Men's Football in Far North QLD

The Far North zone is situated on the Country of the Gimuy-walubarra yidi, Mamu, Djirru, Gulnay, Girramay, Bar Barrum, Gugu Badhun, Jirrbal, Ngadjon-Jii, Yidinji, Wurrungu, Kuku Yalangi, Awngthim, Malanbarra and Dulebed peoples.

The zone covers the cities and townships from Tully in the south through to Innisfail, west to Atherton, Malanda, Dimbulah and Mareeba, throughout Gimuy (Cairns) and north to Port Douglas and includes the remote township of Weipa.

Men started playing football in the late 1800s in Far North Queensland

Football appears to have made its way to every major immigrant population centre in Queensland. Cairns was no exception. The town – officially declared a city in 1923 – was undergoing a significant expansion project to compete with its northern neighbour Port Douglas. 

It’s likely the town’s football population were migrant workers who were familiar with the game’s development in Scotland and England.

Read a more in depth history of this region below. 

Explore Far North Queensland football throughout the decades: