The 2006 American National Rugby League season was the ninth annual American National Rugby League (AMNRL) season, and the 26th since the first season of semi-professional rugby league began in North America. The season began on May 17, 2006 with a match between defending premiers Glen Mills Bulls and the Philadelphia Fight, played at Jack Pearson Stadium. The same venue hosted the Grand Final between the Connecticut Wildcats and Glen Mills Bulls on August 19, 2006 in front of a crowd of 2,500.[1]
Three expansion teams, the Jacksonville Axemen, the New Haven Warriors, and the Boston Braves joined the AMNRL for the 2006 season. With these additions, there were eleven teams that participated throughout the ten rounds of the regular season. After the regular season concluded, six of these teams qualified for the first week of the playoff series, with the Connecticut Wildcats victors in the Grand Final, securing their second championship title.
Pre-season
Three new teams entered the competition for the 2006 season which took the number of teams in the American National Rugby League to eleven. These teams were the Jacksonville Axemen, Boston Braves (whom were originally called the Boston Wolfhounds), and the New Haven Warriors. It was originally believed that a team from Chicago would also enter the competition but the AMNRL turned down their application.
Jack Pearson Stadium, Pennsylvania Referee: Ryan McGough
Championship Match
The season culminated on August 19, 2006, with the 4th placed Connecticut Wildcats defeating the minor premiers Glen Mills Bulls 36-28 in the Grand Final Championship Match in front of 2,500 people at Jack Pearson Stadium in Concordville, Pennsylvania. The victory was Connecticut's second premiership in successive years.
The New York Knights are a semi-professional rugby league football team based in New York City. The team currently plays in the USA Rugby League. They play their home games at Pier 40 in Hudson River Park.
The American National Rugby League (AMNRL) was the national governing body for rugby league in the United States from 1997 to 2014.
While rugby league has been played in the United States since 1954, with Australia and New Zealand playing games there on their return from the Rugby League World Cup in France, serious attempts to start the sport in the United States began only in the late 1970s. The establishment of a national team and a domestic competition in the late 20th century has seen more recent progress.
The Delaware Valley Mantarays were a semi-professional rugby league football team based in the Delaware Valley area of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The team played for seven seasons in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) from 2000–2006. At the conclusion of the 2006 season they merged with another AMNRL team in the Philadelphia area, the Philadelphia Fight.
This article contains information on rugby league played in 2006. The season commenced with the World Club Challenge in England in February and concluded with the Tri-Nations Final in Australia in November.
The Jacksonville Axemen are a rugby league team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They currently play in the USA Rugby League (USARL). They play their home games at the North Practice Soccer Fields at the University of North Florida.
This article contains information on rugby league played in 2007. The season commenced with the World Club Challenge and concluded with the New Zealand All Golds Tour in November.
The Boston Bears are a rugby league football team based in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. The team plays in the USA Rugby League, and were founding members of the former North American Rugby League.
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. They played their home games at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven, Connecticut.
The Northern Virginia Eagles were a rugby league team based in Manassas, Virginia, U.S. The club currently plays in the USA Rugby League (USARL). From 2007 to 2011 they were known as the Fairfax Eagles and were based in nearby Fairfax, Virginia.
The 2007 American National Rugby League season was the tenth annual American National Rugby League season of semi-professional rugby league football in North America. The season began on June 2, 2007 with a match between the Northern Raiders and the New York Knights, played at Pier 40 Stadium located on the Hudson River.
The 2008 American National Rugby League season was the 11th season of the competition, the rugby league football competition for semi-professional clubs in the United States.
The 2009 AMNRL season was the 12th season of the American National Rugby League (AMNRL). The Boston Thirteens joined the league as an expansion team, bringing the number of teams to eleven. The New York Knights won the Grand Final, defeating the Jacksonville Axemen.
The 2010 American National Rugby League season was the 13th season of the AMNRL. The Pittsburgh Vipers are the newest team to enter the competition and the Bucks County Sharks have withdrawn from the competition.
The 2011 AMNRL season was the fourteenth season of the American National Rugby League. The Jacksonville Axemen are the reigning champions. Prior to the season seven AMNRL teams withdrew from the league to form the new USA Rugby League.
The USA Rugby League is the national governing body for rugby league in the United States.
The 2011 USARL season was the inaugural season of the USA Rugby League (USARL). The league was formed in January 2011 as a breakaway competition from the American National Rugby League (AMNRL). The regular season kicked off on June 4 and ended on July 30; the Jacksonville Axemen won the minor premiership with the best regular season record. The first round of playoffs were played on August 13, 2011, with the New Haven Warriors and Philadelphia Fight winning the round. The league's Grand Final took place on August 27 between the Philadelphia Fight and the New Haven Warriors. Philadelphia won 28–26, receiving their first national championship.
Erik Hollingsworth is an American former rugby league player, who played for the Glen Mills Bulls and the Connecticut Wildcats. He has also represented the United States national rugby league team, as a fullback or wing.
The 2015 USA Rugby League season was the fifth season of the USA Rugby League National Premiership competition, and its first as the undisputed top-level rugby league competition in the United States. Fourteen teams competed for the USARL Championship. The season began on Saturday, May 30, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 29, in Jacksonville, Florida. The Boston Thirteens won their first USARL Championship, defeating the Atlanta Rhinos 44-12.
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Connecticut Wildcats (2nd title)
Glen Mills Bulls (6th title)
