 | |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| First season | 1997[1][2] |
| No. of teams | 47 (men's) and 25 (women's)[1] |
| Country | USA |
| Most recent champion(s) | Men's: Austin Crows (9th premiership) Women's: Minnesota Freeze (1st premiership) (2024) |
| Most titles | Men: Austin Crows (9 premierships) Women: Golden Gate Iron Maidens (7 premierships) |
| TV partner(s) | Youtube |
| Official website | usafl |
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.
- ^ a b c "Australian football makes inroads in Baltimore one bounce, kick and bump at a time". The Baltimore Sun. 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Aussie rules tackling the USA". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 September 2011.
- ^ "AFL International Development Regional Plan 2012-2016" (PDF). United States Australian Football League. May 2012. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
- ^ Maine, Jim (2012). Aussie Rules For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-118-34875-8. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
- ^ U.S. Australian Football League hosts regional tournament in the Twin Cities by Ren Clayton for CBS Minnesota. 18 June 2022