About Us
Learn a little more about our history…
The history of Surfers Paradise AFC
1962 to 1983
The league’s official inaugural season commenced in 1962 when our home ground was situated in Beach Road, it was then relocated to Via Roma on the Isle of Capri in 1966 . The senior team won their first Premiership in 1963, consecutive premierships followed in 1967,1968 & 1969. More premierships followed in 1972 and 1974.
Juniors
The Demons Juniors were formed in 1962 as one of six foundation members of the Gold Coast Juniors Football League. In 1964 the Under 16’s won the premiership.
The Under 18’s won eight consecutive premierships from 1965 to 1972.
Premierships
Gold Coast Australian Football League
1963, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1984, 1990, 1992
AFLQ Gold Coast Division:
1998
Queensland Australian Football League:
2019
Womens
2002, 2004, 2021
SEQ Juniors
1964 U16’s, 1965 U18’s, 1966 U18’s, 1967 U18’s, 1968 U18’s, 1969 U18’s, 1970 U18’s, 1971 U18’s, 1972 U18’s, 2022 U13 Girls Div 2, 2023 U13 Boys Div2
1983 to 1992
In 1983, the club moved to the Sir Bruce Small Park where they met Coolangatta in a losing Grand Final. They bounced back to win the 1984 premiership but lost in 1985 by five points.
1992 to 1996
Max McMahon was appointed senior coach in 1992 and he secured a Premiership in his first year. It was followed by a five-point loss in the 1993 Grand Final. The 1992 forward line that included Andrew Gibson a former Williamstown star forward, Gibson kicked 525 goals for the club in 78 senior games, an average of 6.5 goals per game. Half Forward Barry Oates starred in the 1992 finals series kicking 17 goals including 8 goals in the Preliminary Final against Burleigh Heads. Oates also went on to win the league’s Most Valuable Player award voted by the League’s coaches. Centre an Rod Brewster capped off a great season with selection into the Queensland state side. Ruckman Paul Hams won the club Best & Fairest Award with Oates runner up. During 1996, the then Captain/Coach David Cameron kicked twenty-five goals in a game.
1996 to 2000
In 2000, The Gold Coast division was wound up and clubs played in an enlarged AFL South Queensland competition, after two seasons in which the club fell on hard times and the club was restructured to become The Surfers Paradise Australian Football Club Inc. It was relegated to Division two.
State-based Womens’ leagues emerged between the 1980s and 2000s. Women’s football was professionalised in the 2010s with the establishment of a national league, AFL Women’s, that commenced its inaugural season in 2017
2000 - 2005
In 2005, QLD Australian Football was restructured into two divisions. Surfers Paradise was promoted back into the Pineapple Hotel Cup competition. Another restructure in 2012 saw the AFL Pineapple Hotel Cup become SEQAFL Division 1 Pineapple Hotel Cup
Demons AFL Legends
Our Junior and Senior clubs have delivered fourteen players to the AFL:
Steven McLuckie Brisbane Bears/Lions
Darren Carlson Brisbane Bears/Lions
Matthew Kennedy Brisbane Bears/Lions
Marcus Ashcroft Brisbane Bears/Lions
Clark Keating Brisbane Lions
Daniel Merrett Brisbane Lions
Trent Knobel Brisbane Lions
Marc Woolnough Geelong
Brad Moran Nth Melbourne & Adelaide
Aaron Keating Adelaide
Ricky Petterd Melbourne
Jesse White Sydney
Brent Renouf Hawthorn & Port Adelaide
Dayne Zorko Brisbane Lions
Our Mission Statement
Surfers Paradise AFC prides itself as a local community sporting club with its foundations built on the hard work of our player families, volunteers, loyal supporters, and partnerships with our highly valued sponsors. Whilst our club’s aim is to be consistently competitive and challenge for premierships, we will always endeavour to do this without compromising our underlying culture and values, which include…
- Provide an opportunity for people to participate in a community club in a safe, friendly and family oriented environment.
- Develop young sportspeople through comprehensive training programs overseen by suitably qualified coaching staff.
- To encourage and foster our junior players to transition into the senior club, with the aim of providing the core group that underpins the sustainable success of the Club, both on and off the field.
- Strive to be a well-respected club in the top echelon of the SEQ Juniors and Seniors, with success both on and off the field.
- Encourage community involvement through sponsorship, events and fundraising activities and be recognised as a leading contributor to the spirit of our community.
- To always operate the club professionally, in a fiscally responsible manner and within the competition’s rules and regulations.
- To be fully committed to ensuring that our club environment is free from discrimination and harassment, that discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against any person associated with the Club who breach this requirement.
- To exercise tolerance to others, and to always act fairly, honestly, and respectfully.