In 1980 the State Titles were held in Gladstone, the Mackay representative team travelled down to Gladstone. That year Brisbane appears to have won the title. But in 1981, Mackay took out the title and by 1982, hopes were high that they might be able to win the title again. Unfortunately the team did not win that year. In 1983 the Mackay representative team defeated Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg but it was not enough to place in the competition.
On a local level, the top women’s teams in Mackay during 1983 were Spurs, Rangers and Country. Spurs won the premiership that year making them victorious for the 9th year running. Below is a photograph of the 1983 premiers. Also pictured is the Rangers team from 1981. Rangers player Devleen Icardi explained to us that it was the norm during the 1980s to play in “bummers” (short shorts) at local competitions. This can be seen in some of the photographs bellow including the Spot the Ball competition photo which was run in SAM Weekly.
By 1987, the Mackay representative team had worked their way back into second in the State Titles. That same year, two Mackay players also made the State representative team (Donna Fredrickson and Tammy Eiby).
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the events presented in this digital history occurred and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their continuing connection to land and waterways as well as their rich history of sports and significant continuing contribution to football.