USAFL National Championships
The USAFL National Championships is a tournament for Australian rules football in the United States.
Since 1997, the National Championships have been a large event featuring teams from the United States and Canada in four men's divisions and a women's division. The competition is organized and run by the United States Australian Football League.
The competition consists of four men's divisions and a women's division, each culminating in a Grand Final to decide the winner.
History
The first championships were held in Cincinnati in 1997, and they were won by the host Cincinnati Dockers. The Queen City would host the first three Nationals, with the 1998 edition welcoming 10 teams. A second division was created for the 1999 Nationals, with eight teams in the upper Division 1 and six in the lower Division 2 competition. Sixteen teams competed in one division in 2000. Divisional play returned for the 2001 championships, and a third division was added for 2002. A fourth division, mainly for reserves clubs and for first year teams, was added in 2007. The 2010 championships saw 38 teams representing almost 30 clubs compete.
The Denver Bulldogs have been the most successful side at Nationals. Since 2000, the Bulldogs have appeared in nine Division 1 Grand Finals, winning seven, including four straight from 2002-2005. The San Diego Lions have appeared five times and have win two premierships. They are tied with the Boston Demons for second most titles with two each.
Canadian clubs were invited to the USAFL Championships in 2006. The first Canadian champions were the Vancouver Cougars in 2008. The Calgary Kangaroos have appeared in three consecutive Division 2 Grand Finals, winning in 2009 and 2010.
In 2005, the first USAFL Women's championships were held and were won by the Atlanta Lady Kookaburras. The Lady Kookas took home the first three premierships until 2008, when their 19-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Calgary Kookaburras.
Format
Since 2003, Divisions One, Two, and Three have contained eight teams split into two groups of four teams. Each team plays the other three teams in their group once, playing one game on Saturday morning, another on Saturday afternoon, and a third on Sunday morning. The winners of each group advance to their division's grand final, which is held on Sunday afternoon.
Division Four and the Women's Division have had either six or eight teams compete. When only six teams compete, the clubs are divided into two groups of three teams each. Each team plays the other two in the group once. The third place teams play for placement on Sunday morning, while the other four cross over for the semi-finals. The two semi-finals winners meet in the grand final on Sunday afternoon.
The top two divisions are played as 18-a-side, which each team permitted to dress a maximum of 24 players. All teams in Divisions One and Two must be single entity squads; they may not combine with other teams. Division Three is played as 16-a-side, with no restrictions on the number of players on the interchange bench. Division Four is played 14-a-side, and the Women's Division is played 12-a-side, again with no limit to the number of players dressed per game.
All Divisions are subject to the "50-50 Rule", which require at least half of the players on the field at any one time to be "nationals" of the country that their team represents. Players of other origin are considered "non-nationals". Prior to 2009, the players were designated "Australian" and "non-Australian", with at least half of the players on the field needing to be "non-Australian".
In addition to premiership medals, awards are also given to outstanding players in each division. The Paul Roos Medal, named after the former AFL player and coach and former US Revolution coach, is awarded to each division's Best and Fairest. The Coopers Medal goes to the most consistent player in each division, while the Geoff Cann Medal goes to each of the Grand Final MVP's. The field umpires of the Grand Final are also awarded medals, receiving the Hayden Kennedy medal.
The USAFL has, over the last couple of years, attempted to keep Nationals in the Midwestern part of the United States in order to keep travel costs down for teams on the East and West coasts and for all teams to be able to bring as many players as they can.
The 2015 USAFL Nationals are scheduled for October 17 and 18 in Austin, Texas, which hosted the 2011 and 2013 tournaments.
Yearly Results
| Year | Location | Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 | Women's Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Cincinnati, OH | Cincinnati Dockers def. Nashville Kangaroos | ||||
| 1998 | Cincinnati, OH | Boston Demons 15.7 (97) def. Santa Cruz Roos 1.1 (7) | ||||
| 1999 | Cincinnati, OH | Boston Demons 4.2 (26) def. Santa Cruz Roos 3.2 (20) | Baltimore Washington/Lehigh Valley 3.4 (22) def. Carolinas/Atlanta/Tri-Cities 1.4 (10) | |||
| 2000 | Los Angeles, CA | Denver Bulldogs 3.4 (22) def. San Diego Lions 3.2 (20) | ||||
| 2001 | Washington, DC | San Diego Lions 10.4 (64) def. Boston Demons 2.5 (17) | New York Magpies 3.8 (26) def. Atlanta Kookaburras 2.3 (15) | |||
| 2002 | Kansas City, MO | Denver Bulldogs 8.1 (49) def. San Diego Lions 0.2 (2) | Orange County Bombers 7.3 (45) def. Santa Cruz Roos 2.3 (15) | Philadelphia Crows 3.8 (26) def. Milwaukee Bombers 2.2 (14) | ||
| 2003 | Kansas City, MO | Denver Bulldogs 8.5 (53) def. Boston Demons 1.3 (9) | Milwaukee Bombers 4.2 (26) def. Golden Gate Roos 3.1 (19) | Kansas City/New York-B 6.7 (43) def. North Carolina Tigers 0.3 (3) | ||
| 2004 | Atlanta, GA | Denver Bulldogs 2.6 (18) def. New York Magpies 1.1 (7) | Arizona Hawks 3.4 (22) def. Philadelphia Hawks 3.2 (20) | Cincinnati/Pittsburgh 8.5 (53) def. Kansas City/Louisville 3.2 (20) | ||
| 2005 | Milwaukee, WI | Denver Bulldogs 4.8 (32) def. Milwaukee Bombers 1.1 (7) | Golden Gate Roos 7.3 (45) def. Philadelphia Hawks 1.4 (10) | Minnesota Freeze 4.3 (27) def. Baton Rouge Tigers 3.3 (21) | Atlanta Lady Kookaburras 6.5 (41) def. Florida Fusion 2.1 (13) | |
| 2006 | Las Vegas, NV | San Diego Lions 4.9 (33) def. Denver Bulldogs 2.0 (12) | Baltimore-Washington Eagles 10.9 (69) def. Minnesota Freeze 2.0 (12) | Las Vegas/Orange County-B 7.5 (47) def. Baton Rouge Tigers 5.1 (31) | Atlanta Lady Kookaburras 3.10 (28) def. Pacific Coast Highwayers 0.0 (0) | |
| 2007 | Louisville, KY | Denver Bulldogs 3.3 (21) def. San Diego Lions 2.3 (15) | Minnesota Freeze 3.5 (23) def. Seattle Grizzlies 2.2 (14) | St Louis Blues 4.7 (31) def. Las Vegas/New York-B 2.4 (16) | Denver-B (112) def. Golden Gate-B (13) | Atlanta Lady Kookaburras 7.7 (49) def. Arizona Lady Hawks 0.0 (0) |
| 2008 | Colorado Springs, CO | Vancouver Cougars 4.4 (28) def. Baltimore-Washington Eagles 2.0 (12) | Seattle Grizzlies 3.4 (22) def. Calgary Kangaroos 0.3 (3) | Kansas City Power 3.8 (26) def. St Louis/Austin 1.2 (8) | Ohio Valley River Rats 6.3 (39) def. Seattle-B 2.5 (17) | Calgary Kookaburras 4.3 (27) def. Atlanta Lady Kookaburras 3.4 (22) |
| 2009 | Mason, OH | Denver Bulldogs 2.5 (17) def. Seattle Grizzlies 2.2 (14) | Calgary Kangaroos 5.8 (38) def. Milwaukee Bombers 3.2 (20) | Dallas Magpies 8.3 (51) def. Austin Crows 1.2 (8) | Ohio Valley/St. Louis 3.15 (33) def. Orange County/Des Moines 2.1 (13) | Milwaukee Lady Bombers 8.3 (51) def. Calgary Kookaburras 1.5 (11) |
| 2010 | Louisville, KY | New York Magpies 4.4 (28) def. Denver Bulldogs 1.1 (7) | Calgary 11.8 (74) def. Minnesota 5.1 (31) | Austin 4.4 (28) def. Florida United 2.5 (17) | New York B 13.4 (82) def. Denver/Kansas City 0.3 (3) | Denver 3.1 (19) def. Calgary/Montréal 2.6 (18) |
| 2011 | Austin, TX | Denver Bulldogs 3.2 (20) def. Calgary Kangaroos 0.5 (5) | Dallas Magpies 8.6 (52) def. Austin Crows 1.3 (9) | Arizona Hawks 5.2 (32) def. Atlanta Kookaburras 3.1 (19) | Ohio Valley/Milwaukee 4.2 (26) def. Ft. Lauderdale/Baltimore-Washington/Toronto/Vancouver 3.2 (20) | Denver Lady Bulldogs 3.7 (25) def. New York/Montréal 0.1 (1) |
| 2012 | Mason, OH | Vacated (see below) | Minnesota Freeze 1.6 (12) def. Los Angeles Dragons 0.3 (3) | Chicago Swans 4.7 (31) def. Columbus Jackaroos 3.4 (22) | Des Moines Roosters 5.6 (36) def. Milwaukee/Ohio Valley 4.4 (28) | Denver Lady Bulldogs 3.4 (22) def. Boston/Baltimore-Washington 0.0 (0) |
| 2013 | Austin, TX | Austin Crows 4.2 (26) def. Calgary Kangaroos 4.1 (25) | Columbus Jackaroos 5.5 (35) def. Los Angeles Dragons 1.5 (11) | Houston Lonestars 3.5 (23) def. Sacramento Suns 0.1 (1) | Ohio Valley/Milwaukee 8.4 (52) def. North Carolina Tigers 4.7 (31) | Denver Bulldogs 3.7 (25) def. San Francisco Iron Maidens 0.0 (0) |
| 2014 | Dublin, OH | New York Magpies 2.4 (16) def. Orange County Bombers 2.1 (13) | Los Angeles Dragons 11.3 (69) def. Columbus Jackaroos 1.0 (6) | Sacramento Suns 7.1 (43) def. Philadelphia Hawks 0.5 (5) | North Carolina Tigers 7.2 (44) def. Denver-B/Kansas City 4.6 (30) | Denver Lady Bulldogs 2.3 (15) def. San Francisco/Portland/Arizona 0.4 (4) |
Note: Dallas 3.4 (22) defeated New York 3.2 (20). On October 30, 2012, the USAFL vacated the Division I National Championship after it was discovered that Dallas used a player who was active with Central Districts of the SANFL and joined the team without satisfying league requirements.
List of USAFL National Championship Premiers
| Teams | Premiers | Runner Up | Total | Year(s) won | Year(s) lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Bulldogs | 8 | 2 | 10 | 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 | 2006, 2010 |
| San Diego Lions | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2001, 2006 | 2000, 2002, 2007 |
| Boston Demons | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1998, 1999 | 2001, 2003 |
| New York Magpies | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2010, 2014 | 2004, 2012 |
| Cincinnati Dockers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1997 | — |
| Vancouver Cougars | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2008 | — |
| Austin Crows | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2013 | — |
See also
- US Footy
External links
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