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Poland | |||||||||||||||
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Association | PZFA | ||||||||||||||
Region | Europe (EFAF) | ||||||||||||||
Founded | 2012 | ||||||||||||||
IFAF Affiliation | 2007 | ||||||||||||||
Colors | White, Red | ||||||||||||||
Head coach | Daniel Piechnik | ||||||||||||||
General manager | Michał Latoś | ||||||||||||||
The Poland National American Football team represents Poland in international American football competitions. The team is controlled by the Polish American Football Association. The team was formed in 2012, consisting mainly of Polish American Football League players and coaching staff. In addition to players from the Polish league, players from the York Lions, Braunschweig Lions, Kouvola Indians and Kristiansand Gladiators have also participated in games.
The first international American football game played by Poland was played 2 February 2013 in the Atlas Arena in Łódź, when the Polish national team met the Swedish national team in an Arena football game. Polish teams had previously played unofficial matches, beginning in 2005.
There are many Poles and players with Polish roots currently playing in NFL; for example Sebastian Janikowski, Tom Zbikowski, Chris, Dan, Rob Gronkowski, and in the past: Rich Szaro, Chester Marcol, Stas Maliszewski, Ron Jaworski, Zeke Bratkowski. For more persons of Polish descent, see National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and list of Polish Americans. The latest addition is a son of Nigerian and a Polish woman, Babatunde Aiyegbusi who signed up with Minnesota Vikings after playing basketball as well as North American football for many Polish, Czech, and German clubs.
2017 Poland National Football Team roster | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Offensive linemen
| Head coach
Assistant coaches
Roster accessed 2017-07-28 | ||||
In 2015 Poland is competing in the IFAF level qualifying playoff circuit for the first time.
Year | Position | GP | W | L | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Qualification first round lost to Czech Republic. |
Year | Position | GP | W | L | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Did Not Participate | |||||
2003 | Did Not Participate | |||||
2007 | Did Not Participate | |||||
2011 | Did Not Participate | |||||
2015 | Did Not Participate | |||||
2025 | To Be Determined |
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Competition | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 November 2005 | Pardubice Stallions | Zgorzelec | 2–12 | Friendly (League All Star Team) | Loss |
2 February 2013 | Sweden | Atlas Arena, Łódź, Poland | 14–27 | Arena Football Friendly game | Loss |
14 September 2013 | Netherlands | Polonia Stadium, Warsaw, Poland | 14–37 | Friendly game | Loss |
12 September 2015 | Belgium | Stadion GOSiR, Gdynia, Poland | 27–20 | Friendly game | Win |
27 September 2015 | Russia | Arena Lublin, Lublin, Poland | 7–0 | Friendly game | Win |
11 October 2015 | Czech Republic | Letní stadion, Pardubice, Czech Republic | 7–14 | European Championship Qualifying | Loss |
6 August 2016 | Denmark | COS-OPO Cetniewo, Cetniewo, Poland | 35–37 | Friendly game | Loss |
10 September 2016 | Sweden | Stadion MOSiR Ząbki, Ząbki, Poland | 21–28 | Friendly game | Loss |
24 September 2016 | Hungary | First Field, Székesfehérvár, Hungary | 22–23 | Friendly game | Loss |
8 November 2016 | Netherlands | Arena Lublin, Lublin, Poland | 42-14 | Friendly game | Win |
22 July 2017 | France | Olympic Stadium, Wrocław, Poland | 2–28 | World Games | Loss |
24 July 2017 | United States (USFAF) | Olympic Stadium, Wrocław, Poland | 7–14 | World Games | Loss |
16 September 2017 | Switzerland | Arena Lublin, Lublin, Poland | 13–6 | Friendly game | Win |
The Arena Football League (AFL) can refer to one of three successive professional indoor American football leagues in the United States. The first of these was founded in 1986, and played its first official games in the 1987 season, running for 22 consecutive seasons until going bankrupt following the 2008 season. The second league, consisting largely of teams from the first AFL and arenafootball2, purchased the first league's assets out of bankruptcy and resumed play in 2010 as a continuation of the first AFL; this second AFL ran for ten further seasons, before again going bankrupt following the 2019 season. A third AFL, which is not directly connected to the previous two iterations of the league but claiming their histories and trademarks, intends to launch in 2024.
Indoor soccer or arena soccer is a five-a-side or six-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor soccer, as it is most often known in the United States and Canada, was originally developed in these two countries as a way to play soccer during the winter months, when snow would make outdoor play difficult. In those countries, gymnasiums are adapted for indoor soccer play. In other countries the game is played in either indoor or outdoor arenas surrounded by walls, and is referred to by different names.
Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller arena. It is distinct from traditional American or Canadian football played in larger domed or open-air stadiums, although several early college football games contested on full-sized or nearly full-sized fields at Chicago Coliseum (1890s) and Atlantic City Convention Center helped to show that football could be played as an indoor game.
Football is the most popular sport in Poland. Over 400,000 Poles play football regularly, with millions more playing occasionally. The first professional clubs were founded in the early 1900s, and the Poland national football team played its first international match in 1921.
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Cracovia, is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. The club is five-time and also the first Polish champion, winner of the Polish Cup and the Polish Super Cup in 2020. Founded in 1906, Cracovia is the longest existing Polish club.
The Poland men's national football team represents Poland in men's international tournament football competitions since their first match in 1921.
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American Indoor Football (AIF) is a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.
The Columbus Lions are a professional indoor football team based in Columbus, Georgia, and are a member of American Indoor Football.
The Poland men's national volleyball team represents Poland in international volleyball competition. The team is directed by the Polish Volleyball Federation, the governing body for volleyball in Poland, which represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches.
Sandecja Nowy Sącz is a Polish football club formed in 1910.
The Polish American Football League or shortly PLFA was a structured system for the American football competitions in Poland founded in 2004 by the Polish federation PZFA. In 2012, the Topliga was created as a major league with a bid (invitation) rule. The remaining teams are divided into two leagues between which there was promotion and relegation. There were two eight-man football competitions: PLFA 8 for reserve teams and smaller clubs, and PLFA J for under-17 players.
Australian rules football is played in Europe at an amateur level in a large number of countries. The oldest and largest leagues are those in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark, in each of these nations there are several established clubs, and organised men's, women's and juniors programs. The British AFL has now expanded into Welsh, Scottish and English leagues. The Danish AFL has been responsible for the expansion of Australian Football into Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Norway. The governing body for Australian Football in Europe was founded in Frankfurt in January 2010; the body was initially called the European Australian Football Association, but changed its name to AFL Europe at a general assembly meeting in Milan in October of the same year. It currently has 22 member nations. AFL Europe, with backing of the AFL in Australia has overseen a large improvement in the organisation of Australian football in Europe.
Arena Națională is a retractable roof football stadium in Bucharest, Romania. It opened in 2011 on the site of the original National Stadium, which was demolished between 2007 and 2008. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the Romania national football team, and usually Romanian Cup Final. With 55,634 seats, it is the largest stadium in Romania.
The Florida Tarpons were a professional indoor football team based in Lakeland, Florida, out of the RP Funding Center. Originally established in Estero, Florida, and playing out of Germain Arena, they began play in 2012 as an expansion team of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL). The Tarpons joined the X-League Indoor Football (X-League) during the 2015 season when the UIFL merged with the X-League. They played in the Arena Pro Football (APF) league in 2017 before the league became the American Arena League (AAL) for 2018. For 2019, there was an ownership transition that formed their own Florida-based league, called the A-League, and the team rebranded as the Lakeland Tarpons. The team was removed from the A-League schedule at the start of the 2019 season.
The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) was a professional indoor football league that played four seasons from 2012 to 2015. Like the Lone Star Football League, the PIFL was mainly composed of teams formerly part of Southern Indoor Football League. Despite the name, this PIFL had no connections to the original Professional Indoor Football League.
The Dutch Lions is the Dutch national American Football team. The team represents the Netherlands in international competition and is made up entirely of Dutch national players, typically but not exclusively playing in the AFBN and GFL competitions.
The China Arena Football League, often abbreviated as the CAFL, was a professional arena football league that played its games in the People's Republic of China. It featured players from the now-defunct Arena Football League (AFL) and other indoor football leagues' rosters while also using players from China or who are of Chinese descent, The six team, eight-on-eight football league consisted of four Chinese players and four "foreign" players on the field at a time. The league began play in the fall of 2016 and held two seasons, one in 2016 and another, heavily abbreviated, schedule in 2019. It was the first professional American football league to play in China. The CAFL was not directly affiliated with the AFL, instead owned by AFL Global, LLC, a company that was created by Martin E. Judge Jr.
The European League of Football (ELF) is a professional American football league. The league consists of 17 teams located in Germany, Poland, Spain, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Czech Republic and France, with plans to expand to 24 teams in 2024. The new league was officially created in November 2020, and kicked off on 19 June 2021.