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.
Since co-ordinating the first
National Championships, the organisation has functioned as a national
amateur Australian rules football representative
league. By 2006, the league had grown to 40 affiliated clubs, making up 60 teams and 2,000 players. 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,
Coach Development and
Umpire Development programs.
History
The first match between two local US clubs was played in 1996 between
Cincinnati and
Louisville.In the first year the
Mid American Australian Football League was formed.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.
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...
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