It is fair to say that when it comes to American football, the version of the sport that most people will be familiar with is the one that takes place in North America itself. That doesn’t mean that they are the only American football leagues that you can get involved in terms of supporting the various teams, which is especially good news if you’re based in the United Kingdom and are a fan of the gridiron. What you might be surprised to learn if you’re not a keen follower is that there are actually several different leagues in the UK, each offering something different.
How American Football Is Administered in the UK
It might surprise some people to know that American football has been being played in the United Kingdom since 1910, which was when it was introduced to the country by the American servicemen based on the country. That saw the crew of the USS Idaho defeat the crew of the USS Vermont 19-0, with US and Canadian servicemen also involved in playing matches here throughout the Second World War. This led to the creation of the United States Armed Forces Europe league in 1946, although that’s not what we’re looking at here.
It is, though, interesting to note that the sport dates back much further than many might assume. It wasn’t until 1983 that the first teams open to British players were formed, with a competition getting underway the following year when a number of one-off games were played. The first league was essentially a compilation of the results of teams that played at least three games, which saw the London Ravens win all ten of their matches against other sides. Since then, hundreds of teams have been formed in the UK.
British American Football Association
Whilst both full contact and flag versions of American football have been played over the years, it is not exactly outrageous to suggest that it is only the ‘proper’ version of the sport that we’re interested in as far as the various leagues are concerned. When it comes to the administration of American football in the United Kingdom, that responsibility lies with the British American Football Association. It was founded in 1985 and boasts an affiliation with the International Federation of American Football, which was founded 13 years later.
In spite of how long the game has been played in the United Kingdom, the more official nature of it is relatively young. It took until 2010 for the BAFA to create its first major leagues in the UK, which came about with the creation of the BAFA National Leagues. That is considered to be the country’s primary competition when it comes to the contact version of American football over here, with the flagship event being the BritBowl that takes place every year between the top sides of the Premier Divisions of the BAFANL.
British American Football League
There was a league called the British American Football League that was founded in 1987 and was initially known as the British Senior League until 2005. It boasted three divisions, operating a system of promotion and relegation similar to what we’re used to seeing in the Football League. It also had a championship game at the end of the season, in line with what we’ve come to expect from the National Football League in America. The BAFL went into administration in 2010, having not become part of the BAFA when it was formed.
In terms of the competitions that are controlled by the British American Football Association, the following come under their remit:
| League | Type | Who It’s For |
|---|---|---|
| BAFA National Leagues | Adult Contact | Men/Women Aged 18+ |
| National Women’s Football League | Women’s Contact | Women Aged 18+ |
| British Universities American Football League | Adult Contact | University Students Aged 18+ |
| National Flag Football League | Adult Flag | Men/Women Aged 16+ |
| Women’s National Flag Football League | Women’s Flag | Women/Female University Students Aged 18+ |
The UK’s Main Leagues
As you might imagine for an American sport that has been set up in a different country, there is a mildly complicated nature to the way things work when it comes to American football. There is an extent to which it has been devised to mirror the way the sport works in its native country, which is why the BAFA National League season ends with the BritBowl as an equivalent to the Super Bowl. Here is a look at the two main competitions that are open to adults in the United Kingdom when it comes to contact sport:
BAFA National Leagues
The top level of the game is British American Football Association National Leagues. The BANFANL season sees teams from England, Scotland and Wales go up against one another, with sides from Northern Ireland taking part in the American Football Ireland leagues and therefore not involved with the rest of the United Kingdom. The regular season sees the teams being split up into two different Conferences:
- Northern Football Conference
- Southern Football Conference
Part of the complexity of the sport in the UK comes from the fact that each Conference is broken down into three levels, starting at the Premier Division and then going to Division One and Division Two. Teams can switch between the Conferences depending on their geographical location at the start of each season and on where the other teams in the country are based. It is a summer sport, which means that it runs in an opposite manner to the NFL in America and runs between April and August, with play-off gamed often taking place in September.
Another manner in which the BAFA National Leagues differ from their American counterparts is that they have a system of promotion and relegation, meaning that sides can move between the divisions within each conference in a similar manner to what British people will be used to from watching association football. Even so, they still follow the National Collegiate Athletic Association rules that people will be used to from watching the National Football League, which has been the practice since the 2005 season.
The teams in the BAFANL did pay players at one point, but nowadays players are not allowed to be paid and actually have to pay a subscription fee to both their clubs and the league as a whole. It is the coaches and staff members who are allowed to be paid, making it something of a part-professional, part amateur league. It is specifically aimed at British players, though, with a rule coming in in 2019 that said that non-British players had to have a permanent residence in the United Kingdom and living in the country for at least six months.
British Universities American Football League
If you want to play American football in the United Kingdom but don’t think that you’re yet at the point that you could do so as part of the BAFA National Leagues system, you may still have an option open to you if you are a university student. The British Universities American Football League is, as the name suggests, aimed at university teams that are located in the United Kingdom. It is part of the organisation of British Universities and Colleges Sport, having been formed by the British American Football Association in 2007.
It was created as a replacement for the British Collegiate American Football League and was needed because BAFA withdrew recognition of the British Student American Football Association. There are many who believe that the BUAFL helped to revive overall interest in the sport of American football in the United Kingdom. Although the structure of the league has changed numerous times since its first introduction, a new-look version of the sport game into play in 2024 that saw a five-team Premier National division brought in.
That is the top level of the sport in the UK as far as university students are concerned, sitting above the Premier North and the Premier South. The reorganisation of the sport in this country saw six regional Tier 1 divisions as well as six regional Tier 2 divisions. The teams are put into the various divisions depending on their geographical location in much the same way as it works for the non-university nature of the sport.