British American Football League
The British American Football League (BAFL) is the United Kingdom's primary American Football league. It was formerly known as the British Senior League (BSL) until 2005 [1].
The League has 3 divisions: Premier, 1 and 2[2], each with a playoff series and championship game to determine a winner[3]. The Championship participants are promoted to the divisions above and the lowest ranking teams in each division are relegated.
The Championship games, are played at BritBowl which is traditionally hosted at Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium.
Britbowl champions
| Year | Name | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | BritBowl XXI | London Blitz | 16-6 | Coventry Jets |
| 2006 | BritBowl XX | London Olympians | 45-30 | London Blitz |
| 2005 | BritBowl XIX | London O's | 21-19 | PA Knights |
| 2004 | Div 1 Bowl | PA Knights | 28-14 | London O's |
| 2003 | Div 1 Bowl | London O's | 35-7 | East Kilbride Pirates |
| 2002 | Div 1 Bowl | London O's | 42-15 | PA Knights |
| 2001 | Div 1 Bowl | London O's | 37-20 | East Kilbride Pirates |
| 2000 | Div 1 Bowl | London O's | 34-26 | Birmingham Bulls |
| 1999 | Div 1 Bowl | London O's | 9-6 | Birmingham Bulls |
| 1998 | Div 1 Bowl | London O's | 20-0 | Sussex Thunder |
| 1997 | Div 1 Bowl | Redbridge Fire [4] | 26-7 | Nottingham Caesars |
| 1996 | Div 1 Bowl | Leicester Panthers | 10-6 | Milton Keynes Pioneers |
| 1995 | Div 1 Bowl | Birmingham Bulls | 34-30 | London Olympians |
| 1994 | Div 1 Bowl | London Olympians | 24-23 | Birmingham Bulls |
Teams of BAFL
2008 Season
BAFL Premier
As of May 2008, the BAFL's Premier Division is comprised of seven teams, following the late withdrawal of the London Olympians from the 2008 season.[6] However, the Olympians have announced that they are preparing to re-enter the league in 2009 after going through a reorganisation. [7]
- Birmingham Bulls
- Bristol Aztecs
- Coventry Cassidy Jets
- East Kilbride Pirates
- Farnham Fast Lane Knights
- Gateshead Senators
- London Blitz
BAFL 1
BAFL 1 has twelve teams split into the Northern and Southern conferences.[8]
| Division 1 North | Division 1 South |
|---|---|
BAFL 2
BAFL 2 has realigned for 2008 and expanded to 27 teams split into five conferences: North, Central, Eastern, London & South East, and South West. [9]
| Division 2 North | Division 2 Central | Division 2 Eastern | Division 2 London & South East | Division 2 South West |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2007 Season and Reallignment
At the 2006 ‘end of season’ meeting at Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield on Saturday October 7th 2006, the BAFL board of directors announced a realignment of the league for the 2007 season. It was felt that the growing popularity of the sport in Britain and the gradual improvement of playing standards/parity rendered the present League structure obsolete. In a move to ensure more competitive games between teams at all levels, the league would restructure to a national Premier League, who will compete for the BritBowl title. Below the Premier League there would be two tiers of football in Britain, with a flexible structure.
The single conference "BAFL Premier" would consist of a ten game regular season where all teams will play each other at least once. The top four teams at the end of the season will eligible for play off berths and ultimately to compete for places in BritBowl XXI finals. The bottom team will be relegated to BAFL 1.
BAFL 1 would consist of two conferences (north and south). There would be a ten game regular season in each conference and all teams would play each other both home and away. The top three teams in each conference would be eligible for play off berths and the winners of the BAFL 1 national championship would be promoted to BAFL Premier. The bottom teams in each conference will be relegated to BAFL 2.
BAFL 2 would be decided once all applications and successful associates have been confirmed. The finalists of the BAFL 2 national championships will be promoted to BAFL 1.
2007 division breakdown
| BAFL Premier |
|---|
| Birmingham Bulls |
| Bristol Aztecs |
| Coventry Cassidy Jets |
| East Kilbride Pirates |
| Gateshead Senators |
| London Blitz |
| London Olympians |
| Southern Sundevils |
References
- ^ http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Years/2005.html
- ^ http://www.bafl.org.uk
- ^ http://www.bafl.org.uk/artman2/publish/BritBowl_46/index.asp
- ^ http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Years/1994to1997.html
- ^ http://www.britballnow.co.uk/History/Championslist.html
- ^ "Olympians Withdraw". British American Football League (bafl.org.uk). 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
- ^ "The London Olympians Are Here To Stay!". 2008-05-07. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
- ^ http://www.bafl.org.uk/standings.asp?division=1
- ^ http://www.bafl.org.uk/standings.asp?division=2