The AFL Wide Bay was an amateur Australian rules football competition that was formerly known as the "Bundaberg-Wide Bay Australian Football League", which was formed in 1987 through the merger of the "Bundaberg Australian Football League" and "Wide Bay Australian Football League". The competition currently featured teams from the cities of Bundaberg, Maryborough and Hervey Bay. Teams from Gympie and Pomona played in this competition up until 2006, before changing leagues. The representative team was known as the "Tigers", wearing guernseys similar to those of the Richmond Tigers. The competition was merged into the South East Queensland structure for the 2017 season.
AFL Wide Bay origins: the merger
In 1985, the WBAFL played a five team competition which included teams from Hervey Bay, Cooloola Coast and Gympie, with Maryborough fielding junior grades. The BAFL played a four team competition which included the three main clubs, Wests, Norths, and Souths with Burnett Heads fielding Reserves and juniors only. In 1986, the WBAFL played a four team competition, but finished the season with just two clubs, Hervey Bay and Gympie, who fielded just one senior club each that year. Maryborough and Cooloola Coast folded. The BAFL had only three senior teams, Wests, Norths and Souths, and so with backing of the Queensland Australian Football League, the two Leagues merged. In 1987, the Bundaberg Wide Bay Australian Football League was formed with the five remaining senior clubs, Hervey Bay, Gympie, Norths, Wests and Souths, and the addition of Burnett Heads for a few senior games, before being relegated to the Reserves after five rounds. In 1988, Maryborough joined the competition to resume a six team competition.
In 2003, four out of the eight clubs that played in a Brisbane League Division Three, were from AFL Bundaberg Wide Bay. They were Hervey Bay Bombers, Maryborough Bears, Across The Waves Bundaberg, and Brothers Bulldogs from Bundaberg. Gympie Cats and Pomona Demons had also previously played in the Wide Bay League. It was a competition which lasted only one season before the above mentioned six clubs, with the addition of new club, Bay Power, resulted in a revamped seven club League reforming the AFL Bundaberg Wide Bay competition the following year. Hervey Bay Bombers won the Division Three Flag in 2003 beating ATW Bundaberg Eagles, with Maryborough Bears finishing third. The other two clubs in the competition were Bribie Island Bulldogs and Glasshouse Lions.
A Grade Senior Clubs
Merger of Two Bundaberg Clubs
North Bundaberg Kangaroos played in this competition from 1987 until 1996 before merging with Souths. South Bundaberg Magpies played in this competition from 1987 until 1996 before merging with Norths. From 1997 the new club was to be known as Across The Waves Bundaberg - The Eagles. The newly formed club won the A Grade Senior Flag in its first three seasons.
