AFTER rain-swept Ballarat took centre stage for last year’s edition of the School Sports Australia Australian Football 15 and Under Championships, the Sunshine State will take hosting rights of the event from July 27-August 3.

Players from across all eight states and territories will take part in the event, with a slightly different set of sides in 2024. Last year as host, Victoria has Vic Navy and Vic White, but now will be the one combined state, while instead Queensland will be split into two.

While the Maroons remain as a standalone team, there will be a second Queensland side which is a combined academy side between the Brisbane Lions and Cold Coast Suns Academies. The matches will play out across five Queensland clubs being: Carrara Saints, Broadbeach Cats, Southport Sharks, Robina Roos and Surfers Paradise.

The structure remains the same with the eight teams split into two pools, Pool A and Pool B. Each of the four teams within a pool play the other three teams over the course of the first four days in an action-packed start to the week, before the top two teams in each pool face off in semi-finals. The winners of those semis then make the Gold Medal Match, with the other positions from third through to eighth also decided.

15& UNDER BOYS

15 & UNDER GIRLS

SCHEDULE

Saturday, July 27: Pre-Championships meeting / AFL match between Suns & Lions
Sunday, July 28: Round 1 @ Robina Roos (boys) and Carrara Saints (girls)
Monday, July 29: Round 2 @ Broadbeach Cats (boys) and Surfers Paradise (girls)
Tuesday, July 30: REST DAY
Wednesday, July 31: Round 3 @ Southport Sharks (both)
Thursday, August 1: Crossover Finals @ Surfers Paradise (boys) and Broadbeach Cats (girls)
Friday, August 2: REST DAY
Saturday, August 3: FINALS @ Southport Sharks (medal matches), Surfers Paradise (boys 5th-8th) and Carrara Saints (girls 5th-8th)