American Football started in Britain in 1983 after TV Station Channel 4 started showing the NFL. Soon afterwards other Atlantic Nations such as Ireland, Brittany and Galicia started playing aswell. This is a Statistical History of British and Atlantic Football Leagues with a particular focus on Irish Connections.
American Football in Britain was first played in 1984 and at its’ height in the late-1980s had more than 200 affiliated adult teams.
While it suffered a slow retreat in the late 1990s it began to grow again the 2000s, helped in no small part by the NFL (National Football League) playing a series of Regular Season matches there every year.
There are now Adult Mens and Women’s Leagues or Youth, Junior, Cadet and Pee Wee Leagues in either full contact pads and helmets Football or non-contact Flag Football in 11on11, 9on9, 7on7, 6on6 or 5on5 variations.
See also English National Leagues and Celtic National Leagues for Country and Regional Level Leagues.
Picture Credit: [1] American Football International (2013) logo [Internet] Available from: https://www.britishamericanfootball.org/Images/logo.png [Accessed 30 August 2017]
British National Leagues
Britain (BAFA – British American Football Association)
Britain: Level 1:
British American Football Association Britbowl Finals 1985-Present
BAFA National Leagues Premiership (Seasons): 2019
BAFA Budweiser League National Division:
British American Football Merit League (Seasons): 1984
Britain Level 2:
BAFA Budweiser League Premier Division:
British American Football Non-Merit Table (Seasons): 1984
Britain Level 3:
BAFA National Leagues Southern Football Conference 2 (Seasons): 2019
BAFA Budweiser League Division 1
Britain: Level 4:
British Gridiron Football League 1987-1988
British University Foootball
Britain: British Colleges & Universities Football:
British Collegiate American Football League 1985-1990
British Collegiate American Football League 1990-1994
British Women’s Football
British American Football Association Women’s Sapphire Series Division 1 2017-2019
British Youth Kitted
BYAFA YKL (Results): 1996 1993 1992 1991
BYAFA Youth Kitted Friendlies (Results): 1992
Picture Credit: [1] American Football International (2013) logo [Internet] Available from: https://www.britishamericanfootball.org/Images/logo.png [Accessed 30 August 2017]
National
From 1988 to 1994 the National Passball League in England played an independent schedule with teams such as the Cannock Chase Giants, a possible reference to the Celtic Archaeology of Staffordshire.
See also Celtic National Leagues for Country and Regional Level Leagues.
English National and Regional Leagues
National (NPL)
National Passball League
National Passball League (Britannia) 1988-1993
National Passball League (Seasons):
1991 Final: Thames Valley Thunderbolts 41 London Gators 15
English Regional Leagues
English Regional Leagues
Northern England and East Midlands
BGFL British Gridiron Football League (5th Level 1987)
BGFL Brit Bowl 1987: Mersey Centurions 20 Leicester Hunstmen 16
Yorkshire:
Yorkshire Rose Winter League (Seasons): 1993
Greater London Area and South East England: Capital League (5th Level 1987):
Capital Bowl 1987: LA Panthers 22 St. Albans Kestrels 20
English Regional Pre-Season and Winter Tournaments
North West England: North England Friendlies (Seasons): 1994
Midlands: West Bromwich Sevens Tournament (Seasons): 1993
East England: Home Counties Friendlies (Seasons): 1993
South East England: Christine Crawley Charity Cup (Seasons): 1993
South West England: Oxford Passball Tournament (Seasons): 1993
Picture Credit: [1] American Football International (2013) logo [Internet] Available from: https://www.britishamericanfootball.org/Images/logo.png [Accessed 30 August 2017]
British Flag Football
English Senior Flag Football
English Senior Flag League 9v9 Senior Championship 2003-2005
British Senior Flag League 9v9 Senior Championship 1998-2002
British Senior Flag Tournaments
BSFL 5 on 5 Tournaments (Results and Match Reports):
English Youth Flag Football (14-18 Years Old)
National Flag Football Association Youth League (Seasons):
Junior Gridiron League Youth League (14-18 y.o.) (Seasons):
Youth Flag Football (South East England) (Seasons):
English Junior Flag Football (12-14 Years Old)
NGA National Gridiron Association Junior Flag Tournaments (12-14 y.o.):
Junior Gridiron League Junior League (9-15 y.o.) (Seasons):
English Youth Two Touch Football
Junior Gridiron League Youth Two Touch League (South England) (Seasons):
Junior Gridiron League Junior Two Touch League (South Britain) (Seasons):
Northern Junior Gridiron League Two Touch (North England) (Seasons):
JAFL Junior American Football League (England and Wales 14-18 y.o.)
There have been Independent Leagues in the Celtic Countries (Regions) of Western Europe since the Thistle American Football League and North West and Welsh Counties American Football League in 1987.
Scotland
Copyright: unkreatives
From 1995 to 1998 the Scottish Gridiron Association broke away from the British American Football Association before remerging in 1999.
Wales
Copyright: lumyaisweet
n 1987 there was an Independent American Football League comprising teams in North Wales and the North West of England
Brittany
Copyright: 1enchik
From 1997 to 2005 Conference Ouest in Brittany formed an Independent Association in North West France before again merging with the Federation Francais de Football Americain
Galicia
Copyright: sateda
From 2012 to 2016 it was Galicia, in North West Iberia’s turn to be an Independent Association, before merging again with the Federation Espanola de Football Americano.
Celtic National Leagues
Scotland (SGA); Wales (NWWCAFL); Brittany (Conf’Ouest); Galicia (AGFA)
Ireland (AFI):
As this is an Irish Sports Archive there is much more on American Football Ireland covered, so Ireland has its own page at: American Football Ireland
Scotland (SGA)
Scottish American Football
Scottish 7v7 Football Friendlies (Seasons and Match Reports):
Scottish Gridiron Association Bowl Finals 1995-1998
Caledonian Thistle American Football League 1987-1988
Scottish American Football Capital Bowl 1986-1990
Capital Bowl (Seasons): 1990 1989
Scottish Youth Kitted
Scottish Youth Kitted Friendlies (Seasons):
Scottish Flag Football
Scottish Flag Football Association Senior 2003-2007
Scottish Flag Football Friendlies 1993-94
Scottish Youth Flag Football
Scottish Youth Leagues and Tournaments (U18)
Scottish Claymores Flag Football Association Youth League (Seasons): 1996
Scottish Junior Leagues and Tournaments (U15)
Scottish Flag Football Association Junior Bowl Tournaments:
Wales (NWWCAFL)
North West & Welsh Counties American Football
Wales Friendlies (Seasons): 1993
North West & Welsh Counties American Football League 1987
Brittany (Conf’Ouest)
Brittany American Football
Conference Ouest (Brittany American Football) 1997-2005