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Afl QueenslandAFL Queensland (AFLQ) is the governing body of Australian rules football in the state of Queensland. Background The Brisbane Football Club (not to be confused with the Bears or Lions) was formed in May 1866 in an effort to keep cricketers fit during the winter months. By 1869 there were three more clubs in Brisbane - the Volunteer Artillery, Brisbane Grammar School and the Civil Service. The Ipswich team was formed in 1870 and would become one of the powerful teams of the era. By the 1880s Australian rules had become the most popular football code in Queensland. However, a series of events would cause a shift in popularity from the national game to rugby. One significant factor was the 1887 decision of Brisbane Grammar School to play rugby in lieu of Australian rules. Then, in 1890, the powerful touring South Melbourne team secured some big wins over the local boys. To further enhance rugby's relative standing, the Queensland rugby team met with considerable success against New South Wales in the 1890s. The combined effect of these events was that the national game became dormant by the mid-1890s. The game was revived when the Queensland Football League (QFL), a precursor to AFL Queensland, was formed in July 1903. The first premiership was held in 1904. Most games in the first premiership season were played at Queen's Park, a sporting facility within the grounds of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. In 1905 games were first played at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, also known as the Gabba. The premiership has been held every year from 1904, with the exception of the period from 1915 to 1919 when the competition went into recess owing to World War I. Since the inception of the QFL, more than fifty teams have played in the premiership competition. In August 1927 at a meeting of the Australian National Football Council it was decided that the leagues of all of the states were to include the words 'Australian National' in their names. As a result, at that point the league became known as the Queensland Australian National Football League (QANFL). In 1964 the QANFL became the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL), a limited liability company. In 1986 it was announced that teams from Brisbane (Brisbane Bears) and Perth (West Coast Eagles) would compete in the VFL for the first time in 1987. The excitement of having a Brisbane team as part of the country's elite football competition was to be tempered in the years that followed by the realisation that across the country, traditional leagues, even where strongholds in their respective cities, would suffer as a result. After the conclusion of the 1996 season, the QAFL, having absorbed the effects of ten years of having a local team in the country's premier competition, went into receivership. In 1997 the Queensland Australian Football Council became the new governing body of football in the state, and the Queensland State Football League (QSFL) was established as the state's number one competition. After the 1999 season, the QSFL went into voluntary liquidation being replaced in 2000 by AFL Queensland (AFLQ), at which time the premier competition in the state became known as the AFLQ State League. From 2005, the State League comprises Division 1 and Division 2. The league has suffered somewhat from not having a permanent 'showcase' venue. In the pre-World War I era, most major games were played at the Gabba or the Exhibition Ground. Soon after the war, the league secured the use of the Perry Park ground at Bowen Hills as its primary venue, and games would be played there until the late 1950s. The Exhibition Ground continued to host games, including the interstate carnival of 1950. The league entered a period of prosperity from 1959 when the Gabba became 'home', hosting most of the major games including all grand finals up to 1971. The interstate carnival of 1961 was held at the Gabba, which has been used only intermittently by the league since the early 1970s. The Windsor Park ground at Windsor has hosted many finals and a number of interstate games since 1973, particularly during the 70s and 80s. The league's offices are currently based at Lions Football Park (also known as Giffin Park), Coorparoo, and this is where finals matches have been played from 1998 to 2004. Current Teams The teams currently playing in the State League Division 1 premiership are: Queensland Team of the Century On 16th June 2003, the Queensland Team of the Century was announced at a gala function staged by AFLQ at the Brisbane Convention Centre. The Team of the Century is as follows: Coach of the Century: Norm Dare. Umpire of the Century: Tom McArthur. See also External links
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