Irish American Football League
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| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 in Dublin, Ireland |
| Inaugural season | 1986 |
| No. of teams | 22 |
| Country | Ireland |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Dublin Rebels (2016) |
| Most titles | Dublin Rebels (8 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Setanta Sports |
| Official website | www |
The Irish American Football League (IAFL) is an amateur American football league in Ireland. Founded in 1984, it consists of 23 teams competing in two conferences, the Shamrock Bowl Conference, IAFL-1 and IAFL-2. The championship game of the league is the Shamrock Bowl. The Dublin Rebels are the current league champions, having won Shamrock Bowl XXX.
A separate College Bowl tournament among collegiate members of the league took place between 2007 and 2011; its final champions were Trinity College. The four collegiate teams now compete in the South division of the Shamrock Bowl Conference.
The first Shamrock Bowl game was played in 1986 between the Craigavon Cowboys and the Dublin Celts. The Cowboys won the first title played in Dublin.The Celts then went on to be the number 1 team in Ireland for the next 10 years, winning the Shamrock Bowl 5 times. The Celts were also the First Irish team to represent Ireland in the Euro Bowl – the then Champions league of European American Football.
During 2000, plans were made to resurrect the IAFL. The only fixture to be played in Ireland that year was an Irish selection against a visiting high school team - Mount St. Josephs from Maryland USA. In 2001, the Carrickfergus Knights, Dublin Dragons, Dublin Rebels and University of Limerick Vikings played a full league season of football. The Dublin Rebels defeated the Carrickfergus Knights in Shamrock Bowl XV, which was played in Carrickfergus.
All four teams participated in the reformation of the Irish American Football League (IAFL). A new league structure and administration was put in place and the IAFL helped form the Irish American Football Association (IAFA) - the new national governing body for the sport. During 2002, the sport found a new lease on life in Ireland. Again, four teams contested the league with the Carrickfergus Knights defeating the UL Vikings in Shamrock Bowl XVI. However, during the course of the year there were some significant developments. Firstly, three development teams applied to join the league for 2003. Secondly, an Irish team won an International club competition for the first time ever. In June, the Dublin Rebels travelled to Belgium and won the Charleroi Trophy against the Charleroi Cougars and two French teams - Reims Champs and Forbach Taupes. The season finished on a high note with the visit of Team Canada, the Canadian U21 team. The Carrickfergus Knights played Team Canada in Dublin and performed well in a 34–6 defeat.
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