Page 10 - AFL Queensland 2014 in Review

Our fans, now more than ever, are incredibly important to our game.
From our fans who participate in any one of our programs to our fans who cheer from the stands at the Gabba or Metricon Stadium; and our fans who love their footy in the paper, on an app, on the TV and work tirelessly to deliver our game – thank you for another great year!
Participation throughout the state has increased 14.2% on 2013 – the third year in a row that we’ve seen double digit growth in Queensland.
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Our female participation numbers lead the country with over 51,000 women and girls playing Australia’s game. This growth has been supported by our #GIRLSPLAYTOO awareness campaign which rolled out during the Under-17 Youth Girls State Championships at Yeronga. #GirlsPlayToo is all about positioning AFL as a positive sporting option for girls aged 10 to 15.
Our on-field apparel at community level now bears the new Q-Shield branding, which was introduced to promote the existence of AFL across all regions in Queensland and demonstrate the talent pathway from community competitions and regional talent programs through to Queensland state teams.
Under 14 and Under 16 regional representative designs took on a fresh new look and we brought back the Q for all state team guernseys – an aspiration for our players to don the Q once again.
We took our game to all corners of the state:
• More than 6,400 fans attended Townsville’s NAB Challenge match between the Gold Coast SUNS and the Brisbane Lions
• The Western Bulldogs made their Cairns debut, playing the Gold Coast SUNS at Cazaly’s Stadium before a crowd of 9,743
• AFL Queensland, the Gold Coast SUNS and Brisbane Lions delivered AFL Community Camps in Wide Bay (Hervey Bay and Bundaberg), Springfield, Logan and Beenleigh
• 4,500 fans saw the Sydney Swans Reserves withstand a late surge from the Brisbane Lions to win by one point in the second Mackay ANZAC Day NEAFL Clash
• The Gold Coast hosted the NAB AFL Draft for the third successive year with a week long program of events