The United States Australian Football League (also known informally as the USAFL or US Footy) is the governing body for Australian rules football (or "footy") in the United States. A sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It was conceived in 1996 and organized in 1997.
Since co-ordinating the very first National Championships, the organisation also functions as a national amateur Australian rules football representative league. The USAFL National Championships is a Tournament for Australian rules football in the United States. Amateurism (from Fr amateur "lover of" from OFr from L A sports league is an organization that exists to provide a regulated competition for a number of people to compete in a specific Sport. By 2006, the league has grown to 40 affiliated clubs, making up 60 teams and 2,000 players[1], of which 1,048 were registered USAFL players and 340 USAFL sanctioned matches were played. Of the 709 players who competed at the USAFL National Championships, 77. 4% were non-Australian, and over 60% were American.
The USAFL has Junior Development, Coaching Development and Umpire Development programs. Coach (baseball|Coach (basketball|Coach (ice hockeyIn Sports a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction instruction and training of the operations An umpire is an official in the Sport of Australian rules football.
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History
The first match between two local US clubs was played in 1996 between Cincinnati and Louisville. Australian rules football in the United States is a team and Spectator sport which has been played domestically in the United States since 1996 [2] In the first year the Mid American Australian Football League was formed. The MAAFL is a division of the United States Australian Football League and is a Semi-professional Australian rules football competition based in the middle of the Many of the local players had found out about the game in the 1980s on television and ESPN. Although the local game grew, ESPN no longer broadcast AFL matches, and in response the lobby group, AFANA was formed. The Australian Football Association of North America is a non-profit organization that formed out of the campaign to save Television coverage of Australian rules football
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.
Ambassadors
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. This article is about the Australian rules football player For the South African rugby player see Paul Roos (South Africa. More recently, Robert DiPierdomenico, Colin Carter, Ian Dicker, Wayne Clarke, Leigh Matthews and Michael Voss have become official USAFL ambassadors. Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico (born 5 May 1958 is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL of Italian descent and a member of the VFL-AFL Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM (born 1 March 1952 is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. Michael Voss (born 7 July 1975 is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions and also a former Australian rules footballer usually playing midfield for Australian
Metro Footy
The USAFL has embraced Metro Footy – a scaled down version of footy (as the sport is sometimes called) for American-sized fields with fewer players. Metro Footy (or Metro Rules Footy - a modified version of Australian rules football rules played on Gridiron football, rugby or Soccer fields Many US Footy clubs are fed by several Metro Footy sides and selected players represent at the Nationals. Metro Footy has also enabled the USAFL to stage exhibition matches at Arena Football League games. The Arena Football League (AFL was founded in 1987 as an American football indoor league.
National side
US Footy is responsible for the co-ordination of the National Team, the Revolution. The United States national Australian rules football team, nicknamed the Revolution represents the United States of America in the The team plays in international tournaments and exhibition matches against other countries. Australian rules football is a Sport played in a handful of countries around the world An exhibition game (also known as an exhibition match or simply exhibition, or a demonstration or demo event is a sporting event Revolution players are selected from the best US-born players from the club teams across the country.
With close proximity to Canada, the Revolution participate in the annual 49th Parallel Cup against Canada. The 49th Parallel Cup is an annual Australian rules football match between the USA and Canada.
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. The 2002 Australian Football International Cup was the inaugural international Australian rules football tournament held in Melbourne The 2005 Australian Football International Cup was the second time that the Australian Football International Cup tournament an international
Domestic Tournaments & Competitions
Funding and revenue
The Australian Football League provides around A$90,000 annually in funding for US Footy, primarily for junior development. The USAFL National Championships is a Tournament for Australian rules football in the United States. An Australian rules football tournament in the United States, similar to the National Basketball Association All-Star Game. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas The USAFL also generates revenue through club and player membership and merchandising activities. USFooty recently launched USFootyTravel. com to combine their travel with fundraising.
US Footy Kids
US Footy Kids is US Footy's equivalent of the successful AFL Auskick program and part of the USAFL's junior development program. Auskick is a national program in Australia to develop and promote participation in Australian rules football by children
US Clubs and representative sides
| Club | City | Colours | Metro League | Founded | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Hawks | Phoenix, Arizona | Arizona Australian Football League | 1999 | Official Site | |
| Atlanta Kookaburras | Atlanta, Georgia |  | Atlanta Metro Footy League | 1998 | Official Site |
| Austin Crows | Austin, Texas | 2002 | Official Site | ||
| Baltimore Washington Eagles | Baltimore, Maryland, Fairfax, Virginia & Washington, D.C. | Baltimore Washington Eagles Metro Competition | 1998 | Official Site | |
| Baton Rouge Tigers | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |  | 2004 | Official Site | |
| Boston Demons | Boston, Massachusetts |  | New England Metropolitan Australian Rules Football League | 1997 | Official Site |
| Cincinnati Dockers | Cincinnati, Ohio |  | 1996 | Official Site | |
| Chicago United | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Australian Football Association | 1998 | Official Site | |
| Dallas Magpies | Dallas, Texas | 1998 | Official Site | ||
| Denver Bulldogs | Denver, Colorado | 1998 | Official Site | ||
| Florida Redbacks | Tampa Bay, Florida | Florida Metro Footy League | 2003 | Official Site | |
| Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 2005 | Official Site | ||
| Golden Gate Roos | San Francisco, California | 1998 | Official Site | ||
| Houston Lonestars | Houston, Texas | 2005 | Official Site | ||
| Kansas City Power | Kansas City, Missouri | Kansas City Metro Footy League | 1998 | Official Site | |
| Las Vegas Gamblers | Las Vegas, Nevada | 2005 | Official Site | ||
| Louisville Kings | Louisville, Kentucky | 1996 | Official Site | ||
| Milwaukee Bombers | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1998 | |||
| Minnesota Freeze | Minneapolis, Minnesota |  | 2005 | Official Site | |
| Nashville Kangaroos | Nashville, Tennessee | 1997 | Offfical Site | ||
| New York Magpies | New York City | New York Metro Footy League | 1998 | Official Site | |
| North Carolina Tigers | Raleigh, North Carolina | North Carolina Metro Footy League | 1997 | Official Site | |
| Orange County Bombers | Orange County, California | Southern California Australian Football League | 1998 | Official Site | |
| Philadelphia Hawks | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1998 | Official Site | ||
| Portland Power | Portland, Oregon | Portland Metro Footy League | 1998 | Official Site | |
| San Diego Lions | San Diego, California | San Diego Metro Footy League | 1997 | Official Site | |
| Seattle Grizzlies | Seattle, Washington | Seattle Metro Footy League | 1998 | Official Site | |
| St. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, This article refers to the independent city of Fairfax Va For the surrounding unincorporated area of Fairfax County with a Fairfax postal address please see Fairfax County Virginia Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Baton Rouge (French Bâton-Rouge ˌbætən ˈruːdʒ in English, and in French) is the capital city of Louisiana. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States The Tampa Bay Area, or Tampa Bay, after the body of water it surrounds is the second most populated metropolitan region in the state of Florida, the Fort Lauderdale, known as the "Venice of America" due to its expansive and intricate Canal system is a city in Broward County, Florida, The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally The City of New York Raleigh (pronounced rah-lee) is the Capital of the State of North Carolina and the county seat of Wake County, USA Orange County is a county in Southern California, United States. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers Louis Blues | St. Louis, Missouri | 1998 | Official Site |
Former Clubs
| Club | City | Founded | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Overdrive | Detroit, Michigan | ||
| Illinois Ironmen | Naperville, Illinois | ||
| Inland Empire Eagles/Fire | Riverside, California | ||
| Lehigh Valley Crocs | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | ||
| Los Angeles Crows | Pasadena, California | ||
| Mojave Greens | Fort Irwin, California | ||
| Phoenix Scorpions | Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| Pittsburgh Wallabies | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | ||
| South Carolina Hawks | Charleston, South Carolina | ||
| Tri-Cities Saints | Bristol, Tennessee | ||
| Tucson Javelinas | Tucson, Arizona |
Affiliated Leagues
- Mid American Australian Football League
- Eastern Australian Football League
- North West Pacific Australian Football League
- Californian Australian Football League
See also
- Australian rules football
- Australian rules football in the United States
- Metro Footy
- Women's Australian Football Association
References
External links
Naperville ( is an affluent city in the Chicago metropolitan area in Illinois in the United States, voted the second and third best place to live Riverside is the County seat of Riverside County, California, United States. Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Fort Irwin & the National Training Center (NTC is a major Training area for the United States Military. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. Tucson (ˈtuːsɒn is the seat of Pima County Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast The MAAFL is a division of the United States Australian Football League and is a Semi-professional Australian rules football competition based in the middle of the The Eastern Australian Football League is an Australian rules football competition in the Eastern United States of America and a division of the United States The North West Pacific Football League is an Australian rules football competition with teams from both Canada and the United States. The California Australian Football League (CAFL was the first organized league of Australian rules football in the United States of America, and is in itself a member Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players Australian rules football in the United States is a team and Spectator sport which has been played domestically in the United States since 1996 Metro Footy (or Metro Rules Footy - a modified version of Australian rules football rules played on Gridiron football, rugby or Soccer fieldsDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic