociation football in Queensland-National Representation:The Brisbane Roar, who are not operated by the Football Queensland, were the only Queensland team to compete in the inaugural season of the national A-League...
- Association football in Australia
- Football QueenslandFootball QueenslandFootball Queensland , often abbreviated to the FQ, is the governing body of association football in the Australian State of Queensland. The body changed its name to be more in line with the new Football Federation Australia in 2005...
- Sport in BrisbaneSport in BrisbaneSport is a significant aspect of the Brisbane lifestyle. Activities range from the occasional international event, annual competitions, competitive leagues and individual recreational pursuits...