Irish American Football

This is an All-Time Record of Irish 11v11 American Football, including All-Time Results & Standings; International Results; Irish 11v11 American Football Teams; Irish 11v11 American Football Players, Coaches & Officials; Irish American Football Records and Irish American Football Yearbooks. Please use the navigation bar above to see the record of Irish 8v8 American Football (Development Leagues; 2nds Teams; Youth Contact Football) and Flag Football.

This is the Index / Landing Page to the All-Time Results, Standings and Box-Scores of American Football Ireland 11v11 Leagues, College Bowl, Early Pre-Pads Football, Festivals, All-Star Games and Preseasons. Below you will find links to the Results & Tables of the Irish American Football League since its first year in 1986, in increasing levels of detail, depending on how much detail you want

Header Image Credit: [1] Photo by Thomas Ronveaux on Pexels.com [2] American Football Ireland Mini-Helmets by Enda Mulcahy for Eirball [3] Photo by Ricardo CL on Pexels.com [4] Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur on Pexels.com

American Football Ireland Premier Era

Irish American Football Association Era

In 2001, a new administration – the Irish American Football Association – re-established the Irish American Football League, as a Winter League in 2001, and a Spring League in 2002, and then in 2003 as ‘Division 1’  with an 8-Man Division 2. Divisions 1 & 2 were merged into one 11-Man, 6-team IAFL in 2004, and the League expanded to 11 teams by 2008, when a new 8-Man Development League was again re-introduced, to help newer teams starting out, and help existing clubs field second teams. the Development League became a full 11-Man Second Level in 2013, with the two tiers renamed the Shamrock Bowl Conference &  IAFL 1 Conference. A third Tier, the IAFL 2 Conference was introduced in 2014, leading to a 23-team League at its height. In 2020 the Irish American Football Association was renamed American Football Ireland, under new management, President Orla McAleese, the first Female President of the Association.

American Football Association of Ireland Era

The Irish American Football League has been running since 1986. The first Shamrock Bowl (Ireland’s Super Bowl or Title Game) was played in 1986 and the first full Irish American Football League season in 1987. For the first three seasons the League operated in Ireland only, and then in 1989 became part of the Combined Gridiron League which operated throughout Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. In 1990 the League returned to an Ireland-only league, but only in Northern Ireland, with the sole Republic of Ireland representatives, the Dublin Celts, playing in the UK Second Division (NCMMA) and playing a series of exhibition matches against the Northern Irish teams. Following on from the Irish League Final, the Champions of the Irish League played against the Dublin Celts in the Shamrock Bowl. In 1991 an All-Ireland American Football League was re-established, under the American Football association of Ireland banner, which became the Irish Senior League in 1997, under new management. This was a time when the initial excitement for the new sport faded, and the NFL was no longer on terrestrial TV in Ireland or Britain, and the number of teams dropped to 3 in 1999, and then in 2000 there was no league

American Football Ireland Division 1 and 2

American Football Ireland College

Irish American Football Overviews

Final Tables and International Results in Irish American Football & Flag Football Organised on a Season-by-Season Basis:

Pre-American Football Ireland Leagues

Starting with the US Army’s European Theater of Operations Football Championship in Northern Ireland in 1942, through to the 4th of July Festival match in 1983, held in Banbridge Rugby Club between two teams of specially trained Rugby players, American Football Leagues in Ireland pre-date the American Football Ireland (Originally Irish American Football Association) by 44 years.

American Football Ireland Festivals

Festivals and Exhibition matches have been organised since 1983, with teams playing in smaller towns in the Irish Regions, or as part of 4th of July Celebrations in both Dublin and all over the Country. Some of these festival matches have attracted up to 5,000 spectators.
Festival matches also take part in preseason, and can also be Regular Season matches or DV8 8-a-side matches.

American Football Ireland Preseason

Preseason, like in the National Football League is an important part of player development. The Irish American Football League generally plays a two-game preseason in preparation for the 8-game regular season.

American Football Ireland All-Star Games

All Star Games have been a integral part of Irish American Football since the beginning, as in the National Football League.

Irish International American Football

From the first ever touring American Football teams in Ireland in the 1940s to the big NCAA College Games from the 1980s onwards to the matches played by Irish American Football teams – both club and country – against North American teams and European teams there is plenty to savour in the history of International American Football in Ireland and Irish teams overseas.

The first ever American Football games played in Ireland were in the 1940s, when teams of US Servicemen returning from WW2 played matches in Ravenhill (Home of Ulster Rugby) and Croke Park (Home of the GAA) in aid of the Irish Red Cross. Further matches were played in the 1950s & 1960s by US Air Force Personnel stationed at US Air Bases in Britain & Germany during the Cold War. There were also during the late 1980s and up until the mid-1990s high-profile pre-season matches between NCAA College teams and one NFL match between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears. 2012 also saw the return of the high-profile NCAA games to Ireland, featuring both NCAA Division I Regular Season Matches, and also the Global Ireland Football Tournament, a series of 6 Regular Season NCAA Division III and High School matches played at a variety of venues across Ireland. 

Irish Teams v American Teams

In the 1980s the first Irish American Football teams were formed following the UK’s Channel 4 TV station airing a Weekly NFL Highlight Show, and matches were organised between Irish Teams and Eastern Football League (Massachusetts area) Semi-Pro Teams. Matches were also irregularly scheduled between Irish teams and US Servicemen and High schools. In 2004 the first matches between Ireland and NCAA Division III teams were organised, and in 2007 these became a regular fixture in Ireland, between Irish Club Teams and NCAA Division III teams. 

European American Football (Irish Clubs & Team Ireland):

 The Dublin Celts, the first American Football team in Ireland, formed in 1984, played matches against British opposition in 1985 & 1986 due to lack of kitted opposition in Ireland. In 1986 the first Shamrock Bowl was played and the Irish American Football League was started the following year, with the Shamrock Bowl Champions winning the right to represent Ireland in the Eurobowl, the European Champions Cup. Britain was expelled from the European Football League in 1992, and Ireland left the organisation at the same time as it could not afford to play games in continental Europe. Irish teams played a series of matches against English, Scottish and Welsh teams from then until 2000, and the Nations Cup, between Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales was held from 1996-1999. In 2002 Ireland rejoined the European circuit, with the Dublin Rebels playing in the Charleroi Trophy in Belgium, an unofficial Championship for amateur Western European Champions, such as the Irish, Belgian & Dutch Leagues. From 2005-2006 Irish teams returned to playing British teams, and then in 2009 the first Atlantic Cup, an official tournament for the Champions of amateur Western European Leagues was held. Belgian, Dutch, Irish and sometimes either a Luxembourg representative or a team from the French third level competed for this European Tier 3 Trophy until 2016, when the Belgian & Dutch entrants made the step up to EFL (Tier 2) level. From 2014-present a series of matches involving Irish teams and teams from the Atlantic Fringe, such as Scotland and Iberia, have been played, as well as Internationals between Ireland and Belgium and Netherlands. 

Irish American Football 11v11 Teams

Irish American Football Teams (In Order of Creation)

 

Irish 8v8 American Football

This is the Index Page to the All-Time Archive of 8v8 American Football (Contact) in Ireland. This version of American Football is designed to facilitate the playing of American Football in 3 areas of competition: (1) Junior Kitted Teams. (2) Small Towns; and (3) 11v11 Teams to field 2nds Teams. depending on the numbers that turn up on gthe day it could be 6v6; 7v7; 8v8 or 9v9. Includes Early Pre-Pads American Football 1983-1991

The first Junior / Youth Kitted American Football League was created in 1991, when the Northern Ireland Junior American League made the step up from Two-Touch to Kitted. It lasted two seasons, and from then the Ballymena Wolfhounds played international exhibition games against British opposition as they had no opposition in Ireland.

In the 2000s there were a number of exhibition games played among Junior Kitted teams, and in 2013 the first IAFA Junior Kitted Programme was officially launched, with a 7-team League, playing 7v7, 8v8, 9v9 Kitted Football (depending on the numbers on the day) in 2019. There has also been 6v6 Junior Kitted American Football.

Header Picture Credit: [1] Hogan, Sean (2016) “Kildare’s American football team crowned All Ireland champs”. Kildare Now. 26 October, 2016. [Internet] Available from: https://www.kildarenow.com/upload/2016/10/26122252/IMG_1564-e1477481286183.jpg [Accessed 30 January 2020]

Junior Two Touch American Football

From 1986 to 1991, before Flags were brought in, there were a number of Junior Two-Touch Leagues organised by regional development bodies, such as the East Coast Junior Football Association (Greater Dublin Area) from 1986 to 1987, and the Northern Ireland Junior American League which ran from 1988 to 1990, when it became fully kitted. In 1991, a Junior Two-Touch American Football Blitz took place in Tymon Park, Tallaght. These Leagues were Two-Touch, although it was only the ball carrier who had to be touched twice, all other positions were full contact (i.e. Blocking etc.)

[References: Andrew Wilson’s reply to Eirball’s post, March 27, 2020 [Internet] Available at : https://www.facebook.com/eirballenda/posts/2433567573622264?comment_id=2696161900696162&notif_id=1612882525056885&notif_t=feed_comment&ref=notif [Accessed 11 February 2021]

DV8 Development Leagues and Blitzes

The first DV8 Development Mini-League was created in 1993, for smaller teams like the Ardee Falcons (Co. Louth), and Dublin Tornadoes Vets (2nds team). Blitzes were played over the following 10 years, with another Mini-League (IAFL Division 2) created in 2003. Again Blitzes were employed up until the creation of the DV8 Development League in 2008, which lasted until 2012, when the League became the full 11v11 IAFL 1 Conference. The DV8 format was then used for the Junior Kitted League.

Early Pre-Pads American Football

Beginning with a match in Banbridge between two teams of specially trained Rugby players for American Indendence Day in 1983 through to the first Irish American Football League season in 1986, non-kitted contact Football was played between Irish teams due to the huge cost involved in getting helmets and padding imported into the country from USA. By 1987 all teams were now fully kittted and the League played its first full season. The non-kitted version of American Football would have been very like the early days of the NFL or Ohio League from 1900 to 1930s, or more modern day pick-up games in parks throughout the United States. These non-pad, non-helmet pick-up games have recently been codified by the American 7s Football League, which has similar rules to 8v8 Football such as Arena / Indoor Football.

International 8v8 American Football