There are several Australian rules football leagues in regional Queensland.
The sport of Australian rules football has a rich history in Queensland which dates back to the 1860s, however the game outside of South East Queensland was slower to take off than in Brisbane.
In 1913, a team of servicemen briefly existed on Thursday Island, but was short lived. In 1944, a league of servicemen was formed around the Atherton Tableland. Teams represented included Wongabel, Wondelca, Kairi, Mareeba and Ravenshoe. The league was a pre-cursor to the nearby Cairns, Queensland league.
In 1955, the Townsville Australian Football League began. Two years later the Cairns Australian Football League was formed. AFL was also introduced to Mount Isa. In the early 1970s, organised leagues started appearing in Mackay, the Darling Downs and Central Queensland.
The Australian Football League has occasionally played pre-season matches in Cairns and there have been semi-regular premiership matches on the Gold Coast.
Read more about Australian Rules Football Leagues In Regional Queensland: AFL Cairns, AFL Capricornia, AFL Darling Downs, AFL Mackay, AFL Mount Isa, AFL Townsville, AFL Wide Bay
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