Brisbane Football Club (1866–1887)

[1] It is also the first recorded club to have played multiple football codes in Queensland, including soccer (1867–1875) and rugby (1876–1879).

Following experimentation with other football codes, it re-committed to Australian rules (with occasional rugby matches) from 1879 after which it dominated in the sport.

Due in part to its lack of playing depth this tipped dominance in favour of Ipswich and the club was regularly defeated by large margins.

The Invincible tagline was widely mocked during its final years and its Victorian rules side was known simply as The Reds.

The uniform chosen was a scarlet shirt, with a distinguishing color for the captain ... A resolution was passed authorising the printing of the rules, as well as the laws of football passed at a meeting of delegates of clubs held in Melbourne on the 8th ult., which latter, it was decided, should be the laws recognised by the Brisbane Club.

"[5] Original club members included: S. Hart, W. G. Macnish, W. H. Ryder, Charles Edward Wallen, G. Cowlishaw, and Tom Board.

The timing of the Melbourne committee's redrafting of the laws was coincidentally drafted on 8th May[7] which gave significant impetus for clubs across Australia to follow suit.

[10] Watterson was a member of Brisbane's Victorian Cricket Club (formed 1863 and consisting of ex-Victorian players).

The club had its first game on Saturday 9 June 1866, as reported in the Brisbane Courier a week later: The club also played matches on the 'cricket ground', located in the area then known as 'Green Hills' (beside Countess Street Petrie Terrace opposite the Victoria Barracks – now occupied by the Northern Busway),[17] where cricket matches were also played since at least the early 1860s.

[18] The Brisbane Courier reported in July 1866: The club initially played intra-club matches, with teams selected arbitrarily.

[21] A newspaper report listed the players for a 'Civil Service' team (Messrs. Boyce, French, J. Bourne, Scarr, Perse, Hill, T. B. Watterston, Mills, Coley, Stewart, Bunton, Gill, Burrowes, Ryder, King, Pugh, Darvall, Costello, Pounden, Somerset, Bourne, Kellett, and Miles) to play the 'All Comers' team (Messrs. Munce, Cowlishaw, Garbut, Horsley, Sheridan, Board, Faunce, Highfield, Watterston, Sheehan, Hart, Tregurtha, Zillman, G. Smith, E. Webb, H. Webb, Fowles, Kelly, Macquarie, Cotham, Millar, Miskin, and Everest).

[22] The Brisbane Courier further reported in late 1866: "ON the football ground [Queen's Park], on Saturday afternoon, there was no match; but two sides were chosen, and a very lively game was played ...Five goals were kicked ...

The football season will end in a few weeks and the committee of the club contemplate getting up some athletic sports as an appropriate finale.

[24] By early 1868, it appears the club was struggling somewhat – at its second annual meeting, Chairman Watterston reported that "Your committee ... though not able, in speaking of the operations of the past season, to refer to them as a perfect success ... can yet congratulate the members upon the satisfactory manner in which the game was carried on during the greater part of the season ...

"[25] However, it appears the 1868 season was more successful – at the annual general meeting held at Lenneberg's Café, Queen Street, on 28 May 1869, chairman Watterston reported "Your committee ... feel that they have cause to congratulate the members on the continued interest manifested in the game during the past season, as will be seen from the large attendance at all the practices ... Three first-class matches have, however, been played – two with the Police ... and the other by the club, and one with the 50th Regiment (Queen's Own), in which the club proved victorious.

Boyd Dunlop Morehead was elected president for 1886, at the time he was also serving as leader of the opposition in Queensland Legislative Assembly.

This preference ultimately led to its demise as a club due to effect on its reputation of damaging losses in both codes.

[45] Ipswich media again challenged the Reds' claim to the invincible title, however also questioned their players switching to play with other clubs.