AFL Wide Bay
| Formerly | Bundeberg Wide Bay AFL |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Founded | 1987 |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Country | Australia |
| Most titles | Hervey Bay Bombers (15) |
| Official website | Official AFL Wide Bay Website |
The AFL Wide Bay is an amateur Australian rules football competition that was formerly known as the Bundaberg-Wide Bay Australian Football League which was formed in 1987 through the merger of the Bundaberg Australian Football League and Wide Bay Australian Football Leagues. The competition currently features teams from the cities of Bundaberg, Maryborough and Hervey Bay. Teams from Gympie and Pomona, played in this competition up until 2006, before changing Leagues. The representative team is known as the Tigers wearing guernseys similar to those of the Richmond Tigers.
In 1984, Hervey Bay, Gympie, Cooloola Coast, Biggenden, Central Burnett, Burnett Heads, along with North, South and West Bundaberg played two Divisions of Senior AFL Football in the Bundaberg Australian Football League (BAFL) and it was widely accepted throughout the region as a fast developing sport. At season's end it was decided that the region would split into two Leagues with the introduction of the Wide Bay Australian Football League (WBAFL), which was a breakaway competition from the Bundaberg Australian Football league.
In 1985, the WBAFL played a five team competition which included teams from Hervey Bay (2), Cooloola Coast and Gympie (2), with Maryborough fielding junior grades. The BAFL played a four team competition which included the three main clubs, Wests, Norths, and Souths (2) with Burnett Heads fielding Reserves and juniors only.
In 1986, the WBAFL played a four team competition, but finished the season with just two clubs, Hervey Bay and Gympie, who fielded just one senior club each that year. Maryborough and Cooloola Coast folded. The BAFL had only three senior teams, Wests, Norths and Souths (with Souths fielding just one A Grade team that year only), and so with backing of the Queensland Australian Football League, the two Leagues merged.
In 1987, the Bundaberg Wide Bay Australian Football League was formed with the five remaining senior clubs, Hervey Bay, Gympie, Norths, Wests and Souths, and the addition of Burnett Heads for a few senior games, before being relegated to the Reserves after five rounds.
In 1988, Maryborough joined the competition to resume a six team competition.
Bundaberg Wide Bay AFL
AFL Bundaberg Wide Bay
AFL Wide Bay
In 2003, four out of the eight clubs that played in a Brisbane League Division Three, were from AFL Bundaberg Wide Bay. They were Hervey Bay Bombers, Maryborough Bears, Across The Waves Bundaberg, and Brothers Bulldogs from Bundaberg. Gympie Cats and Pomona Demons had also previously played in the Wide Bay League. It was a competition which lasted only one season before the above mentioned six clubs, with the addition of new club, Bay Power, resulted in a revamped seven club League reforming the AFL Bundaberg Wide Bay competition the following year.
Hervey Bay Bombers won the Division Three Flag in 2003 beating ATW Bundaberg Eagles, with Maryborough Bears finishing third. The other two clubs in the competition were Bribie Island Bulldogs and Glasshouse Lions.
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