EFAF Cup

Last updated

The EFAF Cup was an international competition for European American Football clubs. It was the second highest level of club competition in the European Federation of American Football (EFAF), behind the European Football League (EFL),.

Contents

EFAF Cup

Organised by EFAF, this competition was comparable to football's Europa League. American Football teams from the strongest leagues in Europe competed annually to achieve results good enough to qualify them for the EFAF Cup competition.

The format dated from 2002 and offers top-division European clubs who have not qualified for the highest level of competition (EFL) a chance to play internationally.

Participants were Champions and Vice-Champions of the "smaller" American Football nations, and those finishing just behind EFL qualification places in the "bigger" American Football leagues.

The competition was folded after the 2013 edition. The reason was, in 2014 the Big6 European Football League was established as the new top tier competition. So in fact, the EFL took the place of the EFAF Cup.

Competition format

In the group phase, four groups consist each of three teams. Each team plays each other once and has a home game and an away game. The winners of these groups qualify directly for the semi-final phase.

Should more teams qualify for and enter the EFAF Cup competition, more groups are created and a quarter-final phase introduced.

Players

Participating teams must submit a roster of at most 60 players to EFAF by March 31 of the competition year. These players, and no others, are permitted to play for the club within the competition that year. No changes can be made to the list.

On each game day, the roster must be reduced to 45 players who will actually participate in the game. This number must include no more than 3 "American" players. In EFAF rules an "American" is defined as a player with an American, Canadian, Mexican, or Japanese passport. [1] There is no restriction on how many of these 3 can be on the field at the same time.

EFAF Cup Finals

YearDateCityWinnersScoreRunners-upAttendanceMVP
20028 June 2002 Eggenberg, Austria Graz Giants Flag of Austria.svg 51–12 Badalona Dracs Flag of Spain.svg
200314 June 2003 Innsbruck, Austria Carlstad Crusaders Flag of Sweden.svg 28–7 Papa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders Flag of Austria.svg 4,500Johan Larsson, QB, (Crusaders)
200425 June 2004Innsbruck, AustriaPapa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders Flag of Austria.svg 45–0 Farnham Knights Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 4,700
2005 Marburg Mercenaries Flag of Germany.svg 49–14 Elancourt Templiers Flag of France.svg
200611 July 2006Eggenberg, Austria Turek Graz Giants Flag of Austria.svg 37–20 Eidsvoll 1814s Flag of Norway.svg 2,600Darvin Lewis (Graz) [2]
2007Turek Graz Giants Flag of Austria.svg 28–26 Cineplexx Blue Devils Flag of Austria.svg
200812 July 2008 Berlin Adler Flag of Germany.svg 29–0 Parma Panthers Flag of Italy.svg Oliver Flemming (Berlin) and Alberto Lanzoni (Parma)
20094 July 2009 Prague Panthers Flag of the Czech Republic.svg 35–12 Thonon Black Panthers Flag of France.svg Stanislav Jantos (Prague)
201017 July 2010 Chur, Switzerland Calanda Broncos Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 17–3 Carlstad Crusaders Flag of Sweden.svg 1,580Tissi Robinson (Calanda)
20112 July 2011 London, United Kingdom London Blitz Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 29–7 Kragujevac Wild Boars Flag of Serbia.svg 2,000Aaron Sanders-Percival (London)
201214 July 2012 Vejle, Denmark Søllerød Gold Diggers Flag of Denmark.svg 31–21 Triangle Razorbacks Flag of Denmark.svg 1.300Alexander Cimadon (Søllerød)
201313 July 2013 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain Thonon Black Panthers Flag of France.svg 66–6 L'Hospitalet Pioners Flag of Spain.svg

Champions

by team

ChampionshipsTeamYear
3 Flag of Austria.svg Graz Giants 2002, 2006, 2007
1 Flag of France.svg Thonon Black Panthers 2013
1 Flag of Denmark.svg Søllerød Gold Diggers 2012
1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London Blitz 2011
1 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Calanda Broncos 2010
1 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Prague Panthers 2009
1 Flag of Germany.svg Berlin Adler 2008
1 Flag of Germany.svg Marburg Mercenaries 2005
1 Flag of Austria.svg Papa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders 2004
1 Flag of Sweden.svg Carlstad Crusaders 2003

by country

ChampionshipsCountryYear
4 Flag of Austria.svg Austria 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007
2 Flag of Germany.svg Germany 2005, 2008
1 Flag of France.svg France 2013
1 Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark 2012
1 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain 2011
1 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Switzerland 2010
1 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 2009
1 Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 2003

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UEFA Champions League</span> European association football tournament

The UEFA Champions League is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a round robin group stage to qualify for a double-legged knockout format, and a single leg final. It is the most-watched club competition in the world and the third most-watched football competition overall, behind only the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup. It is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champions of their national associations.

The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be either a single game, a series of games, or a tournament, and may use a single-elimination system or one of several other different playoff formats. Playoff, in regard to international fixtures, is to qualify or progress to the next round of a competition or tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UEFA Europa League</span> Annual association football competition in Europe

The UEFA Europa League is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the second-tier competition of European club football, ranking below the UEFA Champions League and above the UEFA Conference League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bundesliga</span> Association football league in Germany

The Bundesliga, sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga or 1. Bundesliga, is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary football competition. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga. Seasons run from August to May. Games are played on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. All of the Bundesliga clubs take part in the DFB-Pokal cup competition. The winner of the Bundesliga qualifies for the DFL-Supercup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio</span> Football league in San Marino

Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio is an amateur league competition for football clubs located at the only level of the Sammarinese football league system and has been operating since the 1985–1986 season. Currently, Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio is ranked last at number 55 among European leagues according to UEFA's league coefficient, which is based on the performance of Sammarinese clubs in the Champions League, Europa League and the Europa Conference League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurobowl</span>

The Eurobowl was the championship final game of a tournament style playoff to determine the champion of all of the American football leagues in Europe. The tournament featured the top or champion clubs from each countries top league that was called the European Football League (EFL). The first Eurobowl final was played in 1986 in Amsterdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NIFL Premiership</span> Association football top division of Northern Ireland

The NIFL Premiership, known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and Irish Premiership colloquially, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northern Ireland Football League – the national league in Northern Ireland. The NIFL Premiership was established as the IFA Premiership in 2008 under the auspices of the Irish Football Association as the successor to the Irish Premier League, before the Northern Ireland Football League was created for the start of the 2013–14 season. At the end of the season, the champion club is presented with the Gibson Cup.

Professional sports leagues are organized in numerous ways. The two most significant types are one that developed in Europe, characterized by a tiered structure using promotion and relegation in order to determine participation in a hierarchy of leagues or divisions, and a North American originated model characterized by its use of franchises, closed memberships, and minor leagues. Both these systems remain most common in their area of origin, although both systems are used worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Blitz (American football)</span> American Football team based in the United Kingdom.

The London Blitz are an American football team based in Finsbury Park, North London, England, who compete BAFA National Leagues Premier Division South, the highest level of British American football. They were formed in 1995 and operate from Finsbury Park Athletics Stadium. They are one of the Britain's most successful teams and are five-time BritBowl winners as well as European Champions following their EFAF Cup triumph in 2011. They have also seven divisional titles to their name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam Crusaders</span>

The Amsterdam Crusaders are an American Football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands founded in 1984. Together with the Rotterdam Trojans and Alphen Eagles, the Amsterdam Crusaders are the oldest surviving Dutch American Football club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin Adler</span>

The Berlin Adler is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as ten Ladies Bowls and five Junior Bowls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Football League</span>

The European Football League (EFL) established in 1986, was a tournament for the best European American football teams affiliated to IFAF, which replaced the European Federation of American Football (EFAF) in 2014.

American Football Association of Finland is the national governing body of American football in Finland. It was founded in 1979 and it is a founding member of the European Federation of American Football, EFAF and International Federation of American Football, IFAF. Since 2000, American football has grown steadily. In 2006 there were 27 clubs playing the sport with over 100 teams and over 1400 players. In 2012, the association's competitions fielded over 150 teams with more than 2200 licensed players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CONCACAF Champions Cup</span> Annual continental football tournament for clubs in North America

The CONCACAF Champions Cup is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It is the most important tournament in CONCACAF club football. The winner of the CONCACAF Champions Cup automatically qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

The EFAF Challenge Cup was an international competition for European American Football clubs. The EFAF Challenge Cup was the third highest level of club competition in the European Federation of American Football (EFAF), behind the European Football League (EFL) and the EFAF Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raiders Tirol</span> American football team based in Innsbruck, Austria

The Raiders Tirol are an American football team based in Innsbruck, Austria. Founded in 1992, the Raiders since have become one of Austria's and Europe's most dominant American football teams, winning the Eurobowl title three times and the CEFL also three times (2017–2019). Competing in the Austrian Football League (AFL), the team has won the league championship eight times, most recently in 2021. In 2022, the Raiders joined the European League of Football (ELF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marburg Mercenaries</span> American football team in Marburg, Germany

The Marburg Mercenaries are an American football team from Marburg, Germany.

The Calanda Broncos are an American football team from Landquart, Switzerland. The club, formed in 1991 as the Landquart Broncos, changed its name in late 2008 after the Calanda mountain to show the club's desire to represent a larger region of Graubünden rather than just the community of Landquart. With the move to the stadium in nearby Chur the club was also able to draw larger crowds for its home matches. The club is the best-supported American football club in Switzerland.

The BIG6 European Football League (BIG6) was a European Cup style tournament for European American football teams. Originally organized by the EFAF, the tournament had been run by the German Football League International since 2015. The final game of the BIG6 was called the EFL Bowl from 2014-2018. Previously the final game of the European Football League was called the Eurobowl and had been held annually since 1986 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UEFA Conference League</span> Annual football international club competition in Europe

The UEFA Conference League, formerly known as the UEFA Europa Conference League prior to the 2024–25 season, is an annual football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the third tier of continental club football in Europe, behind the second-tier Europa League, and the first-tier Champions League.

References

  1. "EFL and EFAF Cup Regulations" (PDF). EFAF.
  2. "Giants of Europe". 2006-07-11. Retrieved 2019-02-01.