Brisbane Football Club (1866–1887)

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to Toowoomba to play against the new football club there. Again, they suffered a humiliating defeat 1 goals 7 against Ipswich 5 goals 8. Ipswich media again challenged the Reds' claim to the invincible title, however also questioned their players switching to play with other clubs. The Reds defeated Excelsiors 4 goals 19 to 2 goals 2. In June they were again thrashed by Ipswich 4 goals 11 to 6 behinds in front of a crowd of 650 at North Ipswich. Reds captain Greenwood represented Queensland against New South Wales in Sydney. Against Ipswich in July the club registered another loss 13 behinds to 10.

482: 198:. It had an intense rivalry with the Ipswich Football Club. In 1885, the club's junior feeder school Brisbane Grammar switched to rugby and as a result, from 1886 Brisbane FC began to uphold a strong preference for that code, fielding its best players in its rugby side and playing only its seconds in the QFA. Due in part to its lack of playing depth this tipped dominance in favour of Ipswich and the club was regularly defeated by large margins. The Invincible tagline was widely mocked during its final years and its Victorian rules side was known simply as 675: 522: 494:

satisfactory manner in which the game was carried on during the greater part of the season ... The number of paying members on the list at the beginning of last season was 68, and 15 new members joined the club in 1867. The total number, however, was reduced by 31 who resigned or left the city, and by 7 who were struck off in consequence of their subscriptions being unpaid. The total number of paid members to begin the present season with is 45."

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On 15 May 1887, the "Invincibles" suffered a humiliating defeat 5 to 1 at the hands of Ipswich, observers noted that their entire senior team was missing from the roster, they had played their seconds team. However they atoned against Rovers in May 6 goals 10 to a solitary behind. They then travelled

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of 15 March 1887, Brisbane FC it was reported it competed in the "Combined Football Sports" against Rovers, Excelsiors, Fireflies, Wallaroos, South Brisbanes, Wanderers, Ipswich, Sandgate and Wasps (Fireflies and Wanderers clubs were foundation members of the Northern Rugby Union in 1884). Curiously,

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further reported in late 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

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reported that "A meeting of gentlemen favorable to the formation of a Football Club in Brisbane was held on Tuesday, at Braysher's Metropolitan Hotel ... a committee was appointed to prepare a code of rules ... The prospects of the club must be certainly very encouraging to the promoters, as already

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From this time Brisbane FC once again asserted its preference for rugby seeking to make a statement to the league it chose to field its best players in its rugby side and the rest in Victorian Association matches. This preference ultimately led to its demise as a club due to effect on its reputation

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THE members of the Brisbane Football Club had a turn out on Saturday afternoon, and played several games. The place of meeting was the cricket ground. Though the muster was not large, the play was conducted in a spirited manner; and there were many good struggles before a goal was kicked. The ground

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A newspaper report listed the players for a 'Civil Service' team (Messrs. Boyce, French, J. Bourne, Scarr, Perse, Hill, T. B. Watterston, Mills, Coley, Stewart, Bunton, Gill, Burrowes, Ryder, King, Pugh, Darvall, Costello, Pounden, Somerset, Bourne, Kellett, and Miles) to play the 'All Comers' team

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was not formally codified until 1871). Several factors may have influenced the decision to adopt the Melbourne rules but it is significant that several of founding committee members were either Victorians, Victorian footballers and/or cricketers and some were involved in the early years of the code

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It is not recorded why the club chose to adopt the contemporary Melbourne, rather than the Sydney, version of football. However Victorian football was far more popular and widespread than Sydney's of the time. There was regular competition with more than 14 clubs across Victoria and several schools

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side, who defeated NSW for the first time in Sydney. "The success of this team undoubtedly won the day for rugby game in Queensland. The Victorian game supporters were struggling hard to uphold the premier position they had gained but after the brilliant performance of the 1886 team, who lost only

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It is not recorded, but the demise of the club may have been the result the rapidly increasing popularity of rugby, with some Brisbane FC players possibly electing to join the newly formed rugby clubs, Fireflies and Wanderers (followed by the creation of four more rugby clubs by 1885–86). As rugby

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Prior to the end of the 1887 season, Brisbane FC fielded a much depleted side in August losing against Excelsiors 3 goals 13 to 2 goals 7, Brisbane FC did not take part in the last round of QFA matches, however L. H. Nathan acted as an impartial umpire. This is the last mention of the club playing

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in 1865. Watterson was a member of Brisbane's Victorian Cricket Club (formed 1863 and consisting of ex-Victorian players). The Victorian Club had on 26 May proposed that cricket ground make way off-season for football. Board, Ryder, Cowlishaw and Macnish were also all playing members of Victorians

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At a subsequent meeting on 31 May "About 20 members were present; and the first business transacted was the election of twelve new members ... The annual subscription was fixed at 5s ... The uniform chosen was a scarlet shirt, with a distinguishing color for the captain ... A resolution was passed

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However, in 1882, a Brisbane FC representative (Pring Roberts) arranged a rugby match against the Sydney Wallaroos Rugby Club, after the NSWRU (rugby union) offered to pay all costs associated with the match. Brisbane advocates of the Victorian rules game reacted angrily and declared that no QFA

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However, it appears the 1868 season was more successful – at the annual general meeting held at Lenneberg's Café, Queen Street, on 28 May 1869, chairman Watterston reported "Your committee ... feel that they have cause to congratulate the members on the continued interest manifested in the game

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By early 1868, it appears the club was struggling somewhat – at its second annual meeting, Chairman Watterston reported that "Your committee ... though not able, in speaking of the operations of the past season, to refer to them as a perfect success ... can yet congratulate the members upon the

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during the past season, as will be seen from the large attendance at all the practices ... Three first-class matches have, however, been played – two with the Police ... and the other by the club, and one with the 50th Regiment (Queen's Own), in which the club proved victorious."

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Reputational damage due to its defections to rugby on its identity and damaging losses in both codes ultimately led to its demise in 1887. The club was to last around only 20 years, and its allegiance to rugby signalled the end of Australian rules popularity in Queensland.

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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)." This is the earliest known game of 'soccer' played in the Brisbane region (and possibly in Australia).

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It was also noted that "Your committee have still to regret the absence of a rival club ... Perhaps, considering the number of names on the books last year, the formation of a second club would rather retard than advance the game in Brisbane just now."

707:, reminded members that, according to their constitution, the club should only play Victorian rules and urged them to decide whether to adhere to this rule or introduce the rugby rules. The club ultimately decided to follow the Australian game. 621:

of 10 May 1876 reported: "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.

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Following experimentation with other football codes, it re-committed to Australian rules (with occasional rugby matches) from 1879 after which it dominated in the sport. Playing in red and black hoops, in 1883 it earned the title the

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The club initially played intra-club matches, with teams selected arbitrarily. A second club was proposed, and shortly later Civil Service appeared, formed possibly after 19 July to facilitate scratch matches between the two clubs.

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authorising the printing of the rules, as well as the laws of football passed at a meeting of delegates of clubs held in Melbourne on the 8th ult., which latter, it was decided, should be the laws recognised by the Brisbane Club."

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In 1867, the club was already experimenting with multiple codes, including, by all appearances matches in the 11 man British Association rules against the Volunteer Artillery club which included players from around the world.

1165:, if correctly dated, is more likely a photograph of a Brisbane 'Melbourne rules' team and possibly the Rangers FC, rather than Brisbane FC, which played in scarlet, as noted above (Melbourne rules was played with a near- 464:(Messrs. Munce, Cowlishaw, Garbut, Horsley, Sheridan, Board, Faunce, Highfield, Watterston, Sheehan, Hart, Tregurtha, Zillman, G. Smith, E. Webb, H. Webb, Fowles, Kelly, Macquarie, Cotham, Millar, Miskin, and Everest). 655: 633:

Both Bonnet Rouge and Rangers clubs folded at the end of the 1877 season. However, the Excelsior club was formed in 1877 and the Wallaroos in 1880, with both clubs apparently playing according to 'Victorian rules'.

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was slippery in many places, and, as a matter of course, several "spills" occurred. There will be a practice at the Queen's Park this afternoon, the cricket ground being rather too far from the centre of the city.

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in 1849 (a mere 25 years after the arrival of the first white settlers in the Brisbane region, at which time the population was around 2000 people, many of whom were former convicts and poor Irish immigrants):

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was elected president for 1886, at the time he was also serving as leader of the opposition in Queensland Legislative Assembly. A newspaper report in late 1886 describes Brisbane FC as "the premier club".

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over the Victorian rules for convenience playing against majority of its local opposition clubs. The three clubs commenced playing according to rugby union rules, but modified by local customary rules.

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matches and contemporary sources note that they had played their last match, so it would have been well known in football circles that the club intended to fold for the 1888 season.

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Football Club had formed and became the only other organised club in the region and hence the Brisbane club's only competition. Brisbane won the first three games of that season.

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one match through their tour, the rugby game became very popular and the next season several new clubs were formed and the Victorian game began to wane" (QRU Annual, 1902).

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summed up the state of play in the colony as "Rugby, an unbounded success; Melbourne rules very sick indeed, in fact on their last legs; British Association Rules

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founder of the club took up Australian football during its boom in Melbourne and was instrumental in promoting the code in Queensland before his return in 1869.

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It had joined along with Wallaroo, Excelsiors and Athenians (Ipswich). The new association decided to recognise and play both Victorian and rugby rules.

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Club. Significantly, on 1 June 1866, the Brisbane Courier published the Melbourne Football Club rules as the official rules for the Queensland colony.

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By 1871 the club was acting as the governing body for the code in the colony, convening a committee of clubs to govern the rules of the game locally.

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became president of the club in 1870. He would continue his presidency until returning to Ireland in 1885, a couple of years before the club folded.

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Between 1870 and 1877 it also served as the governing body for football in the colony. Even after it deferred the laws of the game to the

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In 1883 the club changed its colours, playing in red and black hoops, and immediately dominated the competition, earning the title the

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at that time). Alternatively, given the number of players in the photograph, it may be an association football team from a later date.

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At a meeting of the clubs on 30 April 1880 for the purpose of forming the Queensland Football Association (QFA) to affiliate with the

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was schooled in Melbourne after arriving in Australia from Scotland in 1853 before moving to Ipswich in 1860 working as editor of the

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player would be permitted to play under rugby rules (which subsequently led to the formation of the Northern Rugby Union (now the

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all comers to a Game of Foot Ball – preliminaries to be settled at the Commercial Inn, Kangaroo Point, on the evening of the 24th.

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The club also played matches on the 'cricket ground', located in the area then known as 'Green Hills' (beside Countess Street

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of 14 August 1875 reported that on Saturday 7 August 1875, Brisbane FC played a game against the inmates and warders of the

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Since this time, several Australian Football clubs have borne the Brisbane name, including "Brisbanes" in the 1920s, the

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in 1858. Tom Board and George Clencross-Smith were also both teammates of Wills at Geelong Football Club. Founding chair

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Brisbane FC sent a letter to the Victorian Association Melbourne announcing the club's intention to formally adopt the

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was coincidentally drafted on 8th May which gave significant impetus for clubs across Australia to follow suit.

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in 1877 the club continued to have a strong influence on both Australian rules and rugby until the newly formed

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shall not pass over without a little fun, in addition to the usual English Sports, the Lads of Kangaroo Point

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Given the inchoate nature of the various types of football at that time, they may have been playing simple

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more than twenty gentlemen have joined, and a large number of others have signified their wish to do so."

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on Saturday afternoon, and played a scratch match. This was the first general turn out of the new club.

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teams in the Brisbane area between 1868 and 1869, including Volunteer Artillery, the newly formed

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Brisbane FC ca 1879. In this year the club reverted from rugby union rules to Australian rules

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Original club members included: S. Hart, W. G. Macnish, W. H. Ryder, Charles Edward Wallen,

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One of the members of Brisbane's rules committee, Charles Edward Wallen, was schooled at

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Front page advertisement for Football Club meeting from the Brisbane Courier 21 May 1866

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More of the Kangaroo: 150 Years of Australian Football in Queensland - 1866 to 2016

1133:. However, these clubs are not connected with the original Brisbane Football Club. 364: 286: 2628: 2577:. Vol. XXXIII, no. 3, 753. Queensland, Australia. 29 May 1879. p. 2 2381:. Vol. XLIV, no. 9, 225. Queensland, Australia. 9 August 1887. p. 6 2353:. Vol. XLIV, no. 9, 224. Queensland, Australia. 8 August 1887. p. 6 2052: 615:

In 1876, two new Brisbane clubs (Rangers FC and Bonnet Rouge FC) were formed. The

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About thirty members of the Brisbane Foot-ball Club mustered in the Queen's Park

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reported that the Brisbane FC had reverted to what had become known as the '

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in the region was invited (unless 'Rovers' refers to the Bundamba Rovers).

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At the Brisbane club's annual general meeting in 1882, the club secretary,

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The club had its first game on Saturday 9 June 1866, as reported in the

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The Brisbane Football Club was formed at a meeting on 22 May 1866: the

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in 1880 officially conferred governance to the Victorian Association.

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The defining moment in the code battle came with the 1886 Queensland

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The club played at least one game of what was then referred to as "

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between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar in 1858 umpired by

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playing it, whereas Sydney had just one club playing under

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was the club's final president serving from 1886 to 1887

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