The University of Queensland Australian Football Club (UQAFC) is an amateur

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

club playing in th
QFA
Division 1, Division 4 an
QAFLW
League competitions, overseen by

AFL Queensland AFL Queensland (AFLQ) is the governing body of Australian rules football in Queensland. AFL Queensland has over 216,000 participants (including Northern Rivers which is governed by AFLQ) playing at all levels of football from the introductory N ...

. UQAFC home games are played at the University of Queensland's Playing Field 2, on the corner of Sir William MacGregor Drive and Thynne Road,

St Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindia ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. Founded in 1956, the club collected the ''Red Lions'' moniker in reference to a pub in the Northern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

town of Glencoe. After travelling to Armidale to compete against the University of New England for the Clem Jones Shield UQ would frequent the Red Lion Tavern on their return journey, giving birth to the Red Lion legend. The UQAFC has since won seven Senior premierships, including a "threepeat" in 1961, 1962 & 1963. Red Lion Reserve Grade sides have claimed twelve premiership victories many of which came during extended periods of dominance through the 1980s and more recently in the new millennium. The club has a built unique heritage with its large student membership and strong old boys network resulting in a very social club atmosphere and it is very proud to cater to footballers of all abilities. Currently with eight teams and approximately 250 registered players, the Red Lions are regarded as one of the largest amateur Australian rules football club in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Recent history

In 2006 a large increase in player numbers resulted in the formation of a third adult side for the first time since the 1970s. The Thirds team, which also included players from the Griffith University Gladiators, played in the reserves competition of Division 2 of the

AFLQ State Association Australian rules football in South East Queensland has a varied history and many changes were made especially in the 21st century. Ruled and organised by the AFL Queensland, the region had a total of 46 teams playing in different divisions.

competition. 2006 also saw a significant improvement in performance with the Senior side finishing third overall, and the Reserves side winning the premiership. The club continued to perform well in 2007 under new Senior Coach Travis Warren with both the senior and Reserves side reaching the preliminary final. In 2008, performances across all grades continued to improve, with the Reserves winning the Premiership, the Thirds making the Grand Final for the first time and the Seniors again narrowing missing the Grand Final to finish third. 2009 represented another year of growth for the club, with unprecedented player numbers allowing the creation of a fourth adult side for the first time. The Thirds and Fourths played as senior and reserve teams of Division 2 of the

competition. The Division 2 Reserves played finals in 2010 (for the first time since stepping up from Division 3) and the club continued to grow in numbers to accommodate their four adult men's sides The Senior Coaching role was taken over by Tim MacKinley prior to the start of the 2011 season. Both Division 1 sides finished on top of their respective ladders to take out the minor premiership, with the Reserve side capping the season with a premiership and the Seniors reaching the Grand Final. The Thirds continued their improvement to record 4 victories, the most in one season since their promotion to Division 2. In 2012 the club had 3 teams make the Grand Final, with the Seconds and Fourths ultimately claiming premierships. At the completion of the 2012 season

offered University a promotion into the Allied Pickfords Cup and recently retired club-captain Matthew Stewart took the reins as senior coach. The club welcomed the return of an Under 18's side and for the first time ever also fielded Division 4 and Ladies teams. The Division 1 Reserves, Division 3 Reserves and Ladies teams all played finals in 2013, with the Fourths claiming their second premiership in a row. Following the AFLQ's decision to re-structure their South East Queensland competitions for 2014, the Red Lions applied for a licence in the newly re-formed

Queensland Australian Football League The Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL) is an Australian rules football competition organised by the AFL Queensland, contested by clubs from South East Queensland. Previously known as the Queensland Football League (QFL), Queensland ...

. On 19 September 2013 the AFLQ announced that the UQAFC would form a part of the QAFL for the 2014 season. Following another re-structuring of AFLQ competitions in 2017, the Red Lions joined the QFA Division 1 competition. UQAFC has also fielded a Women's team in the states premier senior women's competition, the QAFLW, since 2014.

Junior Links

The Wests Juniors club in nearby Toowong are partners in a joint initiative Under 18 squad, the UQ Bulldogs. Players from other junior clubs in the local area are also welcomed. The majority of the club's recruitment remains the influx of sometimes inexperienced but always keen students who filter down from the university.

Randy the Red Lion

The club introduced a mascot prior to the 2011 finals campaign. Randy the Red Lion can often be seen at Oval 7 cheering on the Red Lions and helping them celebrate a win.

Honour Board

QAFL

QAFA

Ladies

University Games

The club has unofficial links to the teams which represent the university at the

Australian University Games The UniSport Nationals is a multi-sport event held annually between the 43 Australian universities and tertiary institutions. Overseen by UniSport, the peak governing body of university sport in Australia, the nationals is the flagship event on ...

, previously held separately for each sport and called Inter-Varsity Carnivals. In 2012 the team's Best Off Field Medal was dubbed the "Bruce Larkin Medal". The following players have received Green & Gold selection in the team of the carnival: Adam Pearce, Anthony Lee & Sebastine Isu (1993), David Coxen (1996), Michael Swann (2009 & 2012), and Jared D'Roza & Madi Crowley (2013).

Alumni

The UQAFC has produced some footballers of note. The club's alumni includes: * Ken Crooke, former President of the National Party's Queensland branch * John Harms, sports writer * Malcolm Nairn, inaugural Vice-Chancellor of

Charles Darwin University Charles Darwin University (CDU) is an Australian public university with a main campus in Darwin and eight satellite campuses in some metropolitan and regional areas. It was established in 2003 after the merger of Northern Territory University, ...

* Steve Haddan, channel 9 news reader * Ozzie Moore, former PGA Pro golfer *

Wayne Swan Wayne Maxwell Swan (born 30 June 1954), often colloquially referred to as Swanny, is an Australian politician who is National President of the Labor Party. He was previously the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Deputy Leader of the Labor ...

, Former Deputy Prime Minister & Federal Treasurer AFL Players *

Ben Hudson Ben Hudson (born 24 February 1979) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club, Western Bulldogs, Brisbane Lions and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has s ...

, player for the Brisbane Lions, former player of Western Bulldogs and

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Andrew McKay Andrew Ian McKay (born 14 July 1970) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Pla ...

, premiership player for the

Carlton Blues The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Mel ...

trained with University whilst studying veterinary science. * Scott Clouston, former player with the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...

who came from the UQ Bulldogs Under 18s in 2005 *

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

, former player with the

Essendon Bombers The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...

who played with the UQ Bulldogs Under 18s and the senior Red Lions in 2006 AFLW Players *

Emma Zielke Emma Zielke (born 19 April 1988) is a retired Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Women's competition. She was the club's inaugural AFLW team captain, leading the club in 2017–2018 and 2020–2021. Early ...

Breanna Koenen Breanna Koenen (born 31 December 1994) is an Australian rules footballer and captain of the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Early life and state football She was started playing for her home team, the Magnetic Island Magpies, togeth ...

Dakota Davidson Dakota Davidson (born 31 December 1998) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Brisbane in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW). Early life Davidson was born in Ipswich, Queensland to a family of Indigenous Australian descent (Gunditjma ...

Sharni Webb Sharni Webb (born 14 July 1991) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Women's. Early life Following encouragement from her brothers, Webb started out playing Australian rules football at the age of 15 in t ...

* Luka Yoshida-Martin *

Maria Moloney Maria Moloney (born 29 March 1995) is an Australian rules footballer playing for Port Adelaide in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW). She was playing for University of Queensland in the AFL Queensland Women's League when she was drafted by Bri ...

* Greta Bodey *

Gabby Collingwood Gabrielle "Gabby" Collingwood (born 15 January 1999) is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Junior and state football Collingwood started playing Australian rules football in May 2011, w ...

Emma Pittman Emma Pittman (born 29 December 1992) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She also has a history in association football, having played four matches for the Brisbane Roar in the W-League. Ear ...

* Megan Hunt

References

External links

Official site

Playing Field 2
{{AFL Queensland State League Clubs Queensland State Football League clubs Australian rules football clubs in Brisbane Aus 1956 establishments in Australia University Australian rules football clubs Australian rules football clubs established in 1956