AFL Darling Downs

AFL Darling Downs

Most recent season or competition: 2024 AFL Queensland season
Formerly	Darling Downs Australian Football League
Sport	Australian rules football
Founded	1971; 55 years ago (1971)
No. of teams	7
Most recent champion	Coolaroo (2025)
Most titles	University Cougars (13)
Promotion to	(none)
Relegation to	(none)
Website	aflq.com.au/darlingdowns

AFL Darling Downs (AFLDD) coordinates Australian rules football competitions in the Darling Downs and South Burnett regions of Queensland including its major city of Toowoomba where there are four of the senior clubs are based. The competition was formed as the Darling Downs Australian Football League in 1971. AFL Darling Downs has senior men's, women's as well as multiple grades of junior competition.

The senior representative team is known as the Demons and wear guernseys modelled on the Melbourne Demons guernseys.

History

The Warwick Football Club was formed in 1873 in Warwick to play under Australian rules, however lacking any nearby competitors for 3 years it played mostly intra-club scratch matches. A Toowoomba Football Club was formed on 12th May, 1876 by members of the Civil Service. Brisbane Civil Service travelled to Toowoomba to play against a newly formed club in 1876. AFL Queensland cites the Toowoomba Football Club as forming in 1873, however few sources back this up. As the game spread further west of the Great Divide clubs were split on whether to adopt rugby or Australian rules. Nevertheless, it is noted that clubs from the region in this era were able to hold their own against those from Brisbane.

A Toowoomba Football Association formed in early July 1876 to coordinate matches between Toowoomba and Warwick clubs. Teams were 16-a-side. Accounts of the play match those of Australian rules of the time, including the cricket club involvement, match duration, umpire, lack of an offiside and kicking goals from the general field of play. The Light Infantry Corps formed in July 1876 to play against the Light Infantry Football Club. The Association disappeared a couple of years later. As Downs clubs lacked nearby opponents rugby was more suited to facilitating matches against New South Wales clubs, as a result local competition went into recess. An exception was an 1878 match between Old-Victorians and All Comers played in front of a large crowd.

The Queensland Football Association formed in 1880 and affiliated with the Victorian Football Association, however clubs outside of Brisbane were becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of representation for the whole colony. In 1881 matches were once again played in Toowoomba when the Toowoomba Grammar took up the sport. By 1882, a Toowoomba Association (affiliated with the QFA) had re-formed including both clubs and schools in the region. In 1883, a team of 12 travelled from Excelsior FC (Brisbane), noting a revival of the code in the region. The inclusion of the Allora Football Club at Allora in 1883 provided more regular interaction between the clubs. However the code suffered a major blow when, after the Brisbane private school association in 1887 voted to switch to rugby including Toowoomba Grammar. A senior Toowoomba Rugby Football Club formed in 1887 and this was the last mention of the Toowoomba Football Club or any other Downs clubs playing Australian rules. After the collapse of the QFA in 1890 the Toowoomba Rugby Association and Toowoomba British Football Association were able to grow unopposed.

Clubs

There have been many different towns in the Darling Downs of Queensland fielding Australian Rules Football teams over the forty plus years of Senior Competition. Coolaroo Roos have played every season from the inaugural year, and Toowoomba Tigers have played the second most seasons. Below is a full list of current and former clubs in the region.

Locations

Red = Senior

Yellow = junior only

Club locations - Toowoomba	Club locations - Darling Downs
2km 1.2miles University South Toowoomba Downlands College Coolaroo, Toowoomba	30km 19miles Warwick South Burnett Goondiwindi

Senior

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Founded	Years in League	Senior Premierships
						Total	Years
Coolaroo		Roos	Rockville Park, Wilsonton Heights	1971	1971-	13	1975, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Goondiwindi (Goondiwindi-Moonie 1987)		Hawks	Riddles Oval, Goondiwindi	1978	1980-	8	1980, 1983, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2019
South Burnett		Saints	Lyle Vidler Oval, Kingaroy	2013	2013-	0	-
South Toowoomba (Central Bombers 2005-06)		Bombers	Heritage Oval, Southern Cross Reserve, Harlaxton	1971	1972-1994, 1996-1998, 2005-	8	1972, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1984, 2008, 2020, 2021
Toowoomba		Tigers	Rockville Park, Wilsonton Heights	1973	1974-2002, 2004-	6	1977, 1979, 1988, 2010, 2011, 2012
University (Institute 1976-89)		Cougars	Baker St Oval, Darling Heights	1976	1976-	13	1978, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018
Warwick		Redbacks	Roddies Oval, Warwick	1996	1999-	1	2014

Junior only

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Founded	Years in League
Downlands College		Gryphons	Concordia Lutheran College	2018	2018-

Former

Club	Colours	Nickname	Home Ground	Est.	Years in League	Premierships		Fate
						Total	Years
Aviation			RAAF Base Oakey Oval, Oakey	1971	1971-1977	2	1973, 1974	Folded after 1977 season
Chinchilla		Suns	Chinchilla Recreation Grounds, Chinchilla	2013	2013-2019	0	-	Folded after 2019 season
Coolaroo 2		Roos	Rockville Park, Wilsonton Heights	1971	2002	0	-	Folded
Dalby		Swans	Dalby AFL Oval, Dalby	1980	1980-2022	0	-	Folded after 2022 season
Goondiwindi 2		Hawks	Riddles Oval, Goondiwindi	1978	2000	0	-	Folded
Highfields		Lions	Kratzke Road Recreation Reserve, Highfields	2003	2010-2019	0	-	Folded after 2019 season
Kingaroy (South Burnett 1982-86)		Bulldogs	Lyle Vidler Oval, Kingaroy	1982	1982-1986, 1989-2004	0	-	Recess between 1987-88. Folded after 2004 season
Lockyer Valley (1)		Magpies	Cahill Park, Gatton	1981	1981-1994, 1996-1998	2	1985, 1993	Played in Brisbane AFL in 1995. Folded after 1998 season
Lockyer Valley (2)		Demons	Cahill Park, Gatton	2010	2010-2017	0	-	Folded after 2017 season
Lockyer-Warwick				1980	1980	0	-	Split into Lockyer Valley and Warwick in 1981
Moonie		Saints	Moonie Reserve, Moonie	1984	1984-1986	0	-	Merged with Goondiwindi after 1986 season
QAC Gatton			Queensland Agricultural College Gatton Campus Oval, Gatton	1974	1974, 1977	0	-	Recess in 1975-76. Folded after 1977 season
Signals (Combined Services 1973)			Borneo Barracks Oval, Cabarlah	1971	1971-1974	1	1971	Folded after 1974 season
Warwick (1)		Wallabies	Roddies Oval, Warwick	1981	1981-1986	0	-	Folded partway through 1986 season

NOTE: Some clubs listed above played in Reserve Grade (Division 2) only for many seasons, but were not part of the A Grade competition and those years are not included in the above table.

AFL Darling Downs A Grade Premiers List

AFL Darling Downs A Grade Grand Final Results

Inaugural Darling Downs AFL Grand Final Results

GOALS:
Signals – B.Fletcher 2, W. Sampson, T. Osborne, M. Darby.
Coolaroo Roos – A. Jericho 2, I. Shaw, J. Oska.
BEST:
Signals – T. Osborne, D. Akesson, J. Davis, J. Walsh, K. Zeller.
Coolaroo Roos – R. Smith, J. Hagerstrom, J. Smith, A. Jericho, C. Wells.

AFL Darling Downs Premiership Tables and Finals Results

Below is a summary of AFL Darling Downs A Grade Ladders at the end of the home and away fixtures, and the Finals Results for the major rounds:

AFL Darling Downs Best and Fairest Award (Holman Medalist)

Reserve Grade

The Reserve Grade competition ran from 1975 to 1999, and 2001, before player numbers for some clubs became a problem and therefore the "Adrian Jericho Trophy" had not been contested for a full decade.

In 2012, the Reserves competition returned with a three team competition involving University, Coolaroo, and Souths. It was the first time the competition has been staged since Kingaroy defeated Coolaroo in the 2001 Grand Final.

South Toowoomba Longhorns are the most successful team in Reserve Grade with 10 Premierships from 14 Grand Finals. University (Institute) are the next best with 8 flags from 11 Grand Finals.

Future of AFL Darling Downs

The Reserve Grade or a Division 2 Competition will resume as soon as the competition can gain enough interest once again.

The League has the potential to expand to 12 Senior Clubs if these areas can field enough players, and with Junior competitions also expanding. In recent seasons, the League has fielded up to 11 sides in Division One already.

See also

• Australian Rules football in Queensland
• Toowoomba Rugby League

References

External links