The Quebec Rugby Football Union (QRFU) was a football league consisting of teams from

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

and formed in 1883. Eastern Ontario teams like Ottawa City and

Ottawa College The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

joined in 1894.

League formation and play

The QRFU was formed officially on January 16, 1883, 10 days after the

Ontario Rugby Football Union The Ontario Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was an early amateur Canadian football league comprising teams in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ORFU was founded on Saturday, January 6, 1883 and in 1903 became the first major competition to adopt th ...

. Teams from the QRFU would compete against member clubs of the ORFU for the Dominion Championship of the CRFU beginning the following season. The QRFU adopted the ORFU point-scoring system in 1884 with the formation of the Canadian Rugby Football Union. The

Montreal Foot Ball Club The Montreal Football Club was a Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec that played in the Quebec Rugby Football Union from 1883 to 1906 and in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union from 1907 to 1915. The club was a founding member ...

claimed the first ever CRFU Championship 30–0 over the Toronto Football Club. Teams of the QRFU played 15 men to a side, and did not adopt a down system until 1904, when it agreed that a team must make five yards on its third scrimmage to keep possession of the ball.

Scoring

The QRFU valued a goal from the field (field goal) as six points, a try (touchdown), goals from a try, penalties and free kicks as four points; two points for safety touches; and one point for kicks to the deadline, rouges and touch in goals.

Teams

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...

''(1883–1897)'' *

Montreal Football Club The Montreal Football Club was a Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec that played in the Quebec Rugby Football Union from 1883 to 1906 and in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union from 1907 to 1915. The club was a founding member of ...

''(1883–1906)'' *Britania Football Club ''(1882–1896, 1899–1903)'' *Quebec City ''(1883, 1893)'' * Bishop's College ''(1884–1885, 1889, 1891)'' *St. George's College ''(1887)'' *Victoria Football Club ''(1890)'' * Ottawa City Football Club ''(1894–1897, 1903–1906)'' (suspended during 1897 season for excessive rough play) *

''(1894–1904)'' * Kingston Granites ''(1898)'' *

Brockville Football Club The Brockville Football Club was a team that played in the QRFU at the turn of the 20th century. They had great success early on in their history. In 1899, they finished in first place in the QRFU but lost to Ottawa College in the Quebec finals. ...

''(1899–1902)'' *Westmount Football Club ''(1904–1906)'' *St. Patrick Saints ''(1905–1906)''

QRFU Champions

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1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Janua ...

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, - , 1884 , , Montreal Football Club , - ,

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 &n ...