Since its introduction to the Associated Independent Schools (AIC) calendar in 2019, Australian Rules Football has seen significant growth. The competition has expanded both in terms of team numbers and the overall standard of play across all year levels. The 2025 AIC Australian Rules Football season will be remembered for its intense and competitive nature, with thrilling races for both individual premierships and the overall Aggregate Shield.

In 2025, the AIC Australian Rules Football competition welcomed teams from all eight member colleges, as well as Ambrose Treacy College. The competition also saw the introduction of a standalone Year 10 division, alongside additional divisions for primary school teams.

Aggregate Shield

St Laurence’s College has proudly held the prestigious ‘Aggregate Shield’ as the overall champion AIC Australian Rules Football school since 2019. This year’s Aggregate race was the closest in the competition’s short history, with four schools— Iona, Padua, St Laurence’s, and Villanova— vying for the coveted title on the final day of the season. Every match mattered. Once the final siren sounded and results were tallied, St Laurence’s was able to retain the Aggregate Shield, narrowly edging out Iona (2nd), Padua (3rd), and Villanova (4th). Remarkably, only 3.5 points separated the top four schools.

Mr Josh Ferguson, St Laurence’s College Director of AFL, expressed immense pride in his teams’ achievement. “The Aggregate Shield holds significant meaning for us as a College, reflecting the strength of our AFL program from Year 7 through to the Opens. We are incredibly proud of our players and deeply appreciative of the coaching and support staff who demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout a challenging season,” Mr Ferguson said.

1st XVIII Premiership

After a shared premiership in 2024 among three schools, the 2025 First XVIII competition promised to be another closely contested season. In perhaps the game of the year, Iona overcame Padua with a last-minute goal in Round 2, marking Padua’s only defeat of the season. Iona went on to remain undefeated throughout the season, setting the stage for a highly anticipated Round 6 showdown against St Laurence’s. However, due to Cyclone Alfred and its aftermath, the game was unfortunately abandoned before it could take place. Both Iona and St Laurence’s finished the season undefeated and were crowned joint premiers. Padua secured third place, with their sole loss to Iona.

Iona College AFL Coordinator, Mr Leigh Harding, reflected on the significance of this victory. “Winning Iona’s first-ever First XVIII Premiership is the culmination of many years of hard work and growth within our AFL program. This year’s team has truly earned every accolade. Their ability to stay connected, improve week after week, and support each other as a unit was key to their success,” Mr Harding said.

St Laurence’s Director of AFL, Mr Josh Ferguson, spoke proudly of his team’s performance. “During our pre-season camp at Brighton Homes Arena (Brisbane Lions Training Facility), the players set clear goals for the 2025 AIC season. Despite the challenges of an interrupted season, our coaching staff were pleased with the team’s efforts, as they accomplished everything they set out to achieve on their way to a First XVIII Premiership,” Mr Ferguson said.

Iona- First XVIII Premiers!

St Laurence’s- First XVIII Premiers!

AFL Premierships

Congratulations to the following teams who were able to secure an AIC Australian Football Premiership in 2025.

Primary
This season, 50 Primary teams competed in the AIC Primary Competition. Yeronga AFL Club was again the central venue hosting all games on a Saturday and was a sea of colour with the jerseys of the 9 competing schools. In 2025, for the first time, the blue and white jersey of St Edmund’s was seen in primary AFL competition. St Edmund’s primary teams are a welcome addition to the AIC competition. Whilst there are no premierships awarded in primary Australian Rules Football, this did not diminish the pride and effort students played with each week. The skills on display and being developed by students of all 9 schools that competed in primary Australian Rules Football will stand out as these boys move into the competitive secondary divisions in the future years.

Acknowledgements 
The Associated Independent Colleges is grateful for the immense support of AFLQ (AFL Queensland). AFLQ assist with fixture creation, sourcing of venues, umpire appointment and development, match managers, equipment including balls and the incredibly large task of setting up Yeronga each week for the primary fixtures. This incredible level of support is greatly appreciated by all involved in AIC Australian Rules Football.

The AIC would also like to thank the support of all of the AFL Clubs that allow AIC fixtures to be played on their fields. These include Aspley AFC, Zillmere AFC, Yeronga AFC, Springfield AFC, Coorparoo AFC, Kenmore AFC, Sherwood AFC, Morningside AFC and Wynnum AFC. We would also like to thank the staff at our school venues – Iona College and Mt Maria for their support in ensuring venues are available each week.