 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2024) |
Current season, competition or edition: 2024 QFA season | |
| Formerly | List
|
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Founded | 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland |
| First season | 1969 |
| No. of teams | 52 |
| Region |  Queensland,  New South Wales |
| Confederation | AFL Queensland |
| Most recent champion(s) | Mayne (2024) |
| Most titles | Mayne (15) |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Related competitions | Queensland Football Association |
| Official website | aflq.com.au |
The Queensland Football Association (QFA) is the largest Australian rules football league in Queensland and second largest in the world by number of senior clubs (after the Victorian Amateur Football Association). Dating back to 1969 and going by various names it is now run by AFL Queensland as a second tier competition under its semi-professional Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL). There are 52 clubs spanning as far north as Gympie in Queensland to as far south as Ballina in New South Wales (NSW).[1] Most clubs field men's and women's senior and reserve sides in the top divisions, with senior only teams in the lower divisions. The men's competition is known as the QFA and the women's is known as the QFAW.
The current competition is the result of merging Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast leagues with existing Brisbane leagues in the 1990s along with the addition of New South Wales clubs in the 2010s after numerous attempts to restructure QFA (Northern Rivers) and AFL North Coast (NSW) competitions.[2] Successive restructuring has seen the number of teams balloon resulting in numerous divisions. The QFA covers more municipalities than any other competition in Queensland including Gympie Region, Shire of Noosa, Sunshine Coast Region, City of Moreton Bay, Somerset Region, Brisbane City Council, Gold Coast City Council, Redland City and Ipswich City Council with a combined population of almost 4 million. Due to the enormous distances between clubs for a mostly amateur competition, which can reach 350 kilometres placing significant stress on clubs, the league restructured in 2021 into North/South sub-divisions.[3]
It is one of the few Australian rules football leagues that operates a promotion and relegation system. AFL Queensland considers the QFA to be a development league for clubs to prove that they are sufficiently stable and successful to apply for a QAFL license. The most recent examples of QFA Division 1 clubs entering the QAFL are Redland-Victoria Point in 2021,[4] Noosa Tigers in 2022,[5] and Coorparoo Kings for 2025.[6]
Traditionally an amateur competition, amateur status was enforced between 2014 and 2017 when it split off the Queensland Amateur Football Association (QAFA) competition. However with increasing professionalism in the QAFL and clubs seeking promotion, AFL Queensland accommodated for player payments in 2020 and it is now not uncommon for QFA Division 1 clubs to sign big name players.[7] This has made it more difficult for truly amateur clubs to compete and get promoted from the lower divisions.[8]
- ^ SEQ teams and competitions on AFLQ website
- ^ Byron Bay Magpies leave AFL North Coast by News Of The Area - Modern Media - February 14, 2024
- ^ QFA Division 2 North and South Fixtures unveiled AFL Queensland. 5th March, 2021
- ^ Redland-Victoria Point Sharks join QAFL in 2021 at Redland City Bulletin, 10 Nov 2020
- ^ Noosa retain usual high hopes after entering Queensland AFL competition By Steele Taylor for Sunshine Coast News 8 April 2021
- ^ It’s Great to Be King: Coorparoo Celebrates QAFL Entry and QFA Div 1 Title Charge from Coorparoo News 13 August 2024
- ^ Wagga ex-AFL star Matt Suckling signs with QFA division one club Coorparoo By Matt Malone 23 May 2022
- ^ Bond AFL: Pinched or prudent? 14 September 2023