The British American Football League (BAFL) was the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

's primary

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League (BSL) until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football League Ltd incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 2353839. The company went into

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...

on 1 April 2010, and the company ceased to trade as from this date. The League had 3

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

s: Premier, 1 and 2, each with a playoff series and championship game to determine a winner. The Championship participants were promoted to the divisions above and the lowest-ranking teams in each division are relegated. Only clubs from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

played; clubs in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

competed against

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

clubs in an all-Ireland

Irish American Football League American Football Ireland (AFI) is the National Governing Body for American football for Ireland and Northern Ireland. Founded in 1984 the AFI is entirely volunteer run and all American football played in Ireland is played at an amateur level. ...

. Teams competed annually to reach the championship game (

BritBowl The Britbowl is the championship game of the British American Football National League, and formerly the British American Football League (BAFL) in the United Kingdom. It is the most prestigious of the league's three bowl games that constitut ...

) and win the

Boston Trophy The Boston Trophy was the trophy awarded each year to the winning team of the British American Football League's (BAFL) annual Premier Division Championship game, BritBowl and was BAFL's most prestigious award. The trophy was named in honor of the ...

. The game was traditionally hosted at Sheffield's

Don Valley Stadium Don Valley Stadium was a sports stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The venue, which was completed in September 1990, hosted the 1991 World Student Games. It was designed by Sheffield City Council's Design & Building Services and nam ...

, however the venue for the finals was switched in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

because of a schedule conflict with Rotherham United FC, the stadium's temporary tenants, with the match instead being played at the

Keepmoat Stadium The Eco-Power Stadium (formerly known as Keepmoat Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Doncaster, England, with a capacity of 15,231. It cost approximately £20 million to construct, as part of the wider Lakeside Sports Complex that i ...

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

. Tensions grew between the directors of BAFL and those of the

British American Football Association The British American Football Association (BAFA) is the national governing body for the sport of American football and non-contact Flag Football in the United Kingdom since 1985. It is affiliated to the International Federation of American ...

, the governing body throughout 2009 and at the beginning of 2010, BAFL formally, but unconstitutionally, withdrew from BAFA. This led to uproar from the teams within BAFL, ultimately signalling the end for BAFL as an entity. The league ceased operations on 1 April 2010. The league was replaced by the

BAFA Community Leagues The BAFANL (BAFA National Leagues) are the primary American football domestic League competition in Great Britain. The League is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate contact football within England, Scotland and Wales. ...

for the 2010 season. This organisation, run under the umbrella of the governing body, rebranded in 2011 to become the BAFA National Leagues.

Britbowl champions

*2010

London Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

*2009

*2008

Coventry Cassidy Jets The Coventry Jets were an American football team based in Coventry, England.The club ceased to exist in 2018 and dropped out of the BAFA National Leagues with all club assets and teams being moved over to the Etone Jaguars based in Nuneaton, Wa ...

*2007

*2006

London Olympians The London Olympians are an American football team based in Greenwich, London, England, who compete in Division 1, the 2nd tier of British American Football. Formed in 1983 and originally from Streatham the team were known as the Streatham Olympi ...

*2005 London O's *2004

Farnham Knights The Rushmoor Knights American Football Club (formerly Southern Seminoles, Personal Assurance Knights/PA Knights, Farnham Knights) are a British American football club based in Farnham, Surrey. The Club has three teams; the Farnham Knights (20 ...

*2003 London O's *2002 London O's *2001 London O's *2000 London O's *1999 London O's *1998 London O's *1997

Redbridge Fire Redbridge may refer to: Places * London Borough of Redbridge, England **Redbridge, London, a place in that borough **Redbridge tube station Redbridge is a London Underground station on Eastern Avenue in the Redbridge district of Ilford in N ...

*1996

Leicester Panthers The Leicester Panthers were a British American Football team that played in the BAFA National Leagues, formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1996 who played home games at Saffron Lane sports centre. In the time they played, they recorded only one losi ...

*1995 Birmingham Bulls *1994 London O's *1993 London O's *1992 London O's *1991 Birmingham Bulls *1990

Manchester Spartans The Manchester Spartans were an American football club in Manchester, England. Founded in 1983 as the Northwich Spartans, they became Manchester Spartans in 1984, and were national champions in 1989 and 1990. They won the Eurobowl in 1990. Histo ...

*1989

References

{{BAFL seasons American football leagues in the United Kingdom Sports leagues established in 1987 Sports leagues disestablished in 2010 Defunct American football leagues in Europe Defunct sports leagues in the United Kingdom 1987 establishments in the United Kingdom 2010 disestablishments in the United Kingdom