- BAFA National Leagues
-
Sport American football Founded 2010 No. of teams 70 Country(ies) England, Scotland, Wales Official website http://www.bafanl.co.uk 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 to coordinate contact football and flag football across all age ranges. A total of 70 teams compete within the leagues.
Contents
Teams
Senior contact
Like most sports in Europe, but unlike most American football leagues, the BAFA senior league uses the system of promotion and relegation, with the league divided into three divisions, "Premiership," "Division 1" and "Division 2".[1]
Premier
The BAFA's Premier Division for the 2011 season comprises six teams, including the Tamworth team who won the previous year's Division One play-off final.[2] Each team plays each other once at home and once away, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season play-offs.
- Bristol Aztecs
- Coventry Cassidy Jets
- Farnham Fast Lane Knights
- London Blitz
- London Warriors
- Tamworth Phoenix
Division 1
Division 1 comprises 18 teams split into three regional conferences. These include Sussex Thunder, who were relegated from the Premier Division, while three teams were promoted from Division Two; Edinburgh Wolves enter the North conference, Manchester Titans enter the Central conference, and London Olympians enter the South conference after winning the divisional play-off. Each team plays each other once at home and once away, with the top two teams in each conference qualifying for the play-offs together with the two best third-placed teams.
Division 1 North Division 1 Central Division 1 South - Doncaster Mustangs
- East Kilbride Pirates
- Gateshead Senators
- Manchester Titans
- Merseyside Nighthawks
- Yorkshire Rams
- Birmingham Bulls
- Cambridgeshire Cats
- Leicester Falcons
- Nottingham Caesars
- Oxford Saints
- Peterborough Saxons
- Colchester Gladiators
- East Kent Mavericks
- Hampshire Thrashers
- Ipswich Cardinals
- London Olympians
- Sussex Thunder
Division 2
Division 2 comprises 27 teams split into four regional conferences. This includes the Bournemouth Bobcats, Bristol Apache and Carlisle Border Reivers who were accepted into the league as its newest members, plus the Dundee Hurricanes, Kent Exiles and South Wales Warriors who dropped down from Division 1. Each team plays each other once at home and once away. The top two teams in each conference qualify for the play-offs.
Division 2 North Division 2 Central Division 2 East Division 2 West - Carlisle Border Reivers
- Clyde Valley Blackhawks
- Dundee Hurricanes
- Edinburgh Wolves
- Glasgow Tigers
- Highland Wildcats
- West Coast Trojans
- Chester Romans
- Hull Hornets
- Lancashire Wolverines
- Lincolnshire Bombers
- Sheffield Predators
- Shropshire Revolution
- Staffordshire Surge
- Berkshire Renegades
- Bournemouth Bobcats
- Bristol Apache
- Cornish Sharks
- South Wales Warriors
Junior contact
The junior contact league (competed by players between the ages of 16 and 19) comprises 26 teams divided into four regional divisions.[1]
North Central East South - Forth Valley Fusion
- Gateshead Senators
- Lanarkshire Longhorns
- Lancashire Wolverines
- Leeds Varsity Bobcats
- Manchester Titans
- Birmingham Bulls
- Coventry Jets
- Nottingham Caesars
- Leicester Falcons
- Sheffield Tomahawks
- Tamworth Phoenix
- Cambridgeshire Cats
- Colchester Gladiators
- East Kent Mavericks
- Kent Exiles
- Maidstone Pumas
- Peterborough Saxons
- Bristol Aztecs
- Farnham Knights
- Hampshire Thrashers
- London Blitz
- London Warriors
- Reading Rebels
- Sussex Thunder
Youth contact
The youth contact league (competed by players between the ages of 14 and 17) comprises 16 teams divided into three regional divisions.[1]
North Scotland South - Balby Carr Mustangs
- Bolton Bulldogs
- Burnley Tornadoes
- Chorley Buccaneers
- Sheffield Tomahawks
- Woodham Warriors
- Clyde Valley Falcons
- Edinburgh Wolves
- Glasgow Tigers
- Highland Wildcats
- Inverclyde Nix
- Coventry Jets
- Kent Exiles
- London Blitz
- London Warriors
- Marlow Wolves
References
- ^ a b c "Football (Contact)". BAFA Community Leagues. http://bafacl.com/page.do?id=8933365. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
- ^ Thomson, Paul (22 September 2010). "Britbowl jitters get the better of Pirates". East Kilbride News. http://www.eastkilbridenews.co.uk/lanarkshire-sport/other-sport-lanarkshire/2010/09/22/britbowl-jitters-get-the-better-of-pirates-68653-27314027/. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
External links
Categories:- American football in the United Kingdom
- American football leagues in Europe
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.