List of leagues of American and Canadian football
This is a list of current and defunct leagues of American football and Canadian football.
Current leagues in North America
Professional outdoor leagues:
-
- Formed from Interprovincial Rugby Football Union and Western Interprovincial Football Union.
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- Originally American Professional Football Conference, American Professional Football Association (1920-1921)
Professional arena/indoor leagues:
Note: The Arena Football League technically disbanded in 2009. The current incarnation was the result of several of the AFL's first and second division teams banding together and purchasing the intellectual property rights to the league and reviving it as a new entity.
Semi-professional leagues:
- Empire Football League, 1969-
- Mid Continental Football League, 1992-
- New England Football League, 1994-
- North American Football League, 1996-
- Alberta Football League, 1996-
- Maritime Football League, 1996-
- Northeastern Football Alliance, 1997-
- Rocky Mountain Football League, 1997-
- Central Football League, 1999-
- Southern States Football League, 2001-
- Minor League Football Association, 2003-
- Oklahoma Metro Football League, 2007-
- Florida Football Alliance, 2007-
- Big Northeast Football Federation 2007-
- Gridiron Developmental Football League 2010-
- Five Star Football League 2010-
- Stars Football League, 2011–
Collegiate and amateur leagues:
Women's leagues:
Historical leagues in North America
Major outdoor leagues:
- National Football League (1902) and the World Series of Pro Football, 1902–1903
- Ohio League, 1903-19196
- New York Pro Football League, 1916-19206
- All-America Football Conference, 1946-19491
- American Football League, 1926, 1936-1937, 1940-1941, and 1960-19692 (all unrelated, four separate leagues)
- World Football League, 1974–1975
- United States Football League, 1983–1985
- XFL, 2001
Minor outdoor leagues
- American Football League, 1934
- Midwest Football League, 1935–1937, became American Professional Football Association in 1938, American Football League in 1939
- Dixie League, 1936-1947 - originally South Atlantic Football Association
- American Association 1936-1941/American Football League 1946-19503
- American Football League, 1938-19394
- Pacific Coast Professional Football League, 1940–1948
- American Football League, 19445
- United Football League, 1961–1964
- Atlantic Coast Football League, 1962–1971, 1973
- Continental Football League, 1965–1969
- North American Football League, 1965–1966
- Seaboard Football League, 1971–1974
- American Football Association, 1979–1982
- International Football League, 1984[1]
- Professional Spring Football League, 1992
- Regional Football League, 1999
- International Football Federation, 2000
- Spring Football League, 2000
- 1: Two teams now in NFL
- 2: Agreed to merger with the NFL in 1966, with merger completed in 1970
- 3: American Association suspended operations for duration of U.S. involvement in World War II; in 1946 the AA was renamed American Football League
- 4: Known as the American Professional Football Association in 1938; renamed American Football League in 1939; dissolution after 1939 season caused by formation of 1940-1941 AFL major league
- 5: Merged with PCPFL in 1945
- 6: Informal league, direct predecessor to the NFL
Indoor leagues
- American Indoor Football Association, 2005-2010 (partially merged into Southern Indoor Football League)
- Arenafootball2 (af2), 2000–2009 (assets also acquired in the same transaction noted above)
- Professional Indoor Football League, 1998-2000 (Bought out by Af2 in 2001)
- Indoor Football League, 1999-2000 (Bought out by Af2 in 2001;not related to the Indoor Football League that began play in 2009)
- Indoor Professional Football League, 1999–2001
- National Indoor Football League, 2001–2007
- Intense Football League, 2004-2008 (merged into current incarnation of the Indoor Football League)
- United Indoor Football, 2005-2008 (merged into current incarnation of the Indoor Football League)
- Eastern Indoor Football League, 2007
- World Indoor Football League, 2007
- Southern Indoor Football League, 2008-2011 (divided into Lone Star Football League and current Professional Indoor Football League)
Women's leagues
Current American Football minor and semi professional leagues outside of North America
Central and South America:
Europe:
Asia:
Oceania:
See also
References
External links