The is the top-level

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

league of France. The league was founded in 1982.

History

American football was introduced to France in the early 20th century, but for decades it remained an infrequent activity, practised only by American touring teams and wartime servicemen.
The formation of NATO in 1949 allowed for U.S. military settlements in France, and in turn the establishment of senior and high school teams representing these bases. They mainly competed in cross-border leagues sanctioned by the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

and

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, although some seasons featured a conference consisting solely of France-based armed forces teams.
While some French citizens attended the games, actual participation by locals remained negligible and the sport quickly declined when French president

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

withdrew France from NATO's military command, evicting American troops from the country in 1967. Nonetheless, a few modern era French teams claim the lineage of those military organizations: the

Châteauroux Sabres Châteauroux ( ; ; ) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French. Climate Châteauroux tempe ...

are named after an eponymous team from the now decommissioned Châteauroux-Déols Air Base.
It was not until 1980 that a physical education teacher, Laurent Plegelatte, created the first "born and bred" French team, the Spartacus de Paris. The same year, he founded and chaired the National Committee for the Development of American Football. The Ligue Élite de Football Américain was created in 1982 under the leadership of Laurent Plegelatte with four participants. The Spartacus de Paris were the first ever champions of the Ligue Élite de Football Américain, but are now a defunct team as of 1993. 1983 saw a change of leadership from Laurent Plegelatte to Michel Gofman. The club Ours de Toulouse claims a French American football attendance record of over 11,000 for a 1990 game against the Moscow Bears played at Toulouse Stadium. Final_Casque_de_Diamant_2013_n79

League set-up

The league is partitioned into two conferences, each with six teams. The top three teams of each conference enter the playoffs. Until 1994, the final was called . Since 1995, the championship game has been called .

Trophy

Although the championship game is called the Diamond Helmet, the winners' trophy does not have the shape of a helmet. It is a shield similar to those awarded to the French champions of other

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league. Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...

codes, such as the

Bouclier de Brennus The Bouclier de Brennus (), or Brennus Shield in English, is a trophy awarded annually to the French rugby union club that wins the domestic league. The shield was not named, as it is often believed, after the famous Gallic warrior Brennus bu ...

and the Trophée Max-Rousié.

Teams

Active teams

Championship Game

Media

In 2022, the league is set to receive its first regularly scheduled television coverage on Sport en France.

Notes

External links

Official French American Football Federation web site

EliteFoot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ligue Elite de Football Americain American football in France

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

1982 establishments in France Sports leagues established in 1982 Professional sports leagues in France