The earliest known records of regular soccer games in Brisbane date from the early 1880s, when a group comprising mostly Scottish immigrants commenced playing at Queen's Park, adjacent to Alice and Edward Streets in the city (now part of the City Botanic Gardens) and vacant land in Melbourne Street South Brisbane, between Grey and Stanley Streets. This group of players subsequently formed the Anglo-Queensland Football Association in early 1884, and commenced playing fixtures at the sports field behind the Pineapple Hotel, in Main Street Kangaroo Point, and at Queen's Park, in June 1884.
After a promising start, the game in Brisbane then developed erratically, hampered by the overwhelming popularity of the Rugby football codes: initially Rugby Union, which had commenced in Brisbane several years earlier, then rugby league from the 1920s onwards. The game also suffered from ongoing periodic disunity, caused initially by disaffected clubs from nearby Ipswich and later by disagreements over funding of the game and payments to players. In contrast with this the game boomed in Ipswich, with clubs from that city dominating Brisbane and combined Brisbane-Ipswich competitions until around 1960.
The large numbers of European and British immigrants arriving after World War II changed the character of the local game dramatically, as it led to the formation of wealthy ethnic-based clubs, which dominated Brisbane competitions during the 1960s and 1970s. This also created a perception amongst many members of the public that soccer was a 'migrants' game' (and as a result, sometimes referred to as 'wogball').Sydney Morning Herald - 25 May 2006
From the 1980s onwards, the local game thrived in terms of participation by junior and senior males and large numbers of female players, but not at a professional level. Despite a promising start, the Brisbane Roar FC, which joined the re-formed national A-League competition in its inaugural year (2005) and won the premiership in 2010-11 and 2013–14, and championships in 2011, 2012 and 2014, is yet to make serious inroads into the popularity enjoyed by the other football codes.
Mid-1800s: First football games in Brisbane Football has been played in Brisbane from very early times, as evidenced by this notice in The Moreton Bay Courier in 1849 (a mere 25 years after the arrival of the first European settlers in the region), at which time the population was around 2000 people,Queensland Places website many of whom were former convicts and poor Irish immigrants:
ANNIVERSARY. TO the SPORTING BLADES of BRISBANE. BEING determined that the Anniversary [now called Australia Day] shall not pass over without a little fun, in addition to the usual English Sports, the Lads of Kangaroo Point CHALLENGE all comers to a Game of Foot Ball – preliminaries to be settled at the Commercial Inn, Kangaroo Point, on the evening of the 24th.The Moreton Bay Courier - 20 January 1849
Given the inchoate nature of the various types of football at that time, they may have been playing simple mob football. Alternatively, they could have been playing in accordance with the recently published Rugby school rules (1845) or the Cambridge rules (1848), the latter being the forerunner of the laws of association football.
First football clubs
Organised games of football were being played in Brisbane by the mid-1860s, as reported by the Brisbane Courier in 1866: "ON the football ground, on Saturday afternoon, there was no match; but two sides were chosen, and a very lively game was played ... Five goals were kicked ... The football season will end in a few weeks and the committee of the club contemplate getting up some athletic sports as an appropriate finale."Brisbane Courier - 13 August 1866 However, it is most likely that this report referred to the Brisbane Football Club (formed in 1866)Brisbane Courier - 31 May 1866 and that they were playing in accordance with the Victorian rules (codified in 1859 as the 'rules of the Melbourne Football Club', now known as Australian rules football). The 'football ground' referred to here is most likely the area then known as 'Queen's Park'Rugby in the Colony of Queensland (website) (now part of the City Botanic Gardens) or possibly the sports field located in the area then known as 'Green Hills' (then located beside Countess Street Petrie Terrace opposite the Victoria Barracks - now occupied by the Northern Busway), where cricket matches were also played since at least the early 1860s.QCA Archive/Grounds (website)
The first known reference to a soccer club in Brisbane was the Petrie Terrace Football Club formed in 1876, whose players initially elected to adopt the "London Association rules"Brisbane Courier - 3 May 1876 (codified in 1863 - now The Football Association's 'Laws of the Game') "until better ones could be framed ...".Brisbane Courier - 4 May 1876 However, it appears that the club subsequently adopted the recently codified rugby union rules (1871), as just a week later it was reported that "At a meeting of the newly-formed football club at Petrie-terrace, held yesterday evening, it was decided to call the club the "Bonnet Rouge Football Club;" the uniform to be a red cap, of any shape whatever. The rugby union rules were finally adopted, as it was understood that these had been decided upon by other Brisbane clubs."Brisbane Courier - 10 May 1876
As well as the Brisbane Football Club, the only other known Brisbane club at the time was the Rangers Football Club (formed in 1876), both of which were now playing according to both the Victorian rules and the rugby union rules.
First games under 'Association' rules
It also appears that Brisbane FC played at least one game of 'London Association Football' ('soccer'): The Queenslander of 14 August 1875 reported that on Saturday 7 August 1875, Brisbane FC played a game against the inmates and warders of the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum (now The Park Centre for Mental Health Treatment at Wolston Park, near Goodna): "… play commenced at half-past 2 ... One rule provided that the ball should not be handled nor carried." This evidence is corroborated by the Victorian publication The Footballer, which reported in 1875 in its section on "Football in Queensland" that "the match was played without handling the ball under any circumstances whatever (Association rules)."Syson, Ian: 'The genesis of soccer in Australia' 25 July 2011 This is the earliest known game of 'soccer' played in the Brisbane region (and possibly in Australia) - regular games of 'soccer' did not commence in Brisbane until 1884, as noted below.
The first known club formed to play under association football rules in Brisbane was the Rangers Football Club, formed in 1883 as the 'Scottish Football Association'.Rockhampton Morning Bulletin 10 July 1925 The members of that first club included W. Middlebrook, W. Wordie, W. McNaughton, J.Cairns, J. Anderton, W.Cairns, W. Millar, A. Rankine (Capt.), W. Allison, A. Russell, A. Irvine and D. Gemmell.Publication 'The Soccer Record' (Queensland) 1924
It is not known whether this club had any links to the former Rangers Rugby club of 1876.
1880s: First regular games in Brisbane
This decade was a boom period for immigration in the colony: Between 1881 and 1891 metropolitan Brisbane's population grew from 37,000 to 100,000. The first reported soccer matches were played by a group who originally practised at Queen's Park (now part of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens), on the flat area near the Brisbane River, adjacent to Alice Street and between Edward and Albert Streets, around 1883 (see the far end of the park in the adjacent photograph). These players were presumably mostly recent Scottish migrants, given they were referred to as 'Scotch rulers' by players of the other codes, as well as the team names they eventually adopted. After disagreements over ground-sharing with cricketers and the Rugby Union and Victorian Rules players, they moved to vacant land in Melbourne Street South Brisbane, between Grey and Stanley Streets (the site now occupied by the Queensland Performing Arts Centre). Eventually, they received permission from the publican of the Pineapple Hotel, almost directly across the river at Kangaroo Point, to play at his 'Pineapple Sportsground' behind the hotel.Brisbane Courier Mail - 16 July 1937 This ground is now the western portion of Raymond Park).Pineapple Sportsground
Subsequently, the Brisbane Courier reported in early May 1884:
A MEETING of those favourable to the "Association" game of football as played in the home countries was held at the Australian Hotel last night [Thursday 1 May] ... The chair was occupied by Mr. W. McLauchlan. Among those present were a number of Scottish Association footballers who had recently arrived in the colony ... [I]t was resolved that it was desirable to form an Anglo-Queensland Football Association, and as a beginning the meeting formed the first club, the name selected being "St. Andrew's Football Club." Mr. D. McCreadie - a Queen's Park (Glasgow) player was elected president and captain of the club ... It was announced that already from twenty-seven to thirty promises to join the club had been received, and it was resolved to play a practice match tomorrow afternoon, if possible, in the Queen's Park. Mr. D. McCreadie and Mr. W.Hardgrave undertook to captain the teams.NLA Trove: Brisbane Courier - 2 May 1884
This group was then joined by the Rangers Club and the newly formed 'Queen's Park' club (both presumably named after the well-known Glasgow football clubs) and played a series of fixtures.Brisbane Courier – 12 June 1884 It is highly likely that the players were inspired by the success of the contemporary Scottish national team which, in adopting the Glasgow Queen's Park club's 'playing style', had dominated the English national teams during the 1870s and 1880s (Scottish players of the time were dubbed the 'Scotch Professors', a reference to their 'scientific' approach, which ultimately transformed the tactics of the game).
First fixture matches
The Brisbane Courier reported the first match of that first season - played on Saturday 7 June 1884:
The first match under the auspices of the Anglo-Queensland Football Association took place on the Pineapple Ground, Kangaroo Point on Saturday, the contending clubs being the Queen's Park and St Andrew's. The clubs played eleven aside, being the usual number in matches under this association. The colours were-for St Andrews dark blue and for Queen's Park blue and white. Mr Shiers was umpire for the Queen's Park, and Mr Curry filled the same position for the other side, Mr Hudson being referee. The attendance numbered about sixty, and most of them took a lively interest in the game.
The Queen's Park team comprised the following players: Brooks, Wearne (backs); Pywell, Copp (half-backs), Pearson, Holland (centre forwards), Bell, Allison (left wing), Sharp, Princeps (captain, right wing), J. Wharrie (goal).Brisbane Courier 7 June 1884 St Andrew's was captained by R. Wylie and included McCreadie, Menzies, Kyle, Currie and Angus [the rest of their team is not recorded]. Despite the "good play" of Princeps, Holland, Wearne and Allison for Queen’s Park, the Saints overwhelmed them 7-0 (with two early goals by McCreadie).Brisbane Courier 9 June 1884 Curiously, The Queenslander newspaper reported over a month later: "ST. ANDREW'S V. QUEEN'S PARK. The first round of matches of this association was played in the Botanical Gardens on Saturday between the above clubs, and resulted in a win for the St. Andrews by 7 goals to nil."The Queenslander 19 July 1884 This latter report provided considerable detail regarding the play and individual players, and noted goal scorers who were different from those in the Courier report. However, the Brisbane Courier report should be given historical precedence, given its earlier date.