Sport is an important part of the culture of the Australian state of Queensland. Many different sports are played in Queensland, whether recreationally, competitively, or professionally.
Australian Football has a long history in Queensland. The first foray made by the then VFL came in the form of the Brisbane Bears, who began playing Premiership matches in 1987. Despite some rocky times in the northern state, the game now appears to be entrenched within the Queensland, thanks to a hat-trick of AFLPremiership wins from 2001 to 2003. The introduction of the Gold Coast Suns in 2011 highlights the game's growth in Queensland.
Basketball
Basketball is a popular sport in Queensland, and offers an alternative to outdoor sport during rainy weather. Since the National Basketball League's inception in 1979, at least one team has been based in Queensland. Queensland has two current NBL teams:
Rugby league is the most spectated sport in Queensland.[1]Queensland Rugby League has been in operation since 1908, creating strong roots in both city and regional communities. There are currently four teams in the National Rugby League competition, two of which have been part of the NRL since its inauguration in 1998:
The other major rugby league team is the Queensland Maroons who play New South Wales Blues in the fiercely contested three game State of Origin competition. The Maroons have recently won their third straight Origin series, as well as their eleventh from the past twelve.
The other major state based competition is the Queensland Cup.
Rugby Union is a major sport in Queensland with more than 55,000 registered players in 210 clubs and 235 schools across the state.[2] The first games were played in 1876, and Queensland has been represented by the Queensland Reds since 1882, who currently compete in the Super Rugby competition.
The annual estimate for Adults 15+ participating in soccer was 1,086,094 (or 5.4% of the Adult 15+ population)[4] and in children, 30% play the sport, second only to swimming[5] in terms of participation.
Over 300,000 people are registered to play soccer with 308 clubs organised by Football Queensland. In 2023, the participation breakdown was 69.8% male and 30.2% female meaning more than 100,00 females play the sport[6]
Soccer was first organised in the State in 1867 and today is represented professionally by Brisbane Roar in the men and women's A League, and semi-professionally there are 12 clubs in the Queensland National Premier League, and a further 50 or so clubs in the Queensland Premier League (QPL).
All 308 clubs are entitled to enter Australia's largest knock out competition, The Australia Cup, organised by Football Australia.
Swimming is also a popular sport in Queensland, with a majority of Australian team members and international medalists hailing from the state. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Queensland swimmers won all six of Australia's gold medals, all swimmers on Australia's three female (finals) relays teams were from Queensland, two of which won gold.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2005 and 2007 World Long Course Swimming Championships, Australia won both the 4×100m freestyle and medley relays. In five of these teams, three out of the four swimmers were from Queensland, and in the medley relay in 2007, all were from Queensland.
Triathlon
Triathlon has been a popular sport in Queensland since the early 1980s with the state three times hosting the ITU World Championships [7] in addition to: the Noosa Triathlon - the world's largest triathlon (also the country's longest-lasting event at the same venue), Mooloolaba Triathlon, Hervey Bay Triathlon and the Gold Coast Triathlon to name but a few.
↑ jurisdiction=Queensland; sector=government; corporateName=Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport (20 January 2021). "Queensland Sport, Exercise and Recreation Survey". Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport. Retrieved 15 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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