Abbreviation | IFAF |
---|---|
Formation | 1998 |
Type | Sports federation |
Legal status | Governing body of American football |
Headquarters | La Courneuve, France |
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | 74 members (April 2023) [1] |
President | Pierre Trochet |
Vice President | Jim Mullin |
General Secretary | Eric Mayes |
Key people | Managing Director Andy Fuller |
Main organ | Congress |
Affiliations | ARISF |
Website | americanfootball.sport |
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is the international governing body of American football associations. The IFAF oversees the organisation and promotion of all international competitions across both contact and non contact versions of the game, [2] including the IFAF World Championship of American Football, which is held every four years. The IFAF became a provisionary member of SportAccord in 2003, and became a full SportAccord member in 2005. In 2023, IFAF was officially recognised as an Olympic IF (International Federation) by the IOC. In 2023, IFAF made a historic new streak, with Flag Football being selected as one of the five new Sports for the LA 28 Olympic Summer Games. The organization's head office is located in Paris, France.
The IFAF recognizes in their respective areas the following branches [3] [4] and has 75 members as of June 2024:
Americas (16)
Asia (13)
Europe (29)
Oceania (5)
American football competitions
(Men)
(Junior)
(Women)
Flag football competitions
(Men / Women)
Following the cancellation of the 2015 IFAF World Championship in Sweden for financial reasons, the event was moved to the United States. In February 2015 Tommy Wiking resigned as president of IFAF due to the cancellation of the event. During the 2015 meeting, Tommy Wiking was illegitimately put[ clarification needed ] as president, and caused a schism. One group, in New York, elected Roope Norenen as interim president in September 2014, and Richard MacLean in 2015. The other group, based in Paris, recognized Tommy Wiking as president.
In September 2016, "IFAF in Paris" suspended six nations for not submitting players information for anti-doping, The suspended nations were the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Finland, and Denmark. A group of European federations wished for a reunification of the sport during a December 2016 meeting in Rome. [5] In May 2017, after a split that created rival groupings of the International Federation of American Football, the IFAF grouping based in Paris stripped its recognition of USA Football, [6] citing disputes over anti-doping enforcement. IFAF (Paris) instead recognized the United States Federation of American Football as the USA's governing body, [7] and the USFAF organized a team to participate in the 2017 World Games, in which it won a bronze medal. The grouping of the IFAF based in New York continued to recognize USA Football [8] and organized the 2017 Women's World Championships, which the USA won. [9]
In March 2018, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) determined that the IFAF (NY) was the proper governing entity and voided all decisions of the other IFAF entity, including their decision to strip USA Football of its recognition. [10] USA Football is currently the internationally recognized governing body for American football in the United States. [11]
The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 days. The World Games are governed by the International World Games Association, under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee.
Flag football is a variant of gridiron football where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down. In flag football, contact is limited between players. The sport has a strong amateur following with several national and international competitions each year sponsored by various associations but is most popularly played in America where it was invented. The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) with the International Woman's Flag Football Association (IWFFA) governing the women's game.
The IFAF World Championship of American Football is an international gridiron competition held every four years and contested by teams representing member nations. The competition is run by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport. Seventy-one nations have a national American football team. The most recent tournament, in 2015, featured seven teams.
Football Canada is the governing body for gridiron football in Canada headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Football Canada focuses primarily its own Canadian form of the sport, and is currently the world's only national governing body for Canadian football.
The International Fitness and BodyBuilding Federation (IFBB), headquartered in Las Rozas (Madrid), is an international professional sports governing body for bodybuilding and fitness that oversees many of the sport's major international events, notably the World and Continental Championships.
The International Surfing Association (ISA) is the world governing authority for surfing, SUP racing, SUP surfing, para surfing, bodyboarding and all other wave riding activities. The ISA is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
IFAF Europe is the governing body of American football in Europe. It is a member of the International Federation of American Football. IFAF Europe replaced the European Federation of American Football (EFAF) which had begun in 1976 as the American European Football Federation (AEFF).
The United States National American Football Team often referred to as Team USA represents the United States in international men's American football competitions. It is currently controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). The team is currently ranked no.1 in the world in tackle Football by the IFAF.
USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States. It is the United States' member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), and a recognized sports organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. It selects and organizes the U.S. men's national team and the U.S. women's national team in federation-sanctioned international competition. They also organize the men's and women's flag football teams.
IFAF Asia is the governing body of American football in Asia. It is a member of the International Federation of American Football. IFAF Asia replaced the Asian Federation of American Football (AFAF) in 2012. The oldest of IFAF Asia federations is the Japan American Football Association (JAFA), which was founded in 1934.
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.
IFAF Americas is the federation that governs the sport of American football in the Americas and qualifies teams from North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America in the IFAF World Cup. It replaced the Pan American Federation of American Football (PAFAF) in 2012. The organization also oversees flag football competitions.
American football was featured in the Summer Olympic Games demonstration programme in 1904 and 1932. College football was played at the 1904 Olympics, which was played at Francis Field, but was, in reality, college teams playing each other as part of their regular seasons. The sport was eventually played officially as a demonstration sport only once, in 1932. Though American football has not been played in the Olympics since then, various American football players have participated in the Olympics. The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) oversees the IFAF World Championship, which is an international tournament, which itself is held every four years.
The United States competed at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, from 20 to 30 July 2017. The U.S. received 22 medals in 19 different events.
IFAF Africa is the governing body of American football in Africa. They also oversee flag football competitions. It is a member of the International Federation of American Football.
The American football tournament at the 2017 World Games in Wrocław was an invitation sport. It was played between 22 and 24 July. There were 172 competitors, from 4 nations, that participated in the tournament. The competition took place at Olympic Stadium.
The men's tournament in American football at the 2017 World Games in Wrocław was played between 22 and 24 July. 172 American football competitors, from 4 nations, participated in the tournament. The American football competition took place at Olympic Stadium.
The Denmark men's national flag football team represents Denmark in men's international flag football matches. The sport is governed by the Danish American Football Federation. The team won a record six consecutive European Championships. They also won silver four times in the World Championship. They have 14 medals in total. In 2023, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) ranked the Denmark men's team 11th worldwide.
The flag football competition at the 2022 World Games took place in July 2022, in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States.
The United States men's national flag football team often referred to as Team USA represents the United States in men's international flag football competitions. The team is governed by USA Football. As of 2023, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) ranks the United States men's team 1st worldwide.