Eastern Australian Football League
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Australian Football League is an Australian rules football
competition in the Eastern United States of America and a division of the United States Australian Football League
.
The league at the start of the 2005 season comprised the Florida Redbacks, the North Carolina Tigers, the Baltimore Washington Eagles, the Pittsburgh Wallabies, the Philadelphia Hawks, the New York Magpies and the Boston Demons. At the end of the season, Pittsburgh disbanded, and the Redbacks pulled out of the league due to high travel costs of playing the Northern teams. The league continued as a five-team division from 2006 until 2010.
From 2006, the USAFL's two Florida-based clubs, the Tampa area based Redbacks and Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids, played together as the Florida United Saints, playing an independent schedule against teams in the Southeast. In 2010, the Saints played four of the five EAFL clubs (all except Boston). Prior to the 2011 season the Redbacks and Squids ended their merger and will play as two separate clubs, with the Squids playing independently still and the Redbacks returning to play a full EAFL schedule.
Boston won the inaugural EAFL championship title over New York. Since then, New York and Baltimore/Washington have won each of the last five titles.
The ladder follows the traditional AFL format of four points for a win, two for a draw, and none for a loss. If two or more teams are level on points, the tie is broken by points percentage (PF/PA * 100)
In addition to regular season matches, there have been several tournaments held where all five clubs gather at one field and play two matches in "lightning" format. In 2009, Philadelphia and Baltimore each hosted tournaments that amounted to a round robin series between the five EAFL teams. The series, which included two full length games for EAFL points, was won by the New York Magpies, who went 4-0. In 2010, Philadelphia hosted a tournament that included Florida in place of Boston. None of the games in 2010 tournament were for EAFL points. The 2011 tournament, played on the infield at Rosecroft Raceway
, saw one official EAFL match (Baltimore/Washington v Boston), and other "lightning" matches including the Hawks, Magpies, and Redbacks.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
competition in the Eastern United States of America and a division of the United States Australian Football League
United States Australian Football League
The United States Australian Football League is the governing body for Australian rules football in the United States. It was conceived in 1996 and organized in 1997....
.
History
In the early months of 2005, member clubs of the South Eastern Australian Football League and North Eastern Australian Football League on the eastern seaboard formed a new league, the Eastern AFL.The league at the start of the 2005 season comprised the Florida Redbacks, the North Carolina Tigers, the Baltimore Washington Eagles, the Pittsburgh Wallabies, the Philadelphia Hawks, the New York Magpies and the Boston Demons. At the end of the season, Pittsburgh disbanded, and the Redbacks pulled out of the league due to high travel costs of playing the Northern teams. The league continued as a five-team division from 2006 until 2010.
From 2006, the USAFL's two Florida-based clubs, the Tampa area based Redbacks and Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids, played together as the Florida United Saints, playing an independent schedule against teams in the Southeast. In 2010, the Saints played four of the five EAFL clubs (all except Boston). Prior to the 2011 season the Redbacks and Squids ended their merger and will play as two separate clubs, with the Squids playing independently still and the Redbacks returning to play a full EAFL schedule.
Boston won the inaugural EAFL championship title over New York. Since then, New York and Baltimore/Washington have won each of the last five titles.
Format
As a five-team circuit from 2006-2010, each team played each of the other teams in the league once for a total of four games, two at home and two on the road. With the return of Florida for the 2011 season, each team now has a fifth game on the schedule; three teams have an extra road game, and three teams have an extra home game. Teams alternate home field every other year. Because of travel costs and scheduling constraints, some matches are played in neutral sites. In further cases, three teams will gather in one site and play each other in "lightning" format (two 20-minute halves as opposed to four quarters), with points counting towards the EAFL premiership table.The ladder follows the traditional AFL format of four points for a win, two for a draw, and none for a loss. If two or more teams are level on points, the tie is broken by points percentage (PF/PA * 100)
In addition to regular season matches, there have been several tournaments held where all five clubs gather at one field and play two matches in "lightning" format. In 2009, Philadelphia and Baltimore each hosted tournaments that amounted to a round robin series between the five EAFL teams. The series, which included two full length games for EAFL points, was won by the New York Magpies, who went 4-0. In 2010, Philadelphia hosted a tournament that included Florida in place of Boston. None of the games in 2010 tournament were for EAFL points. The 2011 tournament, played on the infield at Rosecroft Raceway
Rosecroft Raceway
Rosecroft Raceway is a harness horse racing track located in Oxon Hill, Maryland, in the United States.-History:William E. Miller, a noted harness racer and horse breeder in the mid-20th century founded Rosecroft Raceway in 1947. It was the only known raceway to be owned by horse owners, horse...
, saw one official EAFL match (Baltimore/Washington v Boston), and other "lightning" matches including the Hawks, Magpies, and Redbacks.
Current Clubs
| Club | Colours | Years in competition | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Washington Eagles | 2005- | 2007, 2008 | |
| Boston Demons | 2005- | 2005 | |
| Florida Redbacks | 2005, 2011- | ||
| New York Magpies | 2005- | 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011 | |
| North Carolina Tigers | 2005- | ||
| Philadelphia Hawks | 2005- |
Previous clubs
| Club | Colours | Years in competition | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Wallabies Pittsburgh Wallabies The Pittsburgh Wallabies are a former Eastern Australian Football League and United States Australian Football League team. They were based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.They played in the USAFL in 2004 and the EAFL in 2005.... |
2005 |