United States Australian Football League
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| Sport | Australian rules football |
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| Founded | 1996 |
| Inaugural season | 1997 |
| No. of teams | 37 |
| Country(ies) | USA |
| Official website | www.usafl.com |
The United States Australian Football League (USAFL) is the governing body for Australian Football in the United States. It was conceived in 1996 and organized in 1997.
Since co-ordinating the first National Championships, the organisation has functioned as a national amateur Australian Football representative league. By 2006, the league had grown to 40 affiliated clubs, making up 60 teams and 2,000 players.[1] 1,048 were registered USAFL players and 340 USAFL sanctioned matches were played. Of the 709 players who competed at the USAFL National Championships, 77.4% were non-Australian, and over 60% were American.
The USAFL has Junior Development, Coaching Development and Umpire Development programs.
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History [edit]
The first match between two local US clubs was played in 1996 between Cincinnati and Louisville.[2] In the first year the Mid American Australian Football League was formed. Many of the local players had found out about the game in the 1980s on television and ESPN. Although the local game grew, ESPN no longer broadcast AFL matches, and in response the lobby group, AFANA was formed.
In 1997, the first club national championships were held in Cincinnati. Nashville hosted the first Australian Grand Final Festival in the same year. The United States Australian Football League (USAFL) was formed in 1997 to govern the code in the country.
Ambassadors [edit]
The involvement of many well-known Australians has helped boost the relations between the USAFL and AFL. In the early days, Paul Roos was a key figure. More recently, Robert DiPierdomenico, Colin Carter, Ian Dicker, Wayne Clarke, Leigh Matthews and Michael Voss have become official USAFL ambassadors.
Metro and Rec Footy [edit]
The USAFL has embraced Metro Footy – a scaled down version of footy (as the sport is sometimes called) for American-sized fields with fewer players. Many USAFL clubs are fed by several Metro Footy or Rec Footy sides and selected players represent at the Nationals. Metro Footy has also enabled the USAFL to stage exhibition matches at Arena Football League games. Rec (or Recreational) Footy is generally a co-ed, non-tackle version of the game which has been adopted by many clubs across the US in order to introduce women into the game and men at a more introductory level.
National teams [edit]
USAFL is responsible for the co-ordination of the National Teams, the USA Revolution men's team and the USA Freedom women's team. The team plays in international tournaments and exhibition matches against other countries. National team players are selected from the best US-born players from the club teams across the country.
With close proximity to Canada, the Revolution & Freedom participate in the annual 49th Parallel Cup against Canada each year except for years of the International Cup in Australia.
The Revolution competed in the 2002 Australian Football International Cup, finishing 5th out of 11 countries and in the 2005 Australian Football International Cup finishing 3rd out of 10 countries. They competed in the 2008 Australian Football International Cup where the Revolution finished 7th out of 16 countries.
Domestic tournaments and competitions [edit]
Funding and revenue [edit]
The Australian Football League provides around A$80,000 annually in funding for the USAFL, primarily for league development. The USAFL also generates revenue through club and player membership and merchandising activities.
USAFL Footy Kids [edit]
US Footy Kids is the USAFL's equivalent of the successful AFL Auskick program and part of the USAFL's junior development program.
USAFL clubs and representative sides [edit]
| Club | City | USAFL League | Metro League | Founded | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Hawks | Phoenix, Arizona | USAFL Western Regionals | Arizona Australian Football League | 1999 | Official Site |
| Atlanta Kookaburras | Atlanta, Georgia | Mid American Australian Football League | Atlanta Australian Rules Football League | 1998 | Official Site |
| Austin Crows | Austin, Texas | Mid American Australian Football League | 2002 | Official Site | |
| Baltimore Washington Eagles | Baltimore, Maryland, Fairfax, Virginia & Washington, D.C. | Eastern Australian Football League | Baltimore Washington Eagles Metro Competition | 1998 | Official Site |
| Baton Rouge Tigers | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Mid American Australian Football League | 2004 | Official Site | |
| Boston Demons | Boston, Massachusetts | Eastern Australian Football League | New England Metropolitan Australian Rules Football League | 1997 | Official Site |
| Charleston Saints | Charleston, South Carolina | 2011 | Official Site | ||
| Chicago Swans | Chicago, Illinois | Mid American Australian Football League | Chicago Australian Football Association | 1998 | Official Site |
| Cincinnati Dockers | Cincinnati, Ohio | Mid American Australian Football League | 1996 | Official Site | |
| Columbus Jackaroos | Columbus, Ohio | Mid American Australian Football League | Columbus Metro Footy League | 2008 | Official Site |
| Dallas Magpies | Dallas, Texas | Mid American Australian Football League | 1998 | Official Site | |
| Denver Bulldogs | Denver, Colorado | USAFL Western Regionals | 1998 | Official Site | |
| Des Moines Roosters | Des Moines, Iowa | Mid American Australian Football League | 2010 | Official Site | |
| Florida Redbacks | Tampa Bay, Florida | Eastern Australian Football League | Florida Metro Footy League | 2003 | Official Site |
| Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Eastern Australian Football League | 2005 | Official Site | |
| Golden Gate Roos | San Francisco, California | USAFL Western Regionals | 1998 | Official Site | |
| Houston Lonestars | Houston, Texas | Mid American Australian Football League | 2005 | Official Site | |
| Indianapolis Giants | Indianapolis, Indiana | 2013 | Official Site | ||
| Kansas City Power | Kansas City, Missouri | Mid American Australian Football League | Kansas City Metro Footy League | 1998 | Official Site |
| Las Vegas Gamblers | Las Vegas, Nevada | USAFL Western Regionals | 2005 | Official Site | |
| Los Angeles Dragons | Los Angeles, California | USAFL Western Regionals | Southern California Australian Football League | 2010 | Official Site |
| Louisville Kings | Louisville, Kentucky | Mid American Australian Football League | 1996 | Official Site | |
| Milwaukee Bombers | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Mid American Australian Football League | Milwaukee Metro Cheddar Cup | 1998 | Official Site |
| Minnesota Freeze | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Mid American Australian Football League | 2005 | Official Site | |
| Nashville Kangaroos | Nashville, Tennessee | Mid American Australian Football League | 1997 | Official Site | |
| New York Magpies | New York City | Eastern Australian Football League | New York Metro Footy League | 1998 | Official Site |
| North Carolina Tigers | Raleigh, North Carolina | Eastern Australian Football League | North Carolina Metro Footy League | 1997 | Official Site |
| Orange County Bombers | Orange County, California | USAFL Western Regionals | Southern California Australian Football League | 1998 | Official Site |
| Philadelphia Hawks | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Eastern Australian Football League | 1998 | Official Site | |
| Portland Steelheads | Portland, Oregon | North West Pacific Football League | Portland Australian Football League | 1998 | Official Site |
| Riverside Saints | Riverside, California | USAFL Western Regionals | Southern California Australian Football League | 2011 | Official Site |
| Sacramento Suns | Sacramento, California | USAFL Western Regionals | Sac Footy Rec League | 2009 | Official Site |
| Saint Louis Blues | St. Louis, Missouri | Mid American Australian Football League | 1997 | Official Site | |
| San Diego Lions | San Diego, California | USAFL Western Regionals | San Diego Metro Footy League | 1997 | Official Site |
| Seattle Grizzlies | Seattle, Washington | North West Pacific Football League | Seattle Metro Footy League | 1998 | Official Site |
| Tulsa Buffaloes | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Official Site |
Former clubs [edit]
| Club | City | Founded | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Overdrive | Detroit, Michigan | ||
| Illinois Ironmen | Naperville, Illinois | ||
| Inland Empire Eagles/Fire | Riverside, California | ||
| Lehigh Valley Crocs | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | ||
| Los Angeles Crows | Pasadena, California | ||
| Mojave Greens | Fort Irwin, California | ||
| Phoenix Scorpions | Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| Pittsburgh Wallabies | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||
| South Carolina Hawks | Charleston, South Carolina | ||
| Tri-Cities Saints | Bristol, Tennessee | ||
| Tucson Javelinas | Tucson, Arizona |
Affiliated leagues [edit]
- Mid American Australian Football League
- Eastern Australian Football League
- North West Pacific Australian Football League
- Californian Australian Football League
See also [edit]
- Australian rules football
- Australian rules football in the United States
- Metro Footy
- Women's Australian Football Association
References [edit]
External links [edit]
- Official website
- US Footy News
- Fox Sports World Video
- World Footy News
- ESPN aired this segment for Australian TV
- Stateside Footy TV Cable Access program produced at WCTV in Wilmington, Massachusetts, featuring Australian Rules Football played in the United States
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