The University of Queensland Australian Football Club (UQAFC) is an amateur Australian rules football club playing in the QFA Division 1 and Division 3 Brisbane North competitions, as well as the QAFLW, which are overseen by AFL Queensland. UQAFC home games are played at the University of Queensland's Playing Field 2, on the corner of Sir William MacGregor Drive and Thynne Road, St Lucia, Brisbane.
The UQAFC Men's Seniors team has won seven premierships, with their most successful period coming between 1959 and 1966, wherein they won six premierships in eight seasons in the second tier of the QANFL/QAFL, this included a "threepeat" in 1964, 1965 & 1966. They added to their premiership tally with an SQAFA Second Division flag in 1984, with their Reserves team also winning that season's flag. Their Reserves side has claimed eleven premierships, and enjoyed periods of sustained success in the 1980s and the new millennium.
The club has also fielded Thirds and Fourths teams in the 21st century. The Thirds were founded in 2006 and became UQAFC's designated Friday night side in 2015; winning their maiden premiership in 2024 after 19 seasons. The Fourths won three consecutive premierships in their six years of existence between 2009 and 2014. UQAFC's women's side was established in 2013 and competed in the SEQAFLW before moving to the newly established QWAFL the following year. The Red Lionesses won back-to-back senior premierships in 2021 and 2022.
They are also the proud home of Sir Ashley Pidgeon OAM. The man who shaped the modern AFL and is the quoted favourite player of Gary Ablett Jnr, Chris Judd and Irving Mosquito.
History Formation and early years Founded in 1956, the club began its existence playing in the QANFL "Second 18" competition. 2006-2014: Growth and reserve grade dominance Formation of Thirds and Fourths sides In 2006 a large increase in player numbers resulted in the formation of a men's Thirds side. The Thirds team, which also included players from the Griffith University Gladiators, played in the reserves competition of Division 2 of the newly formed SEQAFL competition. 2009 represented another year of growth for the club, with unprecedented player numbers allowing the creation of a men's Fourths side for the first time, which persisted for six seasons. Reserve side success The 9 seasons from 2006 to 2014 represented a highly successful period for UQAFC's men's reserve sides, with the Seconds and Fourths securing 7 flags for the club, including a "threepeat" by the Fourths team in 2012, 2013 and 2014. 2011-2012: Seniors make consecutive grand finals In 2011 and 2012 the men's Seniors side had their best chance in decades at ending their flag drought. They dominated the competition in both years, finishing as minor premiers with 15–2 and 14–2 win-loss records respectively. However, they could not convert this dominance into premiership glory, as they were defeated both times in the grand final at the hands of Coorparoo.
After these two grand final defeats, the Senior side's performance declined sharply in the next few years. Following the AFLQ's decision to re-structure their South East Queensland competitions for 2014, the Red Lions Senior side joined the newly re-formed QAFL. UQAFC's new women's side also moved from the SEQAFLW to the QAFLW.
2015-2020: Rebuilding This period saw both the men's Seniors and Reserves struggle, finishing between 7th and 10th most years, and finals seemed a distant reality. The Thirds made the QAFA (B) Central Grand Final in 2016, but lost to Zillmere by 33 points. After that, they too fell down the ladder for an extended period. The women's Senior side made it to two preliminary finals, but neither they nor their reserves managed to reach a grand final.
In 2015, UQAFC's Fourths side was disbanded and their Thirds side became a standalone Friday night side. After further restructuring of the AFLQ competition structure in 2017, the Red Lions men's Senior team left the QAFL and joined the new QFA Division 1 competition. The Thirds also moved from the QAFA to the new QFA Div 4 competition.
2020s: Return to finals & maiden premierships The 2020s saw a return to competitiveness for all UQAFC sides, with both the men's seniors and reserves returning to finals for the first time in a decade.
Women's Seniors go back-to-back The women's senior team dominated the competition in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, with coach Ross Clayfield delivering the side's first taste of premiership success with back-to-back QAFLW flags. In 2021 they faced Bond University in the premiership decider. The Bull Sharks jumped out of the blocks and led at half-time, but the Red Lionesses rallied in the second half for a dominant 40-point win. In 2022 they faced Southport, and found themselves a goal down at the final change; but Ava Seton kicked truly in the dying minutes to send the game to extra time. Just moments into extra time, Megan Hunt's clearing kick to the goal square was brought to ground by Jess Stellard, who beat her defender and kicked the winning goal. The Red Lionesses held on for the next few minutes to win by 7 points in an all-time QAFLW classic.
Consecutive prelims for Men's Seniors After winning the wooden spoon in 2023, the men's Seniors surged up the ladder and pushed deep into finals. They lost consecutive preliminary finals in 2024 and 2025, falling short of reaching the premiership decider both times, denying them a chance to end their 41-year flag drought.
In 2026 however, the Seniors were able to get over the hump and defeat Springwood at BAM to make the big dance and a shot at ending a 42-year flag drought. Unfortunately, they weren't able to prevent a rampaging Mayne at Hickey Park on their way to a three-peat, forcing the Red Lions to wait at least another year.
Thirds win maiden premiership The Red Lions Thirds side also returned to finals after a number of years in the wilderness, and in 2023 qualified for the second grand final in their history with a thrilling 3-point preliminary final victory over bitter rivals Ferny Grove, that was decided by a kick after the siren. The following week they faced Caloundra in the grand final, but lost by 14 points in a low-scoring affair in which Caloundra dominated the play.
The following season saw outgoing coach Peter Rosengren be replaced by assistant coach Brett Hayes. In his first season, they finished minor premiers and played Glasshouse Hinterland in the 2024 Div 4 North Grand Final. The game was a tense and low-scoring affair, and despite wasteful goalkicking and a late surge from the opposition, the Red Lions held on to win by 7 points, securing the side's maiden premiership in a thrilling finish.
Men's Reserves make grand final After three consecutive preliminary final appearances, the Reserves side was finally victorious, earning the right to play in the 2025 Div 1 Reserves Grand Final. They faced Springwood and battled hard to keep scores level at half time, but kicked just 2 goals to 11 in the second half and lost by 55 points.
Men's Reserves win 2026 Premiership
After a highly successful season which finished with a 15-1 record with over 300%, the Qualifying final against Caloundra went down to the wire with the Red Lions even trailing by more than a goal halfway through the last quarter before a comeback win saw the Reserves GF appearance confirmed. In the Grand Final against Mayne, UQ struggled early on going into the halftime break trailing by 10 points before a 20-point turnaround in a low scoring game in the third delivered a 10-point lead and the promise of a massive finish to end the third term. Mayne started with a quick goal before a costly 50 metre penalty and big Connor Wadsworth goal delivered the Lions an 11-point lead with just 10 minutes remaining. Despite a late scare through a Mayne goal and shot at goal that just went over the post, the Red Lions were able to hold on for a massive win by just 4 points. +UniversityMayneQ11.1.72.4.16Q22.2.143.6.24Q36.5.414.7.31Q47.6.486.8.44BestsS.Walsh, S.Hele, F.Boorer, C.Wadsworth, M.Lowe, R.DaniskeviciusC.Burger, J.Geurts, C.Antonio, P.Glass, O.Reeves, B.TanglaoGoalsD.Milne (3), A.Andreyev (2), C.Horrocks, C.WadsworthB.Wilkinson (2), D.Evans, C.Massingham, C.Pett, O.ReevesAwardsB.O.G - S.WalshCompetition Leading Goalkicker - J.Stephens (43) (UQ)
Club identity Nickname The club adopted its Red Lions nickname from the Red Lion Tavern in the Northern New South Wales town of Glencoe. The pub was frequented by club members before and after their annual pre-season match against the University of New England in Armidale. Song "Drunk Last Night!" is the team song of the University of Queensland Australian Football Club. The club uses a version of the lyrics commonly sung by university teams. The lyrics are as follows:
Drunk last night, drunk the night before We're gonna get drunk tonight, like we've never been drunk before 'Cause here we are, happy as can be We are the boys of the varsity Glorious, victorious, one keg of beer between the four of us Thank God there are no more of us Cause one of us could drink the bloody lot, without his pants on One of us could drink the bloody lot, roll over Mabel Your navel's on the other side Goosh goosh goosh!''
Rivalries Coorparoo Early history As two large inner-Brisbane clubs, separated by just 4 km, UQ and Coorparoo have been intense local rivals since the club's early days. Within the first 8 years of UQAFC's establishment, the two clubs had already met in the 1961 and 1964 grand finals of the QANFL's second-tier competition, with the Red Lions emerging victors by 87 and 63 points respectively. With the establishment of the SQAFA in 1970, UQ moved to the new competition, with Coorparoo staying in the QAFL, leading to an extended hiatus in regular fixtures between the clubs.
Suffering under significant financial strain in 1993, the Roo's left the QAFL and joined the Red Lions in the Brisbane Australian Football League (BAFL) for the 1994 and 1995 seasons, before the club folded in 1996. The establishment of a new Coorparoo club in 1999 ensured that the clubs would continue to face each other on a regular basis in the new millennium. Recent finals The Kings defeated the Red Lions in consecutive grand finals in 2011 and 2012 and denied the men's Seniors from ending their lengthy premiership drought. Both results were considered significant upsets, as the Red Lions had dominated both seasons and finished minor premiers. The two clubs would meet again in the 2024 preliminary final of the QFA Division 1 Seniors competition, with Coorparoo winning by 26 points. UQAFC's women's senior side faced Coorparoo in the 2018 QWAFL Seniors preliminary final, with Coorparoo winning by 16 points.
The Red Lions Thirds side has also faced Coorparoo's Thirds and Fourths sides in a number of seasons in the 2010s and 2020s. The Kings emerged 25-point elimination final victors over the Friday night Red Lions team in the 2021 QFA Div 4 season. The Coorparoo Fourths would also thwart the UQAFC Thirds team's attempt to win back-to-back premierships. The Red Lions travelled to Giffin Park for their final match of the 2025 QFA Division 3 Brisbane North home-and-away season, needing a victory to secure a place in the finals; unless Aspley was able to defeat Mayne in the same round. Despite their status as significant underdogs, Coorparoo rose to the occasion, and they led the score for virtually the entire match, with UQ kicking a wasteful 3.10 despite dominating much of the play. A goal from Darcy Stevens in the dying seconds of the match was able to salvage a draw for the visitors, but the result was of no help to the Red Lions, and they missed finals as a result, ending their season.
These matches in recent years have greatly contributed to a renewed rivalry with the spiritual successors of the original Coorparoo club. Since 2011, Coorparoo has a 5-0 record against UQ in finals.