Ipswich Cats AFC
Ipswich Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in the Ipswich suburb of West Ipswich. The club currently plays in the QFA Division 4, managed by the AFL Queensland. Apart from the Senior team, Ipswich has youth football divisions.
| Ipswich | ||
|---|---|---|
| Names | ||
| Full name | Ipswich Cats Australian Football Club | |
| Nickname(s) | Cats | |
| Club details | ||
| Founded | 1959 | |
| Colours | ||
| Competition | QFA Div 4 | |
| Ground(s) | Ivor Marsden Memorial Sports Centre | |
| Uniforms | ||
| ||
History
The club was established in 1959 by an Australian football enthusiast by the name of Noel Kimlin. Noel got his wife to sow on red numbers to 50 blue T-shirts for two teams to use. The club was given an oval in Ipswich but not allowed to cut down the trees in the middle. The club organised some matches with Kelvin Grove Teachers College and with a social group of ex-pat southerners at Palm Beach. The club played 1963 in the Gold Coast AFL.[1] The following year they joined the South Queensland AFA. 3 premierships in 30 years before the club fell on hard times. Lack of interest caused the club to go into recess in 1995.[2]
The remnants of the club help step up the Ipswich Eagles in 2001.
Ipswich became a growth corridor for Brisbane and the AFL were keen to develop the game in the area. The club was reformed as the Ipswich Central Junior AFC and concentrated on encouraging young children to learn the game. The club embanked on a total rebuild from the ground up, starting with under age sides before the list matured enough to form a senior side in 2017.
Premierships
- SQAFA Div 2
- 1979, 1991
- BFA Div 2
- 1993