Early football matches in Cairns An article in the Cairns Post on 3 September 1885 on page 3 titled "Football Match" describes a game of football played at the then cricket grounds, believed to have been in the precinct around Munro Martin Park and the Civic Theatre. This game was between Cairns, led by Jack MacNamara (believed to have been a representative of Victoria at first intercolonial match) and Townsville, led by F Rendall. References are made of "Little Marks" and the final score after 2 hours was Cairns, 1 goal 7 behinds to Townsville, 1 goal 3 behinds. The Cairns umpire was AJ Draper. In its first match combined Cairns-
Gordonvale team defeated a team from
Tully 9 goals 9 to 5 goals 10. However the competition was shortlived. During World War II, calls were put out for the organisation of local matches and at least one such match was played in Gordonvale on 19 March 1942. A Cairns Charity league was set up that year featuring four service teams based in Cairns - RAAF, two Army teams and a navy team. The services league lasted just one season. In 1944, a one-off match was organised between the Triangles and Locals.
Cairns Australian Football League The modern league as we now know it formed in 1955 as the Cairns Australian Football League and a local schoolboy competition was also formed resulting in a junior representative trip to Townsville by plane. In 1957 the ANFC, through
Bruce Andrew, purchased land in Cairns for the first dedicated field in regional Queensland which became
Cazalys Stadium. The initial Senior competition had only two teams, Norths and Souths. This has since expanded to seven teams. Around 2000, the league affiliated with the
Australian Football League and was re-branded AFL Cairns. The league has grown rapidly in recent years with the ongoing development of Cazalys Stadium, the success of the Queensland-based
Brisbane Lions, and with Cairns hosting exhibition
Australian Football League matches and later matches for premiership points. The league introduced a
Women's Footy competition in 2002.
2004 grand final In the
2004 Grand Final between North Cairns and
Port Douglas, a brawl began moments after the conclusion of the
national anthem before the start of the match. Further fighting occurred on the field and in the crowd during the match. North Cairns, who were seen as underdogs going into the match, won the match by 48 points, giving the club their first premiership since 1988. However the premiership was stripped following a lengthy investigation, with no premiers awarded for the 2004 season. The grand final gained national media attention, and is considered one of the ugliest moments in the history of Australian rules football.
Manunda Hawks' Omission from the 2015 season In 2014, the Manunda Hawks forfeited an away game against
Port Douglas due to the concern for the safety of a player that was threatened via social media. The league reacted by suspending the club for the 2015 season. ==Clubs==