Soccer in Queensland


Soccer was first played in Queensland on a regular basis in Brisbane, in 1884. The game in Queensland is administered by the peak body, Football Queensland, together with several subordinate zone councils, each representing regions of Queensland.

History

The earliest known game of soccer in Queensland was played at Woogaroo, west of Brisbane, in 1875, when the Brisbane FC played at least one game of 'London Association Football' against the inmates and warders of the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum."
The earliest known organised games of Association football in Queensland were played in Brisbane in 1884, under the auspices of the newly formed Anglo-Queensland Football Association. The Brisbane Courier reported in early May 1884:
The first fixture match was played on 7 June 1884, on the Pineapple Sportsfield, Kangaroo Point.
By 1886, the game had spread west to Ipswich and then to other regional centres.

Administration of football in Queensland

Football Queensland

Football Queensland was preceded by a number of organisations:
The game is administered locally by zone councils:

National Soccer League (NSL) 1977-2004

There were a number of Queensland teams that played in the now defunct National Soccer League.
Club nameYears in the NSLPremiershipsCups
Brisbane City1977-1986 --1977, 1978
Brisbane Lions1977-1986 & 1988 --1981
Brisbane Strikers1992-2004 1997--

A-League (2005-present)

The Brisbane Roar, a privately owned football club, was the only Queensland team to compete in the inaugural season of the national A-League.
In the 2009-10 Hyundai A-League season, two other clubs joined the Roar, Gold Coast United FC and the North Queensland Fury FC.. However, the Fury team withdrew from the competition after season 2010-11, citing financial difficulties.. Gold Coast United also left the A-league after the 2011-12 season. They have now reformed in August 2017 and currently compete in the Football Queensland Premier League.

Club competitions

Queensland statewide competitions

The Queensland State League was established in 2008 to provide a second tier competition between the A-League and the Queensland regional competitions. The QSL consisted of a single division, comprising nine teams without provision for promotion or relegation.
In 2013 the QSL was replaced by the National Premier Leagues Queensland which forms a division within the National Premier Leagues. The winner enters a national finals series against the winners of the other NPL divisions. In 2018 the NPL Queensland will introduce promotion from and relegation to, a new league the Football Queensland Premier League.

Regional competitions

Below the NPL Qld there are local competitions run in each of the zones.

Women's football

Brisbane Roar have a team in the national W-League that represent Queensland's female footballers.

Footnotes