Polish American Football League
Current season, competition or edition: 2015 PLFA season | |
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| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 2006 |
| Founder | PZFA |
| First season | 2006 season |
| CEO | Jędrzej Stęszewski |
| No. of teams | 8 (Topliga) 10 (PLFA I) 21 (PLFA II) 20 (PLFA8) 17 (PLFAJ) |
| Country |  Poland |
| Most recent champion(s) | Seahawks Gdynia |
| Most titles | Warsaw Eagles, The Crew Wrocław, Seahawks Gdynia (2 titles) |
| Official website | plfa.pl |
The Polish American Football League or shortly PLFA (Template:Lang-pl) is a structured system for the American football competitions in Poland founded in 2006 by the Polish federation PZFA. In 2012 the Topliga was created as a major league with a bid (invitation) rule. The remaining teams are divided into two leagues (PLFA I and PLFA II) between which there is promotion and relegation. There are two eight-man football competitions: PLFA 8 for reserve teams and smaller clubs, and PLFA J for under-17 players.
The top four teams from the Topliga regular season enter the playoffs and the winners meet in the championship game called the SuperFinał (more commonly known as the Polish Bowl). The PLFA I championship game is called the PLFA Cup Game.
In the 2013 season there were 74 teams in 5 leagues. 57 teams played 11-man football (8 teams in the Topliga, 8 teams in the PLFA I and 21 teams in the PLFA II) and other 37 teams played 8-man football competitions: 20 senior teams and 17 junior teams). The TopLiga and PLFA I are divided into two divisions, PLFA II into three divisions, and PLFA 8 and PLFAJ into five divisions based on geographical reasons.
History
American football is arguably the fastest growing sport in Poland, which appeared in Poland in 1999, when a pioneer initiative was established in Warsaw. The Polish American Football Association (Template:Lang-pl or PZFA) was created in November 2004, initiated by the first two American football teams: Warsaw Eagles and 1. KFA Wielkopolska. Its founding was a response to the dynamic growth of the American football movement in Poland.
The first game between Polish teams (still without professional equipment) was played in December 2005 in Poznań. The first international game, officiated by professionals, was played in March 2006 – The Warsaw Eagles took on Czech team Pardubice Stallions in a game played in Warsaw. From that moment on, teams began to be established in different parts of the country.
The Polish American Football League started in October 2006 with just 4 teams. There were 9 teams competing for the second championship in 2007. In 2008, the league split into two divisions - PLFA I (8 teams) and PLFA II (9 teams). There were 22 teams competing for the 2009 season and 21 for the 2010 season. 2011- 34 teams, 2012- 42 teams, and 2013- 74 teams.
Season structure
The regular season in the Topliga starts in March/April and ends in June/July. Each team plays nine games competing against every other team in the division (4 or 5 home games and 5 or 4 away games). A team is awarded two points for a win, one point for a tie, and zero points for a loss (a tie only occurs if the overtime can not be played). After a regular season, the top four teams qualify for the play-offs (1st place against 4th place and 2nd against 3rd) and the Semi-Final winners meet in the championship game called SuperFinal; there is no 3rd place game.
Game rules
Playing rules are based on those of the NCAA College football with minor modifications, e.g.:
- 12-minutes quarter
- minimum field markings
- unsportsmanlike conduct for excessive celebrations after plays, similar to the NFL rules
- no Instant replay
Rules are adopted with a one-year delay. For example, 2011 NCAA game rule changes was adopted for 2012 PLFA season.
Before 2012 coaches, players and officials used the English-language NCAA Rulebook. In February 2012, Rulebook was translated for Polish language by Officiating Department chairman.[1]
Champions
| Season | PLFA I | PLFA II | — | PLFA 8 (8v8) |
— |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Warsaw Eagles | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | The Crew Wrocław | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | Warsaw Eagles | Lowlanders Białystok | — | — | — |
| 2009 | Silesia Miners | Zagłębie Steelers | — | — | — |
| 2010 | Devils Wrocław | Bielawa Owls | — | — | — |
| 2011 | The Crew Wrocław | Warsaw Spartans | — | Warsaw Eagles B | — |
| Season | Topliga | PLFA I | PLFA II | PLFA 8 (8v8) |
PLFA J (under-17, 8v8) |
| 2012 | Seahawks Gdynia | Warsaw Spartans | Tychy Falcons | Seahawks Gdynia | Warsaw Eagles |
| 2013 | Giants Wrocław | Husaria Szczecin | Królewscy Warszawa | Zagłębie Steelers | Bielawa Owls |
| 2014 | Seahawks Gdynia | Husaria Szczecin | Silesia Rebels | Warsaw Eagles C | Panthers Wrocław |
| 2015 |
Teams
Current
Former
| Team | City | Years active |
|---|---|---|
| Czerwone Byki Poznań | Poznań | 2008-10 |
| Scyzory Kielce | Kielce | 2009-10 |
| Torpedy Łódź | Łódź | 2008-11 |
| Radom Rocks | Radom | 2009 |
| The Crew Wrocław | Wrocław | 2006-11 |
| Fireballs Wielkopolska | Poznań | 2006-11 |
| Warriors Ruda Śląska | Ruda Śląska | 2009-11 |
See also
References
- ^ "Przepisy futbolu amerykańskiego ... po polsku!" (in Polish). pzfa.pl. 11 Feb 2012. Retrieved 17 Nov 2012.
- ^ http://en.plfa.pl/tables/8
- ^ http://en.plfa.pl/
