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United States Australian Football League

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United States Australian Football League
SportAustralian rules football
Founded1996
First season1997[1][2]
No. of teams47 (men's) and 25 (women's)[1]
CountryUSA
Most recent
champion(s)		Men's: Austin Crows
(9th premiership)
Women's: Minnesota Freeze
(1st premiership)
(2024)
Most titlesMen: Austin Crows
(9 premierships)
Women: Golden Gate Iron Maidens
(7 premierships)
TV partner(s)Youtube
Official websiteusafl.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 48 member clubs, of which 47 have men's teams (all except North Star Blue Ox) and 25 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

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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.

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

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[needs update]

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 Australian Football International Cup. As of the last edition in 2023, the Revolution men have won eleven of the twelve meetings against the Canada Northwind, while the Freedom women have fallen to the Canada Northern Lights in five of seven contests.

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. They would come in 4th at the 2017 Australian Football International Cup which, as of 2024, was the last edition.

After completing a tour of Australia in 2009, the Freedom were one of five teams to compete in the first International Cup Women's Division at the 2011 Australian Football International Cup, finishing third. At the 2014 Australian Football International Cup, the Freedom finished in third place again while a reserves team, the USA Liberty, came in last of the seven competing teams. Three years later, the Freedom finished fourth at the 2017 Australian Football International Cup while the Liberty went 3-2 in five matches against teams from various leagues in and around Melbourne.

After the postponement and subsequent cancellation of the International Cup in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024, both the Revolution and Freedom took part in the 2024 AFL Transatlantic Cup, one of three regional tournaments scheduled by the AFL to sustain the international Aussie Rules game until the International Cup could be restored. Both American teams would advance to the Grand Final, and both would lose to Ireland.

Domestic tournaments and competitions

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USAFL clubs and representative sides

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Football Map

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USAFL Senior Teams[7]

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Colours Club Nickname City State Region Est. Titles (M) Titles (F) Website
Arizona Hawks Phoenix Arizona West 1999 Link
Atlanta Kookaburras Atlanta Georgia East 1998 3 Link
Austin Crows Austin Texas Central 2002 9 Link
Baltimore Dockers Baltimore Maryland East 2017 Link
Baton Rouge Tigers Baton Rouge Louisiana Central 2004 Link
Birmingham Bushrangers Birmingham Alabama East 2020 Link
Boston Demons Boston Massachusetts East 1997 2 Link
Chicago Swans Chicago Illinois Central 1998 Link
Cincinnati Dockers Cincinnati Ohio Central 1996 1 Link
Cleveland Cannons Cleveland Ohio Central 2014 Link
Columbus Cats Columbus Ohio Central 2008 Link
Dallas Dingoes Dallas Texas Central 1998 Link
DC Eagles Eagles Washington District of Columbia East 2017 Link
Denver Bulldogs Denver Colorado Central 1998 8 6 Link
Des Moines Roosters Des Moines Iowa Central 2010 Link
Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids Fort Lauderdale Florida East 2005 Link
Golden Gate Roos/Iron Maidens San Francisco California West 1998 1 7 Link
Grovetown Pirates Grovetown Georgia East 2021 Link
Hawai'i Eagles Honolulu Hawaii West 2019 Link
Houston Lonestars Houston Texas Central 2005 Link
Indianapolis Giants Indianapolis Indiana Central 2013 Link
Jacksonville Saints Jacksonville Florida East 2018 Link
Kansas City Power Kansas City Missouri Central 1998 Link
Las Vegas Gamblers Las Vegas Nevada West 2005 Link
Los Angeles Dragons Los Angeles California West 2010 Link
Louisville Kings Louisville Kentucky Central 1996 Link
Maine Cats Portland Maine East 2018 Link
Milwaukee Bombers Milwaukee Wisconsin Central 1998 1 Link
Minnesota Freeze Minneapolis Minnesota Central 2005 1 Link
Nashville Kangaroos Nashville Tennessee Central 1997 Link
New York Magpies New York New York East 1998 2 Link
North Carolina Tigers Raleigh North Carolina East 1997 Link
North Star Blue Ox Blue Ox Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minnesota Central 2017 Link
North Texas Devils Plano Texas Central 2020 Link
Oklahoma Buffaloes Oklahoma City /Tulsa Oklahoma Central 2010 Link
Orange County Giants Orange County California West 1998 Link
Philadelphia Hawks Philadelphia Pennsylvania East 1998 Link
Portland Steelheads/Sockeyes Portland Oregon West 1998 Link
Rome Redbacks Rome Georgia East 2018 Link
Sacramento Suns Sacramento California West 2009 Link
San Diego Lions San Diego California West 1997 2 Link
Savannah Hurricane Savannah Georgia East 2017 Link
Seattle Grizzlies Seattle Washington West 1998 Link
St Louis Blues St. Louis Missouri Central 1997 Link
Tampa Bay Tiger Sharks Tampa Bay Florida East 2017 Link
Virginia Lions Richmond Virginia East 2018 Link
Wasatch WarGulls Wasatch County Utah West 2019 Link
Wisconsin Wombats Madison Wisconsin Central 2017 Link

Associate Members (via AFL Canada)

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Colours Club Nickname City State Region Est. Titles (M) Titles (F) Website
Calgary Kangaroos Calgary Alberta AFL Canada 2002 1 Link
Quebec Saints Montreal Quebec AFL Canada 2008 Link

USAFL Collegiate Teams

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Club Nickname City State Region Est. Senior Club Affiliate
Cincinnati Bearcats Cincinnati Ohio Central 2024 Cincinnati Dockers
William & Mary Tribe Williamsburg Virginia East 2024 Virginia Lions

Previous clubs

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Colours Club Nickname Years in competition Reason for Disbandment
Arizona Outlaws 2018 - 2021 Absorbed back into Arizona Hawks
Baltimore Washington Eagles 1998 - 2017 Split to form Baltimore Dockers and DC Eagles
Charleston Saints 2011 - 2015 Folded
Centennial Tigers 2020 - 2022 Withdrew from league
Detroit Overdrive 1999 - 2006 Folded
Florida Redbacks 1999 - 2013 Folded
Illinois Ironmen 2000 - 2004 Merged with Chicago Swans
Inland Empire Eagles 1997 - 2002 Folded
Lehigh Valley Crocs 1999 - 2003 Absorbed by Philadelphia Hawks
Little Rock Coyotes 2017 - 2021 Folded
Los Angeles Crows 1996 - 2003 Folded
Mojave Greens 2003 - 2006 Folded
Oklahoma City Flyers 2016 - 2017 Absorbed into Oklahoma Buffaloes
Pittsburgh Wallabies 2004 - 2006 Absorbed by Philadelphia Hawks
South Carolina Hawks 1999 - 2001 Folded
St. Petersburg Swans 2014 - 2017 Left to create Major League Footy, both folded in 2019
Tri Cities Saints 1999 - 2004 Folded
Tucson Javelinas 1999 - 2004 Folded

[8]

Affiliated leagues

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See also

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References

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  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.
  8. ^ "USAFL".
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