Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
has been played in the United States by club teams since the 1970s. In that time a number of amateur and semi-professional clubs have been established and ended up going defunct.
American National Rugby League
The American National Rugby League (AMNRL) was a rugby league organization in the United States that operated from 1997 to 2014. The country's first domestic rugby league competition, it hosted an annual league from 1998 through 2013. Throughout it ...
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Aston Bulls
The Aston Bulls were a rugby league football team based in Aston Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The team played in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL), the United States' oldest competition, from 1998 until 2013. They were kno ...
(1998–2013): Originally known as the Glen Mills Bulls and later the Pennsylvania Bulls, this club won 6 AMNRL championships.Aston Bulls RLFC Records & Achievements /ref>
*Boston Braves (2004–2006): The Braves were initially part of the
Boston Irish Wolfhounds
The Boston Irish Wolfhounds Rugby Football Club (also known as BIWRFC) is a rugby union team based in Boston, Massachusetts, US. The club competes in, and is governed by, the New England Rugby Football Union (their LAU), the Northeast Rugby Union ...
rugby union club and played exhibition games only. Upon becoming independent as the Braves, they played just one season in the AMNRL in 2006.
*Boston Storm (1998): This franchise played only one season in 1998.
* Delaware Valley Mantarays (2000–2006): Originating in
Media, Pennsylvania
Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located about west of Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation with 1.6 million residents as 2020. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropol ...
as the Media Mantarays, the club folded into the Philadelphia Fight in 2006.
*Delaware Vipers (2011): Intended to be a relaunch of the Mantarays, the Vipers only lasted a single season in 2011.
*Iowa City Crash (2012–2013)
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Northern Raiders
The New York Raiders were an American rugby league football team based in Congers, New York. The team played in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) from 2002 to 2013, when the AMNRL folded its domestic competition.
The team originated as t ...
(2002–2013): The Raiders began as the Wilmington Vikings of
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...
and joined the AMNRL as the league's first
expansion team
An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
in 2002. The club later experienced a series of moves and name changes, relocating to
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
in 2003, becoming the New Jersey Vikings, then moved again after the season to
upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York (state), New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upsta ...
, taking the name Northern Raiders. In 2010, they adopted their final name New York Raiders.
*Pennsylvania Raiders (1998): This club played just one season in 1998.
*Pittsburgh Vipers (2010–2011): This franchise only played a single season in the AMNRL before joining the USARL organisation as a development team under the
Pittsburgh Sledgehammers
The Pittsburgh Sledgehammers are a rugby league football team based in the Pittsburgh area. They are currently confirmed to be affiliated with the new USA Rugby League. They play their games at Founders Field in Cheswick, Pennsylvania.
The clu ...
branding.
*Southampton Dragons (2013): The Dragons played in the final season of the AMNRL, folding with the league at the conclusion of the 2013 season.
USA Rugby League
The USA Rugby League (USARL) is the official governing body for rugby league, a code of rugby football, in the United States.
The organization also runs the national amateur competition for club teams in the US. The league consists of six te ...
*Baltimore Blues (2012–2014): The Blues joined the USARL as an expansion team in 2012, folding after just a couple of seasons.
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Bucks County Sharks
The Bucks County Sharks were a rugby league football team based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The team currently plays in the USA Rugby League.
Originally known as the New Jersey Sharks, the team was founded in 1997 and joined the now-defunct A ...
(1997–2016): Known originally as the New Jersey Sharks before relocating to
Bucks County
Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...
, the Sharks played in the AMNRL before that league folded, joining the USARL for the 2015 season until the clubs departure in 2016.
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Central Florida Warriors
The Central Florida Warriors were a semi-professional rugby league team based in DeLand, Florida United States. They competed in the USA Rugby League (USARL) in the Southeast Rugby League Conference. They play their home games at Spec Martin Stadi ...
(2014–2017): The Warriors were based in
DeLand, Florida
DeLand is a city in central Florida. It is the county seat of Volusia County. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. As of the 2020 ...
.
*Connecticut Wildcats (2003–2015): The Wildcats initially played in the AMNRL, winning 3 championships, before transferring to the USARL for only the 2015 season before folding. Most of the squad joined the new White Plains Wombats.
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New Haven Warriors
The New Haven Warriors were a rugby league football team based in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. They played in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) from 2006 to 2010 and in the USA Rugby League (USARL) from 2011 to 2012 before withdrawing. T ...
(2006–2013): Warriors' initially played in the AMNRL, winning one championship. They became a founder member of the USARL in 2011.
*New Jersey Turnpike Titans (2011): The Titans only played in the leagues' inaugural season in 2011.
* New York Knights (1997–2018): Originally known as the New York Broncos, the Knights played in the AMNRL until the league folded. As with other clubs at the time, they switched over to the USARL for its 2015 season. The Knights had won 4 AMNRL championships.
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Oneida FC
Oneida FC (Oneida Football Club) is a soccer club based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The organisation was estabished in 2011 and plays its home games at East Boston Memorial Stadium, owned by the city of Boston. The field also hosts American footb ...
(2011–2013): Part of the historic
Oneida Football Club
The Oneida Football Club, founded and captained by Gerrit Smith Miller in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1862, was the first organized team to play any kind of football in the United States.
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Rhode Island Rebellion
The Rhode Island Rebellion were an American semi-professional rugby league football team based in Providence, Rhode Island. The Rebellion compete in the USA Rugby League (USARL), which they joined as a charter franchise in the 2011 season.
Hist ...
(2011–2017): The Rebellion were a founder member of the USARL.
* Washington D.C. Slayers (2003–2016): The Slayers were a founder member of the USARL, having initially played in the AMNRL.
See also
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North American Rugby League
The North American Rugby League (NARL) is an unsanctioned rugby league club competition in North America. At launch, the league announced fourteen teams; twelve from United States and two from Canada. An inaugural season was planned for 2021 ...
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List of defunct rugby league clubs
This is a list of defunct professional rugby league clubs.
Australia
New South Wales Rugby League (1908-1994)
ARL (1995-1997), SL (1997) and NRL (1998-)
The teams listed above, with the exception of Adelaide, Hunter, Gold Coast, Northern Ea ...