BAFA National Leagues
| Formerly | BAFA Community Leagues |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Founded | 2010 |
| First season | 2010 |
| Commissioner | Martin Cockerill |
| No. of teams | 62 |
| Country |  England (54 teams) Scotland (7 teams) Wales (1 team) |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| Most recent champion(s) | London Warriors |
| Most titles | London Warriors (6 titles) |
| Official website | britishamericanfootball |
The BAFA National Leagues (BAFANL, formerly the BAFA Community Leagues) are the primary American football competition in England, Scotland and Wales. They were formed by the British American Football Association in 2010 following the collapse of the British American Football League to coordinate contact football within Great Britain. There are currently 62 teams who compete in 12 divisions across three levels of football. The 10 teams who contest both the Premier Division North and South compete to reach the Britbowl. The current champions are the London Warriors and are also the most successful having won 6 titles. BAFA also operate a flag football, Women's division as well as a Youth league across all age ranges.
History
American football was introduced to the United Kingdom during the early part of the 20th century by American servicemen stationed in the country. The first recorded match took place on 23 November 1910 at Crystal Palace, London, where a team made up of the crew from USS Idaho defeated their counterparts from USS Vermont 19–0.[1][2] During the Second World War, matches were played by American and Canadian servicemen stationed in the UK at venues throughout the country. This included the 'Tea Bowl' game played at the White City Stadium in 1944,[3] and this was followed by the creation of the United States Armed Forces Europe (USAFE) league in 1946. This league consisted of teams from American military bases throughout Europe, with one of the league's three conferences made up of teams based in the UK – teams from this conference won the league championship thirteen times until the competition ceased in 1993.[4][5]
The first teams open to British players were established in 1983, and competition began the following year in the form of a series of one-off games. The match results were compiled into a 'Merit Table', with teams playing more than three games eligible for the championship—the first champions were the London Ravens, who won all ten of their matches.[6][7]
Tensions grew between the directors of British American Football League and those of the British American Football Association, the governing body throughout 2009 and at the beginning of 2010, BAFL formally, but unconstitutionally, withdrew from BAFA. This led to uproar from the teams within BAFL, ultimately signalling the end for BAFL as an entity. The league ceased operations on 1 April 2010. The league was replaced by the BAFA Community Leagues for the 2010 season. This organisation, run under the umbrella of the governing body, rebranded in 2011 to become the BAFA National Leagues. Hundreds of clubs have since been formed, playing both full contact football and flag football at senior, university and youth level. Many of these clubs have since folded, renamed or merged with other local teams, but a few of the older clubs survive today.
Season format
The BAFANL season format consists of a ten-game season for Premier Division teams and First Division teams, with 8 for Second Division. The League operates between April and August with play-off games usually running into September. The winner of top two teams from both the Premier Division North and Premier Division South make up the semi final in which they will play to win a place in the Britbowl. First and Second Division teams aim to win promotion to the division above by attempting to reach their respective play-off final. The team that finishes bottom of their Division are relegated to their Regional division below. (excluding Division Two) [8] Since 2014, The Britbowl winners will automatically qualify to play in the IFAF Europe Champions League for the following season. European games run aside the clubs domestic season. Prior to 2014 qualification was for the EFAF Cup.
Stadiums
The use of Stadiums in the BAFANL is scarce due to most clubs running on a tight budget. Most clubs operate from Rugby Union clubs, University facilities or High Schools however some teams do play inside stadiums which have seating capacities for spectators. The Britbowl itself has recently been played at Sixways Stadium in Worcester, while Division 1 and 2 finals are hosted at the South Leeds Stadium. At present the Halton Spartans ground share of the Select Security Stadium with Rugby league team Widnes Vikings constitutes as the highest capacity stadium within the BAFANL with 13,350 seats.
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Halton Spartans | Select Security Stadium | 13,350 |
| Manchester Titans | National Speedway Stadium | 6,700 |
| West Coast Trojans | Meadow Park | 5,000 |
| Leicester Falcons | De Montfort Park | 4,329 |
| Yorkshire Rams | South Leeds Stadium | 4,000 |
| Black Country Vipers | Stourton Park | 3,500 |
| Edinburgh Wolves | Meggetland Sports Complex | 3,000 |
| Northumberland Vikings | Druid Park | 2,500 |
| Nottingham Caesars | Harvey Hadden Stadium | 1,600 |
| London Olympians | Well Hall | 1,550 |
| London Blitz | Finsbury Park Stadium | 1,500 |
| East Kilbride Pirates | Braidholm | 1,250 |
| London Warriors | Frant Road | 1,000 |
| Farnham Knights | Wilkinson Way | 1,100 |
| Gateshead Senators | Monkton Stadium | 1,000 |
| Tamworth Phoenix | Pack Meadow | 750 |
| Glasgow Tigers | Lochinch Stadium | 700 |
| South Wales Warriors | The Dairy Field | 700 |
| Sandwell Steelers | Tipton Sports Academy | 650 |
| Ouse Valley Eagles | Bedford International Athletics Stadium | 600 |
| Oxford Saints | Tilsley Park | 550 |
| Clyde Valley Blackhawks | Beltane Park | 500 |
| Ipswich Cardinals | Northgate International Sports Centre | 400 |
Teams
Premier Division
The BAFA's Premier Division for the 2020 season comprises twelve teams, split into the North and South Divisions. Within each division each team plays each other twice. There will be 2 rounds of playoff football with the top ranked team in the North will host the second ranked team in the South whilst the top ranked team in the South will host the second ranked team in the North. The winners will then compete for the BritBowl. The team who finishes bottom of each division are relegated to Division 1 for the following season and are replaced by both of the Division 1 winners.
Premier North
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Wolves | Edinburgh, Scotland | 2002 | Grey and Red |
| Manchester Titans | Gorton, Manchester | 2003 | Royal Blue and Gold |
| Merseyside Nighthawks | Skelmersdale, Lancashire | 1984 | Black and Red |
| Sandwell Steelers | Tipton, West Midlands | 2013 | Grey and Black |
| Sheffield Giants | Sheffield, South Yorkshire | 2008 | Sky Blue and Black |
| Tamworth Phoenix | Coleshill, Warwickshire | 2004 | Black and Orange |
Premier South
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Aztecs | Filton, Bristol | 1990 | Grey and Orange |
| Kent Exiles | Bromley, Kent | 2004 | Black and White |
| London Blitz | Finsbury Park, London | 1995 | Navy Blue and White |
| London Olympians | Eltham, London | 1984 | White and Burgundy |
| London Warriors | Thornton Heath, London | 2007 | Black and White |
| Solent Thrashers | Southampton, Hampshire | 2003 | Grey and Gold |
Division One
For the 2018 season, the second tier has expanded to 24 teams, now divided into 4 conferences of six: the Northern North, Northern South, Southern Central and the Southern East. Each team plays the others in their conference twice during the regular season as well as all teams playing two opponents on three occasions. There is no inter-conference play until the playoffs.
Top 2 in each of the 4 conference enter North Semi Final & South Semi Final. N#1 v N#4 & N#2 v N#3 (Same in South). North Champ v South Champ for Div 1 Championship. The two teams reaching the final will both win promotion to the Premier.[9]
NFC 1 North
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen Roughnecks | Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland | 2012 | Red and White |
| East Kilbride Pirates | Glasgow, Scotland | 1985 | Black and Red |
| Glasgow Tigers | Glasgow, Scotland | 1986 | Orange and Black |
| Inverclyde Golliaths | Greenock, Renfrewshire | 2016 | Royal Blue and Black |
| Northumberland Vikings | Newcastle upon Tyne | 2014 | Black and Red |
NFC 1 South
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Romans | Chester, Cheshire | 1986 | Red and White |
| Halton Spartans | Widnes, Cheshire | 2014 | Black and Green |
| Lancashire Wolverines | Preston, Lancashire | 1987 | Black and Silver |
| Leicester Falcons | Leicester, Leicestershire | 2006 | Green and White |
| Nottingham Caesars | Nottingham, Nottinghamshire | 1984 | Burgundy and Gold |
| Shropshire Revolution | Telford, Shropshire | 2006 | Purple and White |
| Yorkshire Rams | Leeds, West Yorkshire | 1986 | Black and White |
SFC 1 Central
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth Bobcats | Poole, Dorset | 1985 | Red and Black |
| Farnham Knights | Farnham, Surrey | 1985 | Sky Blue and Red |
| Oxford Saints | Abingdon, Oxfordshire | 1983 | White and Navy Blue |
| Portsmouth Dreadnoughts | Portsmouth, Hampshire | 2012 | Navy Blue and Grey |
| South Wales Warriors | Llanharan, Mid Glamorgan, Wales | 2001 | Green and Black |
| Sussex Thunder | Brighton, East Sussex | 1997 | Red and Blue |
SFC 1 East
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bury Saints | Thetford, Norfolk | 2013 | Gold and Green |
| Cambridgeshire Cats | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | 1984 | Red and Black |
| Essex Spartans | South Ockendon, Essex | 1998 | Black and Gold |
| Hertfordshire Cheetahs | St Albans, Hertfordshire | 1986 | Yellow and Black |
| London Hornets | Camden Town, London | 2011 | Black and Yellow |
| Wembley Stallions | Wembley, London | 2013 | Red and White |
Division Two
The third tier consists of two conferences, the Northern and Southern Football Conferences, which are further geographically subdivided into three regions each: the NFC North, Central, and South, and the SFC West, South, and East.[10][11] Each team plays the others in their region twice during the regular season. Within each conference, the playoffs are structured identically to the Division One system described above, with the NFC 2 Bowl and SFC 2 Bowl deciding separate champions.
NFC 2 North
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clyde Valley Blackhawks | Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland | 2007 | Gold and Black |
| Darlington Steam | Darlington, County Durham | 2014 | Black and White |
| Dumfries Hunters | Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland | 2014 | Green and Black |
| Dunfermline Kings | Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland | 2016 | Purple and Gold |
| Gateshead Senators | Jarrow, Tyneside | 1985 | Green and Orange |
NFC 2 West
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crewe Railroaders | Crewe, Cheshire | 1984 | Silver and Black |
| Furness Phantoms | Ulverston, Cumbria | 2011 | Green and Gold |
| Morecambe Bay Storm | Morecambe, Lancashire | 2016 | Black and Blue |
| Staffordshire Surge | Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire | 2008 | White and Blue |
NFC 2 East
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doncaster Mustangs | Doncaster, South Yorkshire | 2002 | Gold and Green |
| Humber Warhawks | Hull, East Yorkshire | 2014 | Grey and Red |
| Knottingley Raiders | Knottingley, West Yorkshire | 2014 | Black and White |
| Leeds Bobcats | Leeds, West Yorkshire | 2008 | White and Gold |
| Lincolnshire Bombers | North Hykeham, Lincoln, Lincolnshire | 2005 | Red and Black |
SFC 2 Central
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Bulls | Erdington, Birmingham | 1983 | Black and White |
| Hereford Stampede | Hereford, Hertfordshire | 2016 | Purple and Black |
| Northants Knights | Northampton, Northamptonshire | 2016 | Burgundy and White |
| Ouse Valley Eagles | Bedford, Bedfordshire | 2013 | White and Grey |
| Worcestershire Black Knights | Worcester, Worcestershire | 2016 | Black and Green |
SFC 2 West
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Apache | Filton, Bristol | 1990 | Orange and Black |
| Cornish Sharks | Newquay, Cornwall | 2005 | White and Gold |
| Somerset Wyverns | Taunton, Somerset | 2017 | Burgundy and Gold |
| Torbay Trojans | Torquay, Devon | 1983 | White and Black |
SFC 2 South
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire Renegades | Reading, Berkshire | 1985 | Red and Black |
| Hastings Conquerors | Hastings, East Sussex | 2012 | Black and Light Blue |
| Jurassic Coast Raptors | Weymouth, Dorset | 2016 | Green and White |
| London Blitz B | Finsbury Park, London | 1995 | White and Navy Blue |
| Swindon Storm | Swindon, Wiltshire | 2012 | Navy Blue and Gold |
SFC 2 East
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colchester Gladiators | Colchester, Essex | 1983 | Sky Blue and Yellow |
| East Essex Sabres | Rayleigh, Essex | 2016 | Orange and White |
| East Kent Mavericks | Canterbury, Kent | 2002 | Red and Black |
| Ipswich Cardinals | Ipswich, Suffolk | 1986 | Burgundy and Gold |
| Maidstone Pumas | Maidstone, Kent | 1997 | Black and Orange |
| Norwich Devils | Norwich, Norfolk | 1984 | Navy Blue and Yellow |
Associate Teams
New teams must undergo an indefinite associate period before they are granted full member status of the national leagues. A number of criteria must be met, involving successfully completing a number of games, recruiting an amount of new players, proof of required finances and the creation of a club committee. Associate teams spend their seasons playing each other and League teams in what are essentially friendly fixtures. Some of the current Associate teams are also previous League teams that have dropped out of the BAFANL at some stage.[12][13]
| Team | Based | Founded | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnley Tornados | Burnley, Lancashire | 2016 | Claret and Blue |
| Carlisle Kestrels | Carlisle, Cumbria | 2014 | Green and Black |
| DC Presidents | Durham, County Durham | 1985 | Royal Blue and Red |
| Dundee Hurricanes | Dundee, Scotland | 2002 | Blue and White |
| Highland Stags | Inverness, Scotland | 2016 | Green and Black |
| King’s Lynn Patriots | King’s Lynn, Norfolk | 2016 | Navy Blue and Gold |
| Scunthorpe Alphas | Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire | 2018 | White and Navy Blue |
Media coverage
The Britbowl as well as the Divisional Play-off finals are live streamed on YouTube via DblCoverage.com and Onside Productions. The programmes feature in-game commentary and interviews. Onside began operating by streaming Nottingham Caesars games in 2016 before being brought on by DblCoverage.com to broadcast the National finals as well as Great Britain national American football team games [14]
DblCoverage.com is the largest British American Football-focused media outlet and community hub, featuring news, league results and standings for all formats of the contact game, as well as opinion articles and editorials.[15]
Their social media pages represent the largest online community of British American Football players and fans.[16]
In 2019, Onside provided the livestream of the U19 Junior National Championship and BritBowl XXXIII for BBC Sport.[17]
Notable people
Winners
BritBowl
Winners of the Britbowl since the BAFA National Leagues 2010 formation.
| Team | Season |
|---|---|
| London Warriors | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 |
| London Blitz | 2010, 2011, 2012 |
| Tamworth Phoenix | 2017 |
Division One Bowl
In 2015 there was a separate Bowl final for both the Northern and Southern sections.
| Team | Season |
|---|---|
| Solent Thrashers | 2019 |
| Bury Saints | 2016 |
| Colchester Gladiators | 2013 |
| East Kilbride Pirates | 2011 |
| Farnham Knights | 2015 |
| Leicester Falcons | 2018 |
| Manchester Titans | 2017 |
| Merseyside Nighthawks | 2014, 2015 |
| Sussex Thunder | 2012 |
| Tamworth Phoenix | 2010 |
Division Two Bowl
Each year there is both a Northern and Southern Bowl winner.
| Team | Season |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen Roughnecks | 2018 |
| Berkshire Renegades | 2017 |
| Bury Saints | 2015 |
| Hertfordshire Cheetahs | 2018 |
| Leicester Falcons | 2016 |
| Oxford Saints | 2016 |
| Sandwell Steelers | 2015 |
| Shropshire Revolution | 2017 |
| South Wales Warriors | 2019 |
References
- ^ "Britball Firsts". Britball Now. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
- ^ "Britbowl XXV Details Announced" (PDF). Inside American Football. July 2011. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ Dobson, Cathy (27 April 2010). "Two Sarnia war heroes to be honoured". Sarnia Observer. Archived from the original on 2017-10-03. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ Polvino, Andrew. "2009 USAFE Football Reunion Approaching Fast". Andrews Air Force Base: USAF Germany. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ "Military Football in the UK". Britball Now. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ "1984 Table of Merit". London Blitz. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ^ "All Time British American Football Tables – 1984". Britball Now. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ "BAFANL Adult Contact Standings". BAFA National Leagues. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ^ "BAFANL League Expansion – Update". Double Coverage. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "BAFA confirms National League 2016 structure". British American Football. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ "BAFANL Standings 2016". Double Coverage. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ Establishing a club
- ^ BAFA Announces New 2017 League Alignments
- ^ http://dblcoverage.com/event/britbowl-xxxi/
- ^ http://dblcoverage.com
- ^ http://Facebook.com/dblcoverage
- ^ "Britbowl XXXIII games to be live streamed by BBC Sport". British American Football Association. Retrieved 6 September 2019.