Our club caters for all ages and ability with teams in juniors, youth, senior mens, senior women, over 35′s and comercial league. We are a member of Football Brisbane with our top men’s team competing in Premier Division Two and our top women’s team competing in Divion One. No matter what your age, gender or ability we will have a team for you.
Our Location
We are located at Annerley, on the southside of Brisbane. We operate from two neighbouring locations with the main senior fields and clubhouse not far from the Greenslopes busway station on the corner of Ridge and Barnsdale Place, and our Junior Fields across the road next to the Greenslopes Bowls Club with the Junior Clubhouse accessable from Victoria Terrrace.
Our History
The following is a brief history of the club. Further details are available in a publication prepared for the 50th Anniversary of the club in 1995 and which will hopefully be added to this information over time.
The club was established in 1945 and has a long and distinguished history in the local community. Known firstly as the Annerley Boomerangs, the name was changed to the Annerley Stars Soccer Club with matches being played at the Junction Park State School.
Seeking their own field, Club members approached the Brisbane City Council and work began in 1946 on what is known as the Ekibin Reserve – that area of land where the Annerley Recreation Club’s Seniors’ Clubhouse and field No.1 are now located.
With the building of the South-East freeway the Club was given the marvelous opportunity to acquire a lease on an additional area of land between Ridge Street and Juliette Street.
In previous years this land had been used for Athletics and Hockey, but with a lot of determination, hard work and great Club management this wide open space and the old Seniors’ Soccer ground on the south side of Ridge Street were transformed into what we have today.
Additionally, the former ARC Junior Clubhouse, (since destroyed by fire, but now rebuilt), was renovated and transformed from an old residence.
Funds needed for all this work, including Brisbane’s first football fields’ underground sprinkler system, was funded by some very serious successful fund-raising, with teams and families working hard to raise the necessary money. Sure, we had Bank guarantors if we needed a loan, but they were never used.
Near Juliette Street, a bore was sunk which supplied water to the underground watering system for the main junior fields for many years. Oh! to have it now, but unfortunately the well went dry.
Lighting of the playing fields was of paramount importance and was achieved with minimal expense but maximum effort by a large group of talented Club personnel lead by Mr. Morrie Bath, then chairman of the Juniors, who had a talent for obtaining donations in material, whether it be soil, timber or light poles or anything else we needed, then encouraging tradespeople, mainly within the Club, to give of their time and expertise. It helped that Morrie was a successful businessman and a builder in his own right.
Over the years The Annerley Recreation Club Inc. has fostered Soccer (Football) for tens of thousands of junior players, whose successes, both as teams and as individuals in Representative football, made Annerley one of the most successful Clubs in the history of the Brisbane Junior Soccer Association (which covered all of Brisbane) as they did in its successor on the southside of the Brisbane River, Brisbane Southern Districts Junior Soccer Association.
The founding BSDJSA President was the late Don Leckie who was followed in that position by Don Look- both Annerley Life Members.
There has always been, and no doubt will continue to be, keen rivalry between Clubs on our side of the River and those on the northside.
Our Senior men’s teams enjoyed a lot of competition success, and our Women’s teams for a number of years won all before them.
It is interesting to note that the South East Queensland Women’s Soccer Association (later to become the State body), was borne out of a desire by a number of supporters to form our own Women’s Association rather than be administered by the BJSA. Annerley was at the forefront of this movement, with Elaine Watson O.A.M., the late Bob Geoghegan and Don Look being President, Treasurer and Secretary of the original body.
Over the years, Annerley players have represented strongly in Zone and State teams, and in Women’s representative teams. Several of our players have represented Australia.
Annerley has hosted many State championships over the years, the conducting of which has brought great credit to your Club as no doubt will happen in the future.
The most recent example of this was the Harry Linning Cup for under 12’s in 2003, rated by Harry Linning himself as one of the best ever.
Harry was Patron for a number of years and a proud Life Member of your Club.
In the past, the ARC was parent Club of sections catering for Cricket, Cricko, Netball, Vigero, Darts, Table Tennis and Golf. Hopefully these will be resurrected in the future.
We also had a Drag Racing Club as an Associate.
Many Annerley members have served the code, not only at your Club but in other areas, attaining positions in all tiers of Football administration where their expertise and diligence have provided valuable contributions to the game we love.
In a recent conversation with Author Hugh Lunn, Hugh reminded me that his father, Fred, was a vice-President of Annerley Stars Soccer Club for many, many years. Hugh has documented this in his widely read book “Over the Top with Jim.” There is no Soccer (Football) Club in all of Australasia which has received such recognition in a best seller. Hugh still has Fred’s blue and white “10 Year Service” badge of the Annerley Recreation Club, a white star on a blue background inside a white circle.
The late Charlie Rogers painted a sign which hung in the Canteen for many years- IT’S ALL FOR THE KIDS. That says it all about the spirit of Annerley. Long may we reign!!!
DON LOOK,
Former Annerley Juniors Secretary, Member of the ARC Executive, and Life Member of Annerley Recreation Club Inc., BSDJSA and Football Queensland.