United States Australian Football League
USAFL logo.png
SportAustralian rules football
Founded1996
Inaugural season1997[1][2]
No. of teams51 (men's) and 27 (women's)[1]
CountryUSA
Most recent
champion(s)
Men's: Austin Crows
(7th premiership)
Women's: San Francisco Iron Maidens
(6th premiership)
(2021)
Most titlesMen: Denver Bulldogs
(8 premierships)
Women: Denver Bulldogs and San Francisco Iron Maidens
(6 premierships)
TV partner(s)Go Live Sports Cast Youtube
Official websitewww.usafl.com

The United States Australian Football League (USAFL) is the governing body for Australian rules football in the United States. It was conceived in 1996 and organized in 1997. It is based in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

As of 2011, there were over 1,000 registered USAFL players.[3][4] There are 50 member clubs, of which 48 have men's teams (all except North Star Blue Ox and the Centennial Tigers) and 27 have women's teams.[1] Most of the football clubs in the United States have a traditional 18-a-side team for representative purposes and multiple 9-a-side teams running in a local league.

Each year the USAFL holds a National club championship, a tournament open to all clubs across the nation, the largest of its type in the world for the sport. In addition to the Nationals, the USAFL holds major regional tournaments including the Central, East and West regional tournaments.[5]

The USAFL selects the national men's (USA Revolution) and women's (USA Freedom) teams for competitions such as the Australian Football International Cup and the 49th Parallel Cup.

History

Main article: Australian rules football in the United States

CRBR Park Stadium is the largest purpose built cricket/Australian football ground in the United States. It has a capacity of 20,000.
CRBR Park Stadium is the largest purpose built cricket/Australian football ground in the United States. It has a capacity of 20,000.

The first match between two local US clubs was played in 1996 between Cincinnati and Louisville.[6] 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 via the then-nascent ESPN cable network. Although the local game grew, ESPN no longer broadcast AFL matches, and in response the lobby group, Australian Football Association of North America 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.

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.

Robert DiPierdomenico, Leigh Matthews and Michael Voss are official USAFL ambassadors.

National teams

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. At the 2011 Australian Football International Cup, the Revolution finished 4th in an increased field of 18 countries. The Revolution finished 8th at the 2014 Australian Football International Cup, again with 18 countries participating.

Domestic tournaments and competitions

USAFL clubs and representative sides

Football Map

United States Australian Football League is located in the United States
Birmingham
Wasatch
AFL Richmond Icon.jpg
Centennial
EssendonDesign.svg
Rome
Grovetown
Balmain colours.svg
Baltimore
USAFL Cleveland icon.png
Cleveland
Savannah
  North Texas
AFL St Kilda Icon.jpg
Jacksonville
AFL St Kilda Icon.jpg
Wisconsin
  Twin Cities
Woodville Warriors design.jpg
Little Rock
Carlton AFL icon.svg
St. Louis
Carlton AFL icon.svg
Oklahoma
Moewglfl.PNG
Virginia
USAFL Baton Rouge Icon.jpg
Tampa Bay

USAFL Teams

Club City State Region Est. Titles (M) Titles (F) Website
AFL Hawthorn Icon.jpg
Arizona Hawks
Phoenix Arizona West 1999 Link
Australian colours.svg
Atlanta Kookaburras
Atlanta Georgia East 1998 3 Link
Adelaide Club symbol.svg
Austin Crows
Austin Texas Central 2002 7 Link
Balmain colours.svg
Baltimore Dockers
Baltimore Maryland East 2017 Link
USAFL Baton Rouge Icon.jpg
Baton Rouge Tigers
Baton Rouge Louisiana Central 2004 Link
Birmingham Bushrangers Birmingham Alabama East 2020 Link
AFL Melbourne Icon.jpg
Boston Demons
Boston Massachusetts East 1997 2 Link
AFL Richmond Icon.jpg
Centennial Tigers
Centennial Colorado Central 2020 Link
AFL Sydney Icon.jpg
Chicago Swans
Chicago Illinois Central 1998 Link
Cincinnati Dockers Icon.jpg
Cincinnati Dockers
Cincinnati Ohio Central 1996 1 Link
USAFL Cleveland icon.png
Cleveland Cannons
Cleveland Ohio Central 2014 Link
AFL Geelong Icon.jpg
Columbus Cats
Columbus Ohio Central 2008 Link
Collingwood icon.svg
Dallas Dingoes
Dallas Texas Central 1998 Link
AFL West Coast Eagles Icon.png
DC Eagles
Washington District of Columbia East 2017 Link
AFL Footscray Icon.jpg
Denver Bulldogs
Denver Colorado Central 1998 8 6 Link
RedlegsDesign.png
Des Moines Roosters
Des Moines Iowa Central 2010 Link
Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids Fort Lauderdale Florida East 2005 Link
Balmain colours.svg
Golden Gate Roos
San Francisco California West 1998 1 6 Link
Grovetown Pirates Grovetown Georgia East 2021 Link
AFL West Coast Eagles Icon.png
Hawai'i Eagles
Honolulu Hawaii West 2019 Link
USAFL Houston icon.jpg
Houston Lonestars
Houston Texas Central 2005 Link
AFL GWS Icon.jpg
Indianapolis Giants
Indianapolis Indiana Central 2013 Link
AFL St Kilda Icon.jpg
Jacksonville Saints
Jacksonville Florida East 2018 Link
AFL Port Adelaide 1997-2009 Icon.jpg
Kansas City Power
Kansas City Missouri Central 1998 Link
  Las Vegas Gamblers Las Vegas Nevada West 2005 Link
USAFL LA Dragons Icon.jpeg
Los Angeles Dragons
Los Angeles California West 2010 Link
Cincinnati Dockers Icon.jpg
Louisville Kings
Louisville Kentucky Central 1996 Link
Maine Cats colors.png
Maine Cats
Portland Maine East 2018 Link
EssendonDesign.svg
Milwaukee Bombers
Milwaukee Wisconsin Central 1998 1 Link
Minnesota Freeze Minneapolis Minnesota Central 2005 Link
Nashville Kangaroos colors.png
Nashville Kangaroos
Nashville Tennessee Central 1997 Link
Port Adelaide SANFL Icon.jpg
New York Magpies
New York New York East 1998 2 Link
AFL Richmond Icon.jpg
North Carolina Tigers
Raleigh North Carolina East 1997 Link
North Star Blue Ox Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minnesota Central 2017 Link
North Texas Devils Plano Texas Central 2020 Link
Carlton AFL icon.svg
Oklahoma Buffaloes
Oklahoma City /Tulsa Oklahoma Central 2017 Link
Oc.png
Orange County Giants
Orange County California West 1998 Link
BurnieHawksDesign.PNG
Philadelphia Hawks
Philadelphia Pennsylvania East 1998 Link
Usafl portland.png
Portland AFC
Portland Oregon West 1998 Link
EssendonDesign.svg
Rome Redbacks
Rome Georgia East 2018 Link
AFL Gold Coast Icon.jpg
Sacramento Suns
Sacramento California West 2009 Link
Moewglfl.PNG
San Diego Lions
San Diego California West 1997 2 Link
AFL St Kilda Icon.jpg
Savannah Hurricane
Savannah Georgia East 2017 Link
  Seattle Grizzlies Seattle Washington West 1998 Link
Carlton AFL icon.svg
Saint Louis AFC
St. Louis Missouri Central 1997 Link
USAFL Baton Rouge Icon.jpg
Tampa Bay Tiger Sharks
Tampa Bay Florida East 2017 Link
Moewglfl.PNG
Virginia Lions
Richmond Virginia East 2018 Link
AFL North Melbourne Icon.jpg
Wasatch War Gulls
Wasatch County Utah Central 2017 Link
AFL St Kilda Icon.jpg
Wisconsin Wombats
Madison Wisconsin Central 2017 Link

Associate Members (via AFL Canada)

Club City State Region Est. Titles (M) Titles (F) Website
AFL North Melbourne Icon.jpg
Calgary Kangaroos
Calgary Alberta AFL Canada 2002 3 Link
AFL North Melbourne Icon.jpg
Quebec Saints
Montreal Quebec AFL Canada 2008 Link

Previous clubs

Club Years in competition Reason for Disbandment
Adelaide Club symbol.svg
Arizona Outlaws
2018 - 2021 Absorbed back into Arizona Hawks
AFL West Coast Eagles Icon.png
Baltimore Washington Eagles
1998 - 2017 Split to form Baltimore Dockers and DC Eagles
AFL St Kilda Icon.jpg
Charleston Saints
2011 - 2015 Folded
  Detroit Overdrive 1999 - 2006 Folded
Canadacolours.png
Florida Redbacks
1999 - 2013 Folded
  Illinois Ironmen 2000 - 2004 Merged with Chicago Swans
AFL West Coast Eagles Icon.png
Inland Empire Eagles
1997 - 2002 Folded
 Lehigh Valley Crocs 1999 - 2003 Absorbed by Philadelphia Hawks
Woodville Warriors design.jpg
Little Rock Coyotes
2017 - 2021 Folded
Adelaide Club symbol.svg
Los Angeles Crows
1996 - 2003 Folded
  Mojave Greens 2003 - 2006 Folded
  Oklahoma City Flyers 2016 - 2017 Merged with Tulsa to form Oklahoma Football Club
  Pittsburgh Wallabies 2004 - 2006 Absorbed by Philadelphia Hawks
AFL Hawthorn Icon.jpg
South Carolina Hawks
1999 - 2001 Folded
AFL Sydney Icon.jpg
Tampa Bay Starfish/St. Petersburg Swans
2014 - 2017 Left to create Major League Footy, both folded in 2019
StKildaDesign.svg
Tri Cities Saints
1999 - 2004 Folded
  Tucson Javelinas 1999 - 2004 Folded
StKildaDesign.svg
Tulsa Buffaloes
2010 - 2017 Merged with Oklahoma City to form Oklahoma Football Club

[8]

Affiliated leagues

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Australian football makes inroads in Baltimore one bounce, kick and bump at a time". The Baltimore Sun. 26 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Aussie rules tackling the USA". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 September 2011.
  3. ^ "AFL International Development Regional Plan 2012-2016" (PDF). United States Australian Football League. May 2012. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  4. ^ Maine, Jim (2012). Aussie Rules For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-118-34875-8. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  5. ^ U.S. Australian Football League hosts regional tournament in the Twin Cities by Ren Clayton for CBS Minnesota. 18 June 2022
  6. ^ "MAAFL League History". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  7. ^ "USAFL Club List". USAFL.((cite web)): CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "USAFL".