BAFA National Leagues

BAFA National Leagues

Formerly	British American Football League (1985–2010)
Sport	American football
Founded	(1983) reformed in 2010
First season	reformed 2010
Commissioner	Pete Ackerley
No. of teams	60
Country	England (52 teams) Scotland (7 teams) Wales (1 team)
Headquarters	Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
Most recent champion(s)	Britbowl: Manchester Titans Premier North: Manchester Titans Premier South: London Warriors Division 1 Championship: Hertfordshire Cheetahs NFC 1 Scottish: Highland Stags NFC 1 Central: Northumberland Vikings NFC 1 South: Nottingham Caesars SFC 1 Central: Norwich Devils SFC 1 West: Hertfordshire Cheetahs Division 2 Championship: East Kent Mavericks NFC 2 East: Humber Warhawks NFC 2 West: Shropshire Revolution SFC 2 Central: Hereford Stampede SFC 2 East: East Kent Mavericks SFC 2 West: Somerset Wyverns
Most titles	London Warriors (6 titles)
Related competitions	Britbowl
Official website	britishamericanfootball.org

The BAFANL (BAFA National Leagues) is the primary American football domestic league competition in Great Britain. Originally formed in 1983, the league is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate contact football within England, Scotland and Wales. The top level is the Premier Division and the BritBowl is the annual final championship game. The league was reformed in 2010 following the collapse of the British American Football League, which had run in a number of different guises since the early 1980s. Previous names of the league were the UKAFL (UK American Football League), the Budweiser League and the BNGL (British National Gridiron League). From 1998 until 2005 the league was known as the BSL (British Senior League). Tensions grew throughout 2009 between the directors of BAFL and those of the governing body the British American Football Association, and at the beginning of 2010 the BAFL formally, but unconstitutionally, withdrew from BAFA. This led to uproar from the teams within BAFL, ultimately signalling the end for BAFL as an entity. The league ceased operations on 1 April 2010 and was replaced by the BAFA Community Leagues for the 2010 season, rebranding in 2011 to become the BAFANL. Notable players to have come from the BAFANL who have gone on to play in the NFL are Efe Obada, Aden Durde, Jermaine Allen and Marvin Allen.

Pete Ackerley currently heads the day-to-day operations of the BAFANL. The league operates a summer season and begins in April and plays through until August, with play-off games running into September. There are currently 60 teams who compete in 12 regional divisions across three levels of football. The 12 teams who contest both the two BAFA Premier Divisions compete to reach the annual Britbowl final, whereas teams in the second and third level aim to earn promotion to the Division above, attempting to reach one of the Divisional bowl finals. The current champions are the Manchester Titans who won the 2023 Britbowl as well as the Premier Division North, after defeating the London Warriors for the second successive time in the 2023 Britbowl final.

History

The London Blitz prior to their 2011 EFAF Cup match in Spain

American football was introduced to the United Kingdom during the early part of the 20th century by American servicemen stationed in the country. The first recorded match took place on 23 November 1910 at Crystal Palace, London, where a team made up of the crew from USS Idaho defeated their counterparts from USS Vermont 19–0. During the Second World War, matches were played by American and Canadian servicemen stationed in the UK at venues throughout the country. This included the 'Tea Bowl' game played at the White City Stadium in 1944, and this was followed by the creation of the United States Armed Forces Europe (USAFE) league in 1946. This league consisted of teams from American military bases throughout Europe, with one of the league's three conferences made up of teams based in the UK – teams from this conference won the league championship thirteen times until the competition ceased in 1993.

The first teams open to British players were established in 1983, and competition began the following year in the form of a series of one-off games. The match results were compiled into a 'Merit Table', with teams playing more than three games eligible for the championship—the first champions were the London Ravens, who won all ten of their matches.

Tensions grew throughout 2009 between the directors of the British American Football League and those of the governing body the British American Football Association, and at the beginning of 2010 the BAFL formally, but unconstitutionally, withdrew from BAFA. This led to uproar from the teams within BAFL, ultimately signalling the end for BAFL as an entity. The league ceased operations on 1 April 2010. The league was replaced by the BAFA Community Leagues for the 2010 season. This organisation, run under the umbrella of the governing body, rebranded in 2011 to become the BAFA National Leagues. Hundreds of clubs have since been formed, playing both full contact football and flag football at senior, university and youth level. Many of these clubs have since folded, renamed or merged with other local teams, but a few of the older clubs survive today.

Season format

British counties with BAFANL teams in 2023
  NFC (Northern Football Conference)
  SFC (Southern Football Conference)

The BAFANL is contested by teams from England, Scotland, and Wales. Teams from Northern Ireland compete under competition from American Football Ireland and therefore do not compete with teams from the rest of the United Kingdom. The regular season format consists of two Conferences, the Northern Football Conference (NFC) and Southern Football Conference (SFC), within each Conference there are three levels of competition starting at Premier Division and filtering down to Divisions One and Two. Teams can be switched between the NFC and SFC depending on the geographic location of each team at the beginning of the season. In the past when Division One has been loaded with teams from the middle of England there has been a designated Midlands Football Conference (MFC), although this is currently defunct. The current format consists of a ten-game season for Premier Division teams and Division One teams, with Division Two now playing eight games. The league is a summer sport in the UK and runs opposite to the NFL, with teams beginning pre-season training in January to compete in the regular season that takes place between April and August. The play-off games usually running into September, with the finals taking place towards the middle of the month. Following the climax of the regular season, the eventual winners and runners-up from both Premier Divisions make up the semi-final round in which they will compete to win a place in the Britbowl. Since 2014, the Britbowl winners will automatically qualify to play in the IFAF Europe Champions League for the following season. European games run aside the clubs domestic season, prior to 2014 qualification was for the EFAF Cup.

Unlike American football competitions in North America such as the NFL, NCAA and CFL, American football in the UK runs a similar promotion and relegation format to that of association football (soccer) in the United Kingdom. Teams from the Division One and Division Two aim to win promotion to the Division above by attempting to reach their respective play-off final. The team that finishes bottom of their division (excluding Division Two) are relegated to their relevant regional division in the level below. Although there is no active on-the-field promotion process to Division Two, there are a number of non-league sides who operate in the "associate process". Instead of playing to win promotion to the league these teams must gain entry by application to the British American Football Association and must meet a number of different criteria from playing a number of assessed exhibition games, sustainability, facilities and good coaching practice. BAFA have the ability to relegate any BAFANL team back to associate status if that club are failing to make the standard expected of them. If a team withdraws from the season but indicate their wish to continue operating then they will spend the following season at associate level.

The game itself is run following the latest NCAA rules, this has been in practice since the 2005 season. There is currently no limit on roster size, unlike the NFL's 53 man setup. Unlike the majority of top European leagues, British American football is currently amateur as opposed to pro or semi-professional. Clubs largely operate and turnover financially through sponsorship and player subscriptions. Whereas it is not currently illegal for a team to pay a wage to coaches, they are forbidden from paying a wage to players. Players currently have to pay a yearly fee to BAFA as well as contributing to the club they play for, regardless of stature or whether the player has been a professional elsewhere. The transfer window for players being allowed to move teams usually opens in October and closes midway through the season in July. Transfers are all handled through an online portal registration system in which the player requests the move and has to wait for both teams to accept the deal before finalisation is sent to BAFA.

Players

Players in the BAFANL are largely made up of British nationals who due to the league's current status have to pay a subscription fee to both the league and their respective clubs. British league teams in earlier years were allowed to pay players and most teams had paid US import professionals. Clubs are currently not permitted to pay a wage to any player, but coaches and other staff members are able to receive a wage. There are currently no limits on roster size unlike the NFL's 53 man roster. The minimum age of BAFANL contact player is 18 years old, however players are allowed to play to youth football until the age of 19. Female players are currently permitted to participate in the league as well as the BAFA ran Women's National Football League. Premier League and some Division One sides tend to operate a try-out basis to recruit potential players over several training sessions, where as other sides tend to operate an inclusive grassroots approach with any player wishing to compete taken on board as long as they are fit enough to do so. A lot of football recruitment tends to come from other sports largely former rugby union players.

In 2019 BAFA announced all non-British players who play within the league have to have a permanent residence address in the UK and had to have been residing in the country for six months and suspended all players who did not meet these criteria, this was largely brought in due to Leicester Falcons partnership with US College side Baker Wildcats who in turned signed a significant number of U.S. athletes to their side following promotion to the BAFA Premier North. Tamworth Phoenix flagged an incident with BAFA in which a Baker player had attempted to broker a deal to play with them, with the player reported Leicester had offered to pay a wage of £1,000 per month and a free master's degree. Leicester were forced to cut ties with the Baker athletes prior to the first game of the 2019 season; they were eventually relegated back to Division 1 with a 2–8 record.

Famous players to have played in the BAFANL include Efe Obada, who played for the London Warriors in 2014 and later played in the NFL. Aden Durde and Jermaine Allen of the London Olympians played in both the NFL Europe and the NFL, with Durde later staying in the NFL as a positional coach. Marvin Allen of the London Warriors also later moved to play in the NFL. Players to have come from the NFL to the BAFANL include Denver Broncos quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt and San Diego Chargers linebacker Jason Brisbane.

England's Rugby Union World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson and GB Olympics sprinter Dwain Chambers also played the sport briefly, as well as television presenters Dermot O'Leary and Vernon Kay and actors Ricky Whittle and Chris Fountain.

Media coverage

The Britbowl as well as the divisional play-off finals have been on YouTube via DblCoverage.com and Onside Productions. The programmes feature in-game commentary and interviews. Onside began operating by streaming Nottingham Caesars games coined as "Caesars TV" in 2016 before being brought on by DblCoverage.com to broadcast the national finals as well as Great Britain national American football team games

Double Coverage (DblCoverage.com) was the largest British American football-focused media outlet and community hub, it featured news, league results and standings for all formats of the contact game, as well as opinion articles and editorials, their social media pages represented the largest online community of British American Football players and fans. However the site was taken down at the end of the 2019 season and the social media platform is now dormant. Sportank (previously Gridiron Hub) is now the UK's main American football outlet and covers all of the topics that were previously featured on Double Coverage.

In 2019, Onside provided the livestream of the U19 Junior National Championship and BritBowl XXXIII for BBC Sport.

Other popular media platforms include the podcast Exs and O's and Britballin, the latter have also begun streaming games.

Stadiums

The use of Stadiums in the BAFANL is sporadic due to most clubs running on a budget that relies heavily on sponsorship and subscriptions. Most BAFANL clubs operate from Rugby Union clubs, University or High Schools sports fields or local athletics parks, however some teams do play inside larger sports stadiums which have seating capacities for spectators. The Britbowl itself has recently been played at Allianz Park in London and the Sixways Stadium in Worcester, while Division 1 and 2 finals are often hosted at the South Leeds Stadium. At present the Halton Spartans ground share of the Select Security Stadium with rugby league team Widnes Vikings constitutes as the highest capacity stadium within the BAFANL with 13,350 seats. Other prominent stadiums that are currently in use in Britball include Manchester Titans home field at the National Speedway Stadium. Notable stadiums that have been used in the past includes Doncaster Mustangs use of the Keepmoat Stadium, London Olympians former home at the Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium, the AJ Bell Stadium by the Manchester Titans and De Montfort Park by Leicester Falcons.

DCBL Stadium, Widnes, Cheshire

Sixways Stadium, Worcester

De Montfort Park, Hinckley

Allianz Park, London

South Leeds Stadium, Leeds

Finsbury Park, London

Crystal Palace, London

Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster

AJ Bell Stadium, Salford

Rank	Stadium	City	Capacity	Tenant	Used For	Years
1	Don Valley Stadium	Sheffield, South Yorkshire	25,000	None	Britbowl, Division 1 & 2 Finals	2012
2	Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium	Crystal Palace, London	24,000	London Olympians	BAFANL Regular Season games, Britbowl	2011
3	Keepmoat Stadium	Doncaster, South Yorkshire	15,231	Doncaster Mustangs	BAFANL Regular Season games	2014–2016
4	DCBL Stadium	Widnes, Cheshire	13,350	Halton Spartans	BAFANL Regular Season games	2014–2021
5	AJ Bell Stadium	Salford, Greater Manchester	12,000	Manchester Titans	BAFANL Regular Season games	2014
6	Sixways Stadium	Worcester, Worcestershire	11,499	None	Britbowl	2010, 2016–2017
7	Allianz Park	Hendon, London	10,500	None	Britbowl	2015
8	National Speedway Stadium	Manchester	6,700	Manchester Titans	BAFANL Regular Season games	2018–
9	New River Stadium	Haringey, London	5,000	None	Britbowl	2019–
10	Meggetland Sports Complex	Edinburgh, Scotland	4,388	Edinburgh Wolves	BAFANL Regular Season games	2018–
11	De Montfort Park	Hinckley, Leicestershire	4,329	Leicester Falcons	BAFANL Regular Season games, Division 1 & 2 Finals	2015–2018
12	South Leeds Stadium	Leeds, West Yorkshire	4,000	Yorkshire Academy Rams	BAFANL Regular Season games, Britbowl and Division 1 & 2 Finals	2016–
13	Meadow Park	Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland	3,500	West Coast Trojans	BAFANL Regular Season games	2016–2018
14	Blackwell Meadows	Darlington, County Durham	3,271	Darlington Steam	BAFANL Regular Season games	2019–
15	Bedford International Athletics Stadium	Bedford, Bedfordshire	2,500	Ouse Valley Eagles	BAFANL Regular Season games	2011–2019
16	Harvey Hadden Stadium	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire	2,500	Nottingham Caesars	BAFANL Regular Season games	1989–2015, 2017–2020
17	Druid Park	Newcastle Upon Tyne	2,500	Northumberland Vikings	BAFANL Regular Season games, Division 1 & 2 Finals	2018–
18	Quibell Park Stadium	Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire	2,000	Scunthorpe Alphas	BAFANL Regular Season games	2019–
19	Braidholm	Glasgow, Scotland	2,000	East Kilbride Pirates	BAFANL Regular Season games	2018–
20	Well Hall	Greenwich, London	1,650	London Olympians	BAFANL Regular Season games	2014–
21	Finsbury Park Stadium	Finsbury Park, London	1,500	London Blitz	BAFANL Regular Season games	1995–
22	Stoke Gifford Stadium	Filton, Gloucestershire	1,500	Bristol Aztecs	BAFANL Regular Season games	2018–
23	Frant Road	Thornton Heath, London	1,400	London Warriors	BAFANL Regular Season games	2007–
20	Tipton Sports Academy	Tipton, West Midlands	1,000	Sandwell Steelers	BAFANL Regular Season games	2015–2021
24	Pack Meadow	Coleshill, Warwickshire	1,000	Tamworth Phoenix	BAFANL Regular Season games	2018–
25	Wilkinson Way	Farnham, Surrey	500	Farnham Knights	BAFANL Regular Season games	2013–
26	Tilsley Park	Abingdon, Oxfordshire	500	Oxford Saints	BAFANL Regular Season games	2016–
27	Beltane Park	Wishaw, North Lanarkshire	500	Clyde Valley Blackhawks	BAFANL Regular Season games	2018–
28	Monkton Stadium	Jarrow, Tyneside	500	Gateshead Senators	BAFANL Regular Season games	2015–

Teams

Main article: List of American football teams in the United Kingdom

There are currently 60 teams in the BAFANL who have full membership status. Over the years many teams have formed and folded with only a small handful of original teams from the early 1980s remaining. A lot of teams trace their heritage back through predecessor teams and a large number of BAFA sides have changed their identity on one or sometimes two occasions. Colchester Gladiators (formed in 1983) of Division Two are the oldest team to be operating in their original identity. Other original sides include the Birmingham Bulls, Chester Romans, Nottingham Caesars, East Kilbride Pirates, Ipswich Cardinals and the Crewe Railroaders. Although the London Olympians are the most successful British side, the London Warriors hold the title following on from the BAFANL's official formation in 2010.

Having missed the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BAFA announced that for the 2021 season the BAFANL would be not using the three tier league system and operating from localised Divisions to minimize travel. This means that clubs will not return to their respective divisions until the 2022 season.

Premiership

The BAFANL Premiership for the 2024 season comprises twelve teams, split into the North and South Divisions. The BAFA Premiership North and the BAFA Premiership South. Within each division each team plays each other twice. There will be two rounds of playoff football with the top ranked team in the North hosting the second ranked team in the South, whilst the top ranked team in the South will host the second ranked team in the North. The winners will then compete for the BritBowl. The teams who finish bottom of each division are relegated to Division 1 for the following season and are replaced by both of the Division 1 winners. Teams can be swapped between the North and South Divisions for a following season depending on the geographical location of teams that may be promoted to the division.

Premiership North

Team	City	Stadium / Home Field	Founded	Head coach
East Kilbride Pirates	Giffnock, East Renfrewshire	Braidholm	1985	Jamie McLaughlin
Edinburgh Wolves	Edinburgh, Scotland	Peffermill Fields, University of Edinburgh	2002	Victor Peredo
Manchester Titans	Gorton, Manchester	National Speedway Stadium	2003	Jon Homer
Merseyside Nighthawks	Skelmersdale, Lancashire	JMO Sports Park	1984	Craig Pennington
Newcastle Vikings	Newcastle upon Tyne	Druid Park	2014	Bryce Stevenson
Tamworth Phoenix	Coleshill, Warwickshire	Pack Meadow	2004	Jason Scott

Premiership South

Team	City	Stadium / Home Field	Founded	Head coach
Bristol Aztecs	Filton, Gloucestershire	Stoke Gifford Stadium	1990	Ben Herrod
Cambridgeshire Cats	Cambridge, Cambridgeshire	Coldhams Common	1984	Andy Whiteoak
Hertfordshire Cheetahs	Watford, Hertfordshire	Sun Sports Watford F.C.	1986	Rich Moult
London Blitz	Finsbury Park, London	Finsbury Park Stadium	1995	Damian Anderson
London Warriors	Thornton Heath, London	Frant Road	2007	Tony Allen
Solent Thrashers	Southampton, Hampshire	Solent University Test Park Sports Ground	2003	Steve Rains

Division One

The BAFANL Division One is the second tier of British American football, for the 2024 season it holds 30 teams, now divided into 6 divisions, up from 5. The Division has a Northern Football Conference (NFC) and a Southern Football Conference (SFC). The current individual names of the divisions are the NFC 1 Scotland, the NFC 1 North, the NFC 1 South, the SFC 1 West , the SFC 1 East and the SFC 1 Central. The Scottish division was introduced in 2023, in part due to East Kilbride's promotion to the Premier Division in 2022, coupled with Highland Stags' promotion to Division One. Initially this would have led to Highland and Glasgow's alignment with English teams as far south as the Midlands. To counteract this, BAFA automatically promoted the four remaining Scottish Division Two teams in order to make a complete Division One level. Each team plays the others in their division twice during the regular season as well as all teams playing two opponents on three occasions. There are no inter-division games until the play-offs with the top two teams in each division entering into what is potentially a three-game play-off campaign with the initial games being played regionally. The winner of both the northern and southern playoffs will win promotion to the Premier League and then face each other for the Division One bowl game in order to take home the trophy. The team who finishes bottom of each division is relegated to Division Two.

NFC 1 Scotland

Team	City	Stadium or home field	Founded	Head coach
Aberdeen Roughnecks	Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire	Woodside Sports Complex	2012	Chris Breen
Clyde Valley Blackhawks	Wishaw, North Lanarkshire	Beltane Park	2007	David Yates
Glasgow Tigers	Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire	Clydebank Sports Club	1986	Ryan McCluskey
Inverclyde Golliaths	Greenock, Inverclyde	Ravenscraig Stadium	2016
Highland Stags	Invergordon, Ross and Cromarty	Ross Sutherland Rugby Club	2016	Josh Crofts

NFC 1 North

Team	City	Stadium or home field	Founded	Head coach
Chester Romans	Chester, Cheshire	Cheshire County Sports Club	1986	Levi Edwards
Humber Warhawks	Hull, East Yorkshire	Costello Playing Fields	2014	Alex Moore
Scunthorpe Alphas	Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire	Quibell Park Stadium	2018	Alex Robson
Sheffield Giants	Sheffield, South Yorkshire	Sheffield Olympic Legacy Stadium	2008	Toby Chesters
Yorkshire Rams	Leeds, West Yorkshire	South Leeds Stadium	1986	Jason Shaw

NFC 1 South

Team	City	Stadium or home field	Founded	Head coach
Birmingham Bulls	Hopwood, Worcestershire	Hopwood Park	1983	Matthew Sheldon
Leicester Panthers	Leicester, Leicestershire	Leicester Forest East Rugby Club	2006	Stuart Franklin
Northants Knights	Wellingborough, Northamptonshire	Wellingborough OG's Rugby Club	2016	Wayne Gumbs
Nottingham Caesars	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire	David Ross Sports Village, University of Nottingham	1984	Vanden Warner
Shropshire Revolution	Telford, Shropshire	Telford Athletics Stadium	2006	John Angell

SFC 1 West

~ Denotes B/reserve team affiliated to another BAFANL team

Team	City	Stadium or home field	Founded	Head coach
Bournemouth Bobcats	Bournemouth, Dorset	Slades Park	1985	Simon McLean
~ Bristol Apache	Filton, South Gloucestershire	SGS Sports Field	1990	Pete Jones
Hereford Stampede	Ledbury, Herefordshire	Ledbury RFC	2016	Paul Kent
Somerset Wyverns	Taunton, Somerset	Victoria Park	2017	Lydon Ward-Best
South Wales Warriors	Llanharan, Wales	The Dairy Field	2001	Dean Jackson

SFC 1 East

~ Denotes B/reserve team affiliated to another BAFANL team

Team	City	Stadium / Home Field	Founded	Head coach
East Kent Mavericks	Canterbury, Kent	Simon Langton Grammar School	2002	Glenn Lindley
Kent Exiles	Bromley, London	Westcombe Park RFC	2004	Junior Hayden
~ London Blitz B	Finsbury Park, London	Finsbury Park Stadium	2015	Anthony Coverdale
London Olympians	Greenwich, London	Well Hall Stadium	1984	Riq Ayub
Norwich Devils	Norwich, Norfolk	Thorpe High School	1984

SFC 1 Central

Team	City	Stadium / Home Field	Founded	Head coach
London Hornets	Camden Town, London	Mill Hill Rugby Club	2011	Paul Holmes
Oxford Saints	Abingdon, Oxfordshire	Tilsley Park	1983	Andrew Day
Portsmouth Dreadnoughts	Portsmouth, Hampshire	Norway Road, Portsmouth Rugby Football Club	2012	Luke Head-Rapson
Rushmoor Knights	Farnborough, Hampshire	Cove School	1985	Peter Fields
Wembley Stallions	Harrow, London	LPOSSA Club	2013	Warren Smart

Division Two

The BAFA Division Two is the third tier of British American football with 2024 holding 18 teams across 4 divisions. The Division has a Northern Football Conference (NFC) and a Southern Football Conference (SFC). The current individual names of the divisions are the NFC 2 West, the NFC 2 East, the SFC 2 West and the SFC 2 East. Each team plays the others in their division twice during the regular season as well as all teams playing two opponents on three occasions. Previously teams in Central and East divisions played designated inter-divisional games, with these being the only cross-division games until the playoffs. The top two teams in each division enter into what is potentially a three-game play-off campaign with the initial games being played regionally. The winner of both the northern and southern play-offs will win promotion to Division One and then face each other for the Division Two bowl game in order to take home the trophy.

NFC 2 West

Team	City	Stadium or home field	Founded	Head coach
Crewe Railroaders	Crewe, Cheshire	Back Lane	1984	Jason Smith
Lancashire Wolverines	Chorley, Lancashire	Chorley Panthers RUFC	1987	Lea Hall
Leigh Miners	Tyldesley, Greater Manchester	St George's Park	2020	James Higham
Sandwell Steelers	Walsall, West Midlands	Broadway Ground	2013	Sam Astley
Staffordshire Surge	Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire	Trentham Fields	2008	Anthony Charles

NFC 2 East

Team	City	Stadium or home field	Founded	Head coach
Darlington Steam	Darlington, County Durham	Blackwell Meadows	2013	Darren Mitchell
Doncaster Mustangs	Doncaster, South Yorkshire	Wheatley Hills Rugby Club	2002	Paul Coley
Gateshead Senators	Jarrow, South Tyneside	Monkton Stadium	1985	Gary Marshall
Lincolnshire Bombers	North Hykeham, Lincolnshire	North Hykeham Rugby Club	2005	Michael Etheridge
Wakefield District Raiders	Pontefract, West Yorkshire	Pontefract RUFC	2014	Zak Constance

SFC 2 West

Team	City	Stadium or home field	Founded	Head coach
Berkshire Renegades	Reading, Berkshire	Woodford Park Leisure Centre	1985	Paul Gordon
Cornwall Monarchs	Pool, Cornwall	Pool Academy	2005	Richard Atkinson
Sussex Thunder	Brighton, East Sussex	Sussex University Sports Complex	1997	Ian Ellis
Swindon Storm	Swindon, Wiltshire	Southbrook Playing Fields	2012	Richard Westley

SFC 2 East

Team	City	Stadium or home field	Founded	Head coach
Colchester Gladiators	Colchester, Essex	Corporal Budd VC Gymnasium	1983	Karl Bourke
Essex Tridents	Rayleigh, Essex	Deanes School	2024	Grant Sammers
Ipswich Cardinals	Ipswich, Suffolk	Northgate Sports Centre	1986	Ian Girling
Ouse Valley Eagles	Bedford, Bedfordshire	Bedford International Athletics Stadium	2013	Nick Benning

Associate teams

New teams must undergo an indefinite associate period before they are granted full member status of the national leagues. A number of criteria must be met, involving successfully completing a number of games, recruiting a number of new players, proof of required finances and the creation of a club committee. Associate teams spend their seasons playing each other and League teams in what are essentially friendly fixtures. Some of the current Associate teams are also previous League teams that have dropped out of the BAFANL at some stage.

~ Denotes B/reserve team affiliated to another BAFANL team
* Denotes team that took voluntary demotion from the league back to the associate process
** Denotes team demoted from the league back to associate status by BAFA

Team	City	Stadium or home field	Founded	Head coach
*Halton Spartans	Widnes, Cheshire	Various locations	2014	Husam Farraj
Pennine Panthers	Colne, Lancashire	Colne & Nelson Rugby Club	2019	Lee Savage
Plymouth Vanguard	Plymouth, Devon	Sir John Hunt Community Sports Centre	2024
Rossendale Bucks	Rossendale, Lancashire	Rossendale Rugby Club, Marl Pits	2021	Robert Whewell
** South East Squadron	Maidstone, Kent	Shepway Community Centre	2020	TBC
Torbay Trojans	Torquay, Devon	Foxhole Community Centre	1983

Defunct teams

Former teams who competed in the BAFANL and have now ceased operating or have merged with other sides to form a current operating side within the present league structure.

Team	City	Founded	Folded	Highest division	Notes
Bedfordshire Blue Raiders	Bedford, Bedfordshire	2006	2013	Division 1	Merged with the Milton Keynes Pathfinders to form the Ouse Valley Eagles
Burnley Tornados	Burnley, Lancashire	2016	2019	Associate	Failed to gain entry from associate process, club continues at youth level
Bury Saints	Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk	2013	2020	Premier League	Was promoted through the divisions but folded in 2020
Carlisle Border Reivers	Carlisle, Cumbria	2009	2013	Division 2	Following their demise, former members formed the Carlisle Sentinels (renamed Kestrels) in 2014.
Carlisle Kestrels	Carlisle, Cumbria	2014	2022	Division 2	Dropped out of the league before the start of the 2022 season.
Coventry Jets	Coventry, Warwickshire	2004	2018	Premier League	All Jets teams transferred to the Etone Jaguars Youth Academy. The former Jets adult team folded in 2019.
DC Presidents	Chester-le-Street, County Durham	1985	2023	Division 2	Team was not entered in to the 2024 schedule.
Dumfries Hunters	Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway	2014	2022	Division 2	Folded due to low player retention numbers
Dundee Hurricanes	Dundee, Tayside	2002	2019	Division 1	Resigned league status in 2018, dropped into associate process before folding.
Dunfermline Kings	Dunfermline, Fife	2016	2023	Division 1	Resigned from League several games into 2023 season.
East Essex Sabres	Rayleigh, Essex	2016	2023	Division 2	Merged with the Essex Spartans to form the Essex Tridents
Essex Spartans	South Ockendon, Essex	1998	2023	Division 1	Merged with the East Essex Sabres to form the Essex Tridents
Etone Jaguars	Nuneaton, Warwickshire	2018	2019	Associate	Absorbed the Jets team but folded mid-2019. Club renamed to Nuneaton and youth football continues.
Furness Phantoms	Ulverston, Cumbria	2011	2020	Division 2	Resigned from the league prior to the 2020 season. In 2021 they announced they had merged with Morecambe Bay Storm.
Gloucester Centurions	Gloucester, Gloucestershire	2007	2015	Division 1	Adult side folding in 2015 with the rest of the programme wound up in 2016.
Grimsby Scorpions	Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire	2013	2014	Associate	Merged with fellow associate side Kingston Warhawks to form the Humber Warhawks.
Hastings Conquerors	Hastings, East Sussex	2013	2022	Division 2	Dropped out of the league before the start of the 2022 season.
Hull Hornets	Hull, East Yorkshire	2005	2010	Division 2	Former members later formed the Kingston Warhawks.
Jurassic Coast Raptors	Dorchester, Dorset	2016	2021	Division 2	Folded at the end of the 2021 season due to numbers
King's Lynn Patriots	King's Lynn, Norfolk	2016	2020	Associate	Failed to win a place in the league and folded in 2020
Leeds Bobcats	Leeds, West Yorkshire	2014	2021	Division 1	Adult team formed in 2014, announced merger with Yorkshire Rams to become their development team in 2021
Maidstone Pumas	Maidstone, Kent	1997	2020	Division 2	Assets handed to the Kent Phoenix Youth side who in turn formed the South East Squadron
Manchester Bees	Gorton, Manchester	2019	2021	Associate	Manchester Titans reserve team, never played a competitive game
Milton Keynes Pathfinders	Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire	2006	2013	Division 2	Merged with the Bedfordshire Blue Raiders to form the Ouse Valley Eagles
Morecambe Bay Storm	Morecambe, Lancashire	2016	2022	Division 2	Folded before the 2022 season due to numbers.
Northumberland Lightning	Ashington, Northumberland	2012	2017	Division 2	Merged with fellow BAFANL side Newcastle Vikings to form the Northumberland Vikings
Peterborough Saxons	Peterborough, Cambridgeshire	2001	2016	Premier League	Some former members went on to form the South Lincs Lightning in 2020.
South Lincolnshire Lightning	Bourne, Lincolnshire	2020	2023	Division 2	Formed during the COVID-19 season, were demoted by BAFA back to the associate process in 2023 before folding
Sussex Thunderbolts	Brighton, East Sussex	2020	2022	Division 2	B team for the Sussex Thunder, folded due to player numbers prior to 2022 season.
Welwyn Hatfield Mosquitos	Hatfield, Hertfordshire	2016	2019	Associate	Failed to gain entry into the league and folded as a result
West Coast Trojans	Irvine, North Ayrshire	2004	2018	Division 1	Full programme wound up in 2018. Several former players and coaches formed Inverclyde Goliaths.
Worcestershire Black Knights	Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire	2016	2022	Division 2	Removed by BAFA in 2022.

Notable people

The following is a list of notable players and coaches who have featured either in the BAFA National Leagues or any of its predecessor leagues that have at any time represented the domestic game of American football in the United Kingdom.

Player	Team	Notes
Phil Alexander	Farnham Knights	Kicker for the London Monarchs, former professional association football player for Norwich City and chief executive of Crystal Palace
Jermaine Allen	London Olympians, London Warriors	Played in the NFL for Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints
Marvin Allen	London Warriors (2008–2011)	Played in the NFL for Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins
Marcel Bellefeuille	Crawley Raiders	OC at CFL sides including Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Roderick Bradley	London Blitz	Played "Spartan" on ITV game show Gladiators
Jason Brisbane	London Blitz	Played in the NFL for San Diego Chargers
Dwain Chambers	Farnham Knights	British Olympic Athletics track sprinter and former NFL Europe player with Hamburg Sea Devils
Charles Dagnall	Leicester Falcons	Former professional cricketer and BBC Radio presenter
Aden Durde	London Warriors	Defensive coordinator in the NFL with Seattle Seahawks and played for Kansas City Chiefs
Victor Ebubedike	London Ravens, London Olympians	NFL Europe player with the London Monarchs
Chris Fountain	Manchester Titans	Actor who had regular roles in Hollyoaks and Coronation Street
Mike Grossner	Nottingham Caesars, Leicester Falcons	Former NCAA coach with Western Colorado Mountaineers
Christian Holmes	Tamworth Phoenix (2016)	Played in NCAA Division I for Mississippi State from 2011 to 2014
Stephen Hutchinson	London Blitz	Played in NFL Europe for London Monarchs and Hamburg Blue Devils
David Izinyon	London Warriors	Plays in the CFL for the Hamilton Tiger Cats
Martin Johnson	Leicester Panthers	Professional rugby union player and Rugby World Cup winning captain of the England team
Vernon Kay	London Warriors (2011–2014)	Television presenter, formerly of Channel 4's NFL show
Lorn Mayers	London Blitz (2004–2005)	Worked out for the Oakland Raiders before playing in NFL Europe for Berlin Thunder
Efe Obada	London Warriors (2014)	Plays in the NFL with the Washington Commanders, previously with Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills
Bamidele Olaseni	London Blitz	Plays in the NFL for the Las Vegas Raiders
Ayo Oyelola	London Olympians	Plays in the NFL of the Jacksonville Jaguars, previously with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL
Tigie Sankoh	London Warriors, Kent Exiles	Played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, now with the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL
Phoebe Schecter	Staffordshire Surge, GB Lions Women	Intern coach in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills
Bradlee Van Pelt	Leicester Falcons (2010)	Quarterback in the NFL for Denver Broncos and Houston Texans, graduate of Colorado State
Ricky Whittle	Manchester Titans	Actor who notably had lengthy roles in Hollyoaks and Dream Team

Winners

BritBowl

Main article: BritBowl

Winners of the Britbowl since the BAFA National Leagues 2010 formation

Team	Season
London Warriors	2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
London Blitz	2010, 2011, 2012
Manchester Titans	2022, 2023
Tamworth Phoenix	2017

Division One Bowl

For some seasons there has been a separate North and South Bowl final.

Team	Season
Solent Thrashers	2019
Bury Saints	2016
Colchester Gladiators	2013
East Kilbride Pirates	2011, 2022
Farnham Knights	2015
Hertfordshire Cheetahs	2023
Leicester Falcons	2018
Manchester Titans	2017
Merseyside Nighthawks	2014, 2015
Sussex Thunder	2012
Tamworth Phoenix	2010

Division Two Bowl

For some seasons there has been a separate North and South Bowl final.

Team	Season
Aberdeen Roughnecks	2018
Berkshire Renegades	2017
Bristol Apache	2022
Bury Saints	2015
East Kent Mavericks	2023
Hertfordshire Cheetahs	2018
Leicester Falcons	2016
Oxford Saints	2016
Sandwell Steelers	2015
Shropshire Revolution	2017
South Wales Warriors	2011, 2019

See also

• Britbowl
• NFL Europe
• American football in the United Kingdom
• British Universities American Football League

External links

• Official website