State Jumpers - Queensland (1884-1914)

QUEENSLAND INTERSTATE UNIFORMS
(1884-1914)

1884

1884 vs NSW

At least two players, including inaugural Queensland captain, Jack Gibson, wore the QFA jumper at left but the majority of the team wore the black and red uniforms of the Brisbane Football Club for this match. The uniforms were consistent but the Queensland players "donned every conceivable shape and colour of head-gear, from brown, white, and black 'wideawakes'* to yellow and green caps. This quite spoilt their appearance in the eyes of the spectators, and was very unfavourably commented upon." [Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 21-8-1884, p.5]

*Wideawakes were a type of wide-brimmed hat made famous by the Quakers. (see image at right)

1886

For the 1886 tour of New South Wales the entire QFA team wore the uniforms of the Brisbane Football Club.

1888

Melbourne toured Queensland in June 1888 and the Queensland representative team wore new white uniforms with red hoops for the occasion.

1904-1907

1904

1906-1907

1904 vs NSW / 1906-1907 vs NSW

The re-birth of Australian football in Queensland in 1903 resulted in the formation of the Queensland Football League (QFL) and the resumption of annual interstate matches against New South Wales.

1904 - the first Queensland sporting team to wear maroon jerseys were the colony's rugby union team of 1895. The QFL's representative team of 1904 were the first Australian football team to follow suit.
1905 - the Courier Mail is the first paper to refer to the QFL State team as the "maroons".
1906-07 - the navy blue knicks were replaced by white; forming the classic Queensland colour combination of maroon and white that is still worn today.

1908 NATIONAL CARNIVAL

Australian football's inaugural national carnival was held in Melbourne in August of 1908 and marked the 50th anniversary of the game's formation.
Many states unveiled new uniform designs for the occasion (Victoria wore a "V" for the first time, Tasmania wore bottle green jumpers for the first time, South Australia adopted new lace-up jackets, etc).

For Queensland, this was the first time the "Q" appeared on the state jumper and was the first use of knee-length shorts (replacing the traditional knickerbockers that had been in use since the 1800s).