Australian Football

Broadbeach

Founded in 1971, the Broadbeach Football Club was elevated to the newly constituted QAFL (then operating under the Queensland State Football League - QSFL- moniker) in 1997. The club struggled early but showed steady improvement throughout its  involvement at the state league level, and in 2004, under the coaching of Craig O’Brien, it won 14 of its 18 home and away matches and went on to reach the preliminary final before losing to Morningside.

In 2005, the Cats were one of eight inaugural members of Queensland football’s new first division set-up, and they once again reached the finals. As in 2004, it was the Morningside Panthers who brought their premiership ambitions to an end, winning a first semi final that was closely fought until early in the last term by 45 points. The 2005 season brought some welcome prestige to the Cats as former Southport ruckman David Round became the club’s first recipient of a Grogan Medal. In 2006 the Cats qualified for the finals but, in a near carbon copy of the 2004 season, had their premiership hopes wrecked by Morningside at the first semi final stage. A year later they narrowly failed to procure finals participation after winning 9 of their 19 home and away matches.

In 2011 the club was elevated to the new NEAFL (North East Australian Football League) and spent three seasons in that competition before returning to the QAFL in 2014. In 2017 they qualified for the finals and finished third while a year later they made it through to the premiership-deciding match against Palm Beach Currumbin. For two quarters the Cats gave as good as they got before the Lions upped the ante after the main break and went on to win with comparative comfort by 34 points. The 2019 season brought a marginal fall from grace as the Cats' quest for the flag was derailed at the preliminary final stage by Morningside. 

An abbreviated 2020 season followed which once again saw Broadbeach's campaign sabotaged by Morningside, this time on grand final day. Prior to the grand final the Cats had won all nine matches contested.