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British Australian Rules Football League
 

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HISTORY

:See Also Australian Rules Football In England
The league in its current incarnation was formed in 1989, with efforts from John Jelley and others seeing the formation of eight clubs for an inaugral season in 1990. The founding clubs were the London Hawks , West London Wildcats , North London Lions , Earls Court Kangaroos , Lea Valley Saints , Thames Valley Magpies and Wandsworth Demons in and around London and a club based in Leicester, the East Midland Eagles . Of the foundation teams, four still survive in West London, North London, Wimbledon (former London Hawks) and Wandsworth.

Between 1990 and 2001, the league existed as one competition for all clubs, ranging from a high of 10 clubs in 1991 to a low of only 6 in 1998.


Divisional Structure 2001-present

In an environment where large numbers of Australians could be both a blessing (in terms of experience and teaching ability) and a curse (in terms of new clubs outside London finding it difficult to compete against the Australian expat-based London clubs, the league in 2001 divided teams into two leagues. The first league was the ''London Premiership'', where the powerful London clubs would continue under the same local-content regulations as previously (ie quotas of British players who must be on the field at any time).

Beneath the London Premiership would be a ''London Conference'', where the teams could field their 'reserve' sides, including the Clapham and Ealing teams which had been previously entered by Wandsworth and West London repectively. The London Conference has greatly relaxed 'local content' rules, meaning that backpackers and other Australians can compete at a social level.

In 2003, with new clubs being formed outside the capital and regional clubs still struggling against the larger numbers of Australians playing for the London sides, it was decided that clubs outside London would compete in a ''Regional Premiership''. This included the Bristol Dockers , St Helens Miners and the two new sides in the Doncaster Saints and Reading Kangaroos .

In 2004, a fourth division of the BARFL appeared, with the Scottish Australian Rules Football League forming. Three clubs played each other for the premiership, the Edinburgh Old Town Bloods , the Edinburgh Uni Body Snatchers and the Glasgow Sharks .


CLUBS


London Premiership



Current Teams



Past / Defunct Teams



London Conference

  • City Swans

  • Clapham Demons (affiliated with Wandsworth)

  • Covent Garden Gryphons

  • Ealing Emus (West London)

  • Fulham Hawks (Wimbledon)

  • London Stingrays

  • Regents Park Lions (North London)

  • Shepherds Bush Raiders (West London)

  • Stockwell Swans



Regional England



Current Teams



Past / Defunct Teams



Scotland

''See also Scottish Australian Rules Football League ''


GRAND FINAL RESULTS


Pre-Divisional Structure

  • 1990 Wandsworth 10.10.70 d Earls Court 9.14.68

  • 1991 Earls Court 18.15.123 d Wandsworth 12.15.87

  • 1992 Wandsworth 12.5.77 d West London 11.9.75

  • 1993 London Hawks 12.13.85 d Lea Valley 6.5.41

  • 1994 London Hawks 15.8.98 d West London 8.11.59

  • 1995 Wandsworth d West London

  • 1996 Wimbledon d West London

  • 1997 Wandsworth 7.11.53 d Wimbledon 7.10.52

  • 1998 Wimbledon 11.8.74 d Wandsworth 7.2.44

  • 1999 Wandsworth 14.10.94 d West London 14.5.89

  • 2000 West London d Wandsworth



Divisional Structure



NATIONAL TEAM

The BARFL co-ordinates a representative team, the British Bulldogs , who have competed at the Australian Football International Cup , in the Atlantic Alliance Cup and against other national sides in European test matches.


SEE ALSO



EXTERNAL LINKS