Leagues 1-6 (2002-2004)
Stewart McGlashan was the first League Director, and along with Jason Ray and Chris Dawson was a creator of the league concept and framework. The 6 leagues that Stew ran as director featured a range of experimenting and developments that created the healthy platform which the league now stands upon.
The league was a new concept and with it came some new challenges. A key issue from the beginning of the league was gender. The idea behind the R.C Dog Cup was to create an opportunity for Queensland men to compete at a higher level outside of the state team preparing for Nationals. This was reflected in the change of name after the first year from the R. C. Dog Cup to the Mens A League (MAL).
As the first league director, Stew inherited the task of running Brisbane’s first non-mixed league, a decision that didn’t go down well with some of the women in the community at the time. Captains could choose to select women for their team, however the opposition was not required to match them.
On the field Stew’s 6 seasons are a study in Ultimate Frisbee league culture of 10 years ago. Every season new teams were formed and named, and then mixed back together and reformed under different names with a different combination of the same 35-45 players. The league was really just a group of friends who shared the same sporting interest. It was a close knit community and the social aspect of the league was highly valued.
Teams were selected at first by draft, then a few seasons later by recruitment with each captain allowed a salary cap style amount of points to ‘buy’ players. Players were ranked and given a ‘price’:
Current World Championship level players – 7 points
Players currently ranked 1 to 11 in the pool – 5 points
Players currently ranked 12 or higher – 3 points
Intermediate or non Nationals players – 1 point
Women – Free
Promising novice – Free
Each team captain had 40 points to spend and two weeks to recruit their team. The selectors of the state team did the rankings; at the time the Stateteam was called the Moreton Bay Buggers. If we still used this system now it would be the Firestorm selectors doing the ranking.
Finally by the end of Stew’s time the very first clubs began to form and stay together for more than one season. Teams like the University of Queensland and the Dojo Mojo began to separate themselves from the ‘all in’ pool of Brisbane Ultimate players and forge their own identity along social lines. 5 of the 6 seasons Stew managed featured 3 teams, season 5 in the winter of 2004 was the first season to cater to 4 teams, no bye!
Prior to clubs and team captains taking responsibility for recruiting and managing players on their teams the League Director carried this responsibility. The draft leagues, and the Salary cap leagues, required more planning and organization for the League Director. Stew carried this burden through the early days of the BPL and gave the league time to develop its own momentum.
Andrew Lankowski
Leagues 7-11 (2005-2006)
When Stew moved away from Brisbane the league passed into the capable hands of Andrew Lankowski. While Andrew was in charge the league grew to 4 teams consistently with 50 odd players competing most seasons. The League also settled into its permanent home at Annerley Junior Soccer Club after moving around various locations during the early years.
On the field Clubs continued to solidify and build their own culture. UQ and Dojo Mojo continued to compete while a new powerhouse Whippett Good completed the first back-to-back championships in the competition. The Moreton Bay Buggers first appeared in the BPL in 2006 during Andrew’s time.
Andrew continued to formalise structures in the competition. Awards for spirit and MVP as well as post season parties (complete with written up agenda sheets) for the league were hallmarks of this continued organisation. A very visual and long standing innovation from LD Lankowski was the change of league title from the Men’s A League to the Brisbane Premier League.
In Andrew’s words: "as I seem to recall it caused a bit of fun controversy amongst some of the more traditional, longer standing MAL members … however I was keen to promote the fact that the league was ‘Open’ and not restricted to men only, and thus thought the name change was appropriate at the time."
This decision was not unanimously accepted by the playing group as some members of the community firmly believed that the league should be exclusively for men.
After two years in the top job Andrew was ready to move on, he mentored the next League Director during a mini season at the end of 2006. Andrew continues to be a mainstay of Brisbane Ultimate, both on the field and behind the scenes as an organizer.
Jon Good
Leagues 11-16 (2006-2008)
With the league running smoothly at the Annerley fields and playing numbers stable in 50s and 4 teams regularly vying forthe R.C. Dog Cup. Jon Good took the reigns as the 3rd League Director. By the time Jon moved on nearly 2 years later the league had expanded to 6 teams and over 70 players.
On the field Jon’s 6 seasons as League Director can be characterised by the divide between the mega clubs and the boutique clubs. First the UQ presence that stretched back to season 5, and then the Moreton Bay Buggers club that first joined the BPL during season 9 expanded to two teams each per season. Of the 12 teams who played in the 6 finals under LD Good 10 came from UQ and the Bugs, the ever present and highly exclusive Dojo Mojo featured twice in finals falling just short of the prize both times. Joining the competition in Jon’s third season as LD the Rawhide team stepped in among the mega teams to push the competition up to 6.
This issue of Open versus Mens only competition was a hot topic during Jon’s time in the top job with significant and passionate debate occurring at the ground on game nights and via email regularly. One prominent figure in the debate was Shawn Robb. A key motivation for the creation of the Rawhide team was so that Shawn could become a BPL captain and as such have additional influence in the debate.
As Jon reflects “ people thought that Shawn Robb and I were fighting over the Men's versus Open nature of BPL: quite a few people seemed very animated about the whole thing and were convinced that we hated each other; but Shawn and I only ever had calm discussions about it. We still played on Mellow Yellow and Rawhide together during the whole thing, and had drinks together at all of the Melllow Yellow nights. It still seems very odd to me that anyone who knows both Shawn and I's personalities could ever see us fighting about anything, let alone some rules for who can throw plastic across a piece of grass.”
An additional award was added to the BPL season under Jon’s direction, the Rookie of the Year award. At the end of each year every team could nominate a player from their team who competed in the BPL for the first time. The LD and team captains then voted for the player who was most successful in their transition up to the BPL. “I really loved the idea of rewarding both the new player and the team captain for the effort they had put in.” Jon Good.
A final golden gift brought to the league during the Good years was the free drinks for the crowd during the season final. Jon’s efforts during his 2 years went a long way towards expanding the league to 6 healthy teams and advancing the competitive climate of the competition, he does say though that all the free drinks credit should go to Rob Lowe and Dave Meyers.
Stu Austin
Leagues 17-21 (2008-2010)
During the Lankowsi and Good years the league had increased drastically in size and scope with 70 odd players on 6 teams playing 3 seasons each year. 2006, 2007 and 2008 all featured 3 seasons, and with the trophy handed out 3 times a year seasons began to merge together. Leagues lasted for 3 months with a short break of a week or two between each, dates for each league fluctuated each year to fit in around National events and holiday periods.
When Stuart took over at the end of 2008 it was clear that some reshuffling was required. The current system of 2 seasons - Autumn and Spring - with a large break during the winter was established by Stu at the beginning of 2009. Games were also reorganised more closely to parallel games at Nationals with a points cap of 15 applied. Previously the 15th season final was won 16 to 12, and the 16th was a convincing 18 to 9.
On the field during Stu’s time team numbers fluctuated while playing numbers shifted slightly. Team numbers went through 6, 5, 5, 7 then to 6 during Stu’s 5 seasons. This period of team number upheaval was a product of the changing of the guard of leadership in the Brisbane Ultimate scene.
During Stu’s 5 seasons the UQ and Moreton Bay Buggers clubs consolidated down to 1 team each and 3 exciting new clubs joined the competition. The Cobras emerged from the Buggers school of thought with some connections to QUT ultimate and rose quickly to play in the final of their second season.
The season following the Cobra’s entrance to the competition 2 new clubs joined the league and pushed numbers to 7 teams, and 88 players, for the first time in the competition’s history. Season 20 was a landmark season for the BPL thanks to the new and exciting Slamtown Flatball Club and Heroes Ultimate. Both teams brought a number of brand new players to the league, new leadership groups to lead them and provided an avenue for development to players who otherwise wouldn’t have access to the BPL.
Some organizational highlights from Stu’s time in the top job were the acquiring of custom size Port-a-fields by the league, emphasis being placed on matching uniforms for teams as an expectation of participation in the league and the BPL began paying fees to QUDA.
There were some highly controversial moments during Stu’s time as League Director. Team captains were required to complete team sheets every night after their games. Attendance, final score, spirit and MVP points were included in the team sheets. This system had been in place for a few seasons and under Stuart this became a mandatory task for captains. If not completed and returned to the LD offending teams would suffer a forfeit. This occurred occasionally for some teams and in UQ Passion’s case frequently enough for them to forfeit their place in the semi-final.
UQ Passion was embroiled in another controversy during season 18 (Autumn, 2009). The MVP voting system had been changed, not for the first time, in the name of actually nominating the most valuable player in the competition. In season 18 captains would have 2 points to allocate to any player or players on the field that night, not only players on the opposition. Faith was placed in the team captains to make informed and impartial decisions and allocate the points appropriately. This was not the case for the Passion team as they repeatedly allocated points to a single player on their team regardless of performance on the night. The MVP award was given to the UQ Passion player amidst fairly widespread disappointment. The system has since changed again and the team captain in question has since left the competition.
The Austin years were a period of formalisation for the competition withmany of the structures, policies and teams present today established during 2009 and 2010. Stu’s strict adherence to policy and willingness to make tough decisions in the face of occasional opposition lead to the BPL forging ahead in its journey from organic and flexible semi social league to formalised sporting competition.
Graham Pricket
Leagues 22,23 (2011)
After 5 seasons as the LD Stu was ready for a break and long time league participant Graham ‘Special G’ Pricket stepped into the role. Graham’s tenure during 2011 was an extension of the great work put in by his preceding league directors. The format of 2 long seasons in the autumn and spring was working well and team numbers were healthy and stable.
On the field a new rivalry emerged between the oldest club in the competition and one of the newest. The Dojo Mojo and the Slamtown Flatball Club contested both finals in 2011 with the men from the Gold Coast winning their first championship and stoppinga Dojo three-peat in the second season.
2011 saw the end of UQ teams being represented in the BPL after 17 seasons over 6 years. In their place 2 new teams entered the competition. A very UQ looking team called Los Bandidos, and a new and exciting team called Blitz. The Blitz team entering the competition in season 23 and pushed the competition out to 7 teams for the second time in its history and featured a total of 86 players competing for the R. C. Dog Cup.
With the league reaching new heights of competitiveness during 2010 and 2011 teams were beginning to seriously focus on maintaining a high standard of play. Coupled with player numbers remaining high and stable, the incentive for teams to search out new players for the competition was reduced.
Graham’s major initiative during his time as league director was to promote opportunities for talented new players from lower leagues to be exposed to BPL standard play and eventually bridge the gap and play in the Open competition.
The mid year league Graham organised was a vehicle for exposing new players to Open level play, and for existing BPL team captains to find some promising talent to add to their team. The league was a 4 team competition played during the break between the BPL seasons. Players were allocated to teams based on their geographic location in the city. The mini league was a success and offered a great opportunity for both transition level players and existing players to mix it up and battle for their corner of the city.
Special G left the league in good heath and finished his term as the 5th League Director at the end of 2011.
Adam Baker
League 24 (2012)
The 6th and current League Director Adam Baker has taken on the role after only a few years in the Ultimate Frisbee community. A great effort by Adam to fill a crucial role, and a credit to the 5 preceding league directors that the BPL continues to roll on with a minimum of fuss.
Adam has already made his mark on the competition by organizing the first ‘away’ round for the BPL. During the second half of the season teams will travel to the Gold Coast for a round of play. This is an excellent recognition of the great contribution of the Slamtown Club to the competition, and the growing nature of the league.
On the field it’s all up in the air for the league under Adam, and that is just the way it should be. 6 teams and 76 players are battling it out every Thursday night at the Annerley fields as they have done for years in the past, and hopefully for years to come.
The BPL must continue to grow, and that growth needs to be sustainable. The number of men playing Ultimate in Brisbane is now around 250 and has grown steadily over the last 5 years. The BPL however has remained around the same size. The challenge for the BPL and its League Directors is to access this expanding pool of beginners to draw players with potential up into the league. New generations will learn how to play genuinely competitive Ultimate and the league will continue to be a competitive and challenging environment to compete in.
The Brisbane Premier League Directors. 6 Men who have given their time and effort for us to have the greatest Open league in the country. On behalf of the Frisbee players of Brisbane, thank you.
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