AFL London
| Formerly | British Australian Rules Football League (BARFL) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Founded | 1989 |
| First season | 1990 |
| President | Sarah Howell and Marianna Graham |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country | England |
| Most recent champion | West London Wildcats (13th premiership flag) |
| Most titles | West London Wildcats (13 premiership flags) |
| International cup | AFL Europe Champions League |
| Related competitions | AFL England AFL Europe |
| Official website | afllondon.com |
AFL London is one of the largest organised Australian rules football leagues outside Australia. The league organises multiple grades of full 18-a-side games across London, United Kingdom.
The competition provides a competitive and fun game of football to the many Australians that live and work in London, as well as spreading the game to residents of non-AFL playing nations resident in the capital city including British, Irish, South African, American, Canadian, Italian and other Europeans.
The league is currently made up of eight clubs, across three levels of competition (Premiership, Conference and Social) that participate in a competition running from April to August.
History
First formed in 1989 by John Jelly (Journalist), Andrew Zweck (Harvey Goldsmiths), Steve Poulsen (formerly at Nth Melbourne FC & Hawthorn FC U19s) & others. AFL London was born. BARFL simply stood for the British Australian Rules Football League. The inaugural season was held in 1990 and featured eight teams; the London Hawks, West London Wildcats, North London Lions, Earls Court Kangaroos, Lea Valley Saints, Thames Valley Magpies, Wandsworth Demons and the Leicester-based East Midland Eagles. Of these eight foundation teams, West London, North London, London Hawks (NKA Wimbledon Hawks) and Wandsworth continue to compete in the league.[1]
In 2001 AFL London was expanded to incorporate two levels of competition, known as the Premiership and Conference competitions. In addition, due to growing interest and numbers, a Social grade competition was added in 2007.
2008 saw an organisational restructure of Australian Rules Football in the UK, with the BARFL redeveloped to become AFL Britain. This change came about as a way of focusing the efforts of the organisation on supporting the growth of the game both in and outside the capital.[2] It was at this time that the London competition was rebranded as AFL London.
In 2015 a women's competition [3][4] was introduced, including three of the foundation teams; Wandsworth Demons, North London Lions and Wimbledon Hawks, and the Peckham-based South East London Giants. This was expanded in 2017 into two divisions of four women's teams, with the addition of teams from the West London Wildcats, London Swans, Putney Magpies, and a second side from Wandsworth.
Clubs
Locations
Men
Clubs are listed by their highest level of competition.
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Est. | Years in LAFL | Premierships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | ||||||
| Premiership | |||||||
| North Londona | Lions | O R Tambo Recreation Ground, Haringey | 1990 | 1990- | 5 | 2021 | |
| Wandsworthb | Demons | Clapham Common, Clapham | 1990 | 1990- | 12 | 2025 | |
| West Londonc | Wildcats | Dukes Meadows, Chiswick | 1990 | 1990- | 11 | 2022 | |
| Conference | |||||||
| London | Swans | Hackney Marshes, Hackney | 1991 | 1991- | 3 | 2025 | |
| Wimbledon | Hawks | Motspur Park, Wimbledon | 1990 | 1990- | 4 | 1998 | |
| Social | |||||||
| Reading | Kangaroos | King's Meadow, Reading | 2003 | 2003- | 2 | 2013 | |
| South East London |
Giants | Peckham Rye, Southwark | 2008 | 2008- | 1 | 2024 | |
| Sussex | Swans | University of Brighton Sports Centre, Brighton | 2020 | 2020- | 0 | - | |
Women
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home Ground | Est. | Years in LAFL | Premierships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Most recent | ||||||
| Premiership | |||||||
| London | Swans | Hackney Marshes, Hackney | 1991 | 1991- | 3 | 2024 | |
| Sussex | Swans | University of Brighton Sports Centre, Brighton | 2020 | 2020- | 1 | 2021 | |
| Wandsworth | Demons | Clapham Common, Clapham | 1990 | 1990- | 4 | 2021 | |
| West London | Wildcats | Dukes Meadows, Chiswick | 1990 | 1990- | 4 | 2025 | |
| Conference | |||||||
| London | Swans | Hackney Marshes, Hackney | 1991 | 1991- | 3 | 2024 | |
| North London | Lions | O R Tambo Recreation Ground, Haringey | 1990 | 1990- | 1 | 2019 | |
| South East London | Giants | Peckham Rye, Southwark | 2008 | 2008- | 0 | - | |
| Wandsworth | Demons | Clapham Common, Clapham | 1990 | 1990- | 4 | 2021 | |
| West London | Wildcats | Dukes Meadows, Chiswick | 1990 | 1990- | 4 | 2025 | |
| Wimbledon | Hawks | Motspur Park, Wimbledon | 1990 | 1990- | 3 | 2025 | |
2025 divisions
| Club | Men's Premiership | Men's Conference | Men's Social | Women's Premiership | Women's Conference | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 4 | |||||
| North London | 3 | |||||
| Reading | 1 | |||||
| South East London | 2 | |||||
| Sussex | 2 | |||||
| Wandsworth | 5 | |||||
| West London | 5 | |||||
| Wimbledon | 3 |
Former clubs
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Location | Est. | Years in LAFL | Premierships | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Years | |||||||
| Bristol | Dockers | Bristol | 1991 | 1991-2003 | 0 | - | Moved to Wales ARFL | |
| Earl's Court | Kangaroos | Earl's Court | 1990 | ? | 1 | 1991 | Folded | |
| East Midland | Eagles | Leicester | 1990 | ? | 0 | - | Folded | |
| Lea Valley | Saints | 1990 | ? | 0 | - | Folded | ||
| Portsmouth | Pirates | Warblington School, Warblington | 2019 | 2019-? | 0 | - | Folded | |
| Putney | Magpies | Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields, Putney Vale | 1999 | 1999-2020 | 0 | - | Folded after 2020 season | |
| Thames Valley | Magpies | 1990 | ? | 0 | - | Folded | ||
Premiership Winners
The following teams have won the competition:[5][6]
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 11.12 (78) d. Wandsworth 5.2 (32)
Divisional structure
| Year | London Premiership | London Conference | London Social | London Women's Premiership | London Women's Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | North London 10.7 (67) d. Wimbledon 6.9 (45) | Shepherds Bush 10.6 (66) d. Regents Park 8.10 (58) | |||
| 2002 | North London 18.11 (119) d. West London 8.5 (53) | Shepherds Bush 11.10 (76) d. Regents Park 11.8 (74) | |||
| 2003 | Wandsworth 11.11 (77) d. West London 9.8 (62) | Shepherds Bush 11.8 (74) d. Clapham 7.6 (48) | |||
| 2004 | West London 14.12 (96) d. Wimbledon 5.2 (32) | Shepherds Bush 18.19 (127) d. Putney 9.4 (58) | |||
| 2005 | West London 9.14 (68) d. Wimbledon 9.7 (61) | Shepherds Bush 11.12 (78) d. Clapham 11.9 (75) | |||
| 2006 | West London 18.11 (119) d. Wimbledon 2.6 (18) | Shepherds Bush 5.11 (41) d. Clapham 4.3 (27) | |||
| 2007 | West London 16.17 (113) d. Wandsworth 3.2 (20) | Shepherds Bush 10.13 (73) d. Clapham 4.2 (26) | |||
| 2008 | West London 13.8 (86) def Putney 4.3 (27) | Shepherds Bush d. Clapham | Ealing d. Nottingham | ||
| 2009 | West London 11.8 (74) d. Wandsworth 10.7 (67) | Clapham 8.5 (53) d. Shepherds Bush 5.7 (37) | South London d. Ealing | ||
| 2010 | Wandsworth 15.15 (105) d. Putney 4.7 (31) | Shepherds Bush 12.9 (81) d. Clapham 7.3 (45) | Ealing d. South London | ||
| 2011 | West London 13.11 (89) d. Wandsworth 8.9 (57) | Shepherds Bush 17.4 (106) d. Clapham 9.13 (67) | South London 3.11 (29) d. Ealing 3.4 (22) | ||
| 2012 | North London 8.8 (56) d. Wandsworth 8.7 (55) | Shepherds Bush 11.11 (77) d. Regents Park 12.3 (75) | Reading 8.9 (57) d. Balham 3.4 (22) | ||
| 2013 | West London 10.10 (70) d. North London Lions 9.6 (60) | Shepherds Bush 9.5 (59) d. Regents Park 5.12 (42) | Reading 6.5 (41) d. Ealing 3.6 (24) | ||
| 2014 | West London 14.13 (97) d. Wandsworth 8.10 (58) | Shepherds Bush 14.9 (93) d. Clapham 2.4 (16) | Ealing 4.7 (31) d. South East London 4.6 (30) | ||
| 2015 | North London 8.9 (57) d. West London 8.8 (56) | Shepherds Bush 8.20 (68) d. Bounds Green 5.5 (35) | South London 7.4 (46) d. Ealing 1.9 (14) | Wandsworth 5.3 (33) d. Wimbledon 1.2 (8) | |
| 2016 | West London 14.10 (94) d. Wandsworth 7.3 (43) | Clapham 8.2 (50) d. Shepherds Bush 7.5 (47) | South London 8.10 (58) d. Reading 3.2 (20) | Wimbledon 10.5 (65) d. North London 0.0 (0) | |
| 2017 | Wandsworth 4.14 (38) d. North London 5.5 (35) | Shepherds Bush 7.8 (50) d. Clapham 4.5 (29) | South London 6.5 (41) d. Bounds Green 1.3 (9) | Wandsworth 6.2 (38) d. South East London Giants 0.1 (1) | West London 4.8 (32) d. Clapham 0.1 (1) |
| 2018 | Wandsworth 8.13 (61) d. West London 9.6 (60) | Shepherds Bush 7.9 (51) d. Clapham 4.5 (29) | South London 7.5 (47) d. Bounds Green 1.4 (10) | Wandsworth 5.3 (33) d. North London 1.5 (11) | Clapham 1.3 (9) d. London Swans 1.2 (8) |
| 2019 | West London d. Wandsworth | Shepherds Bush d. Wimbledon | South London d. Ealing | North London d. Wandsworth | London Swans d. Clapham |
| 2021 | North London 5.10 (40) d West London 4.7 (31) | London Swans 4.3 (27) d Wandsworth 1.6 (12) | Ealing 2.8 (20) d Wandsworth 2.2 (14) | Wandsworth 2.1 (13) d West London 1.2 (8) | Sussex 10.12 (72) d Wandsworth 0.0 (0) |
| 2022 | West London 7.6 (48) d. North London 6.11 (47) | London Swans 9.7 (61) d. Shepherds Bush Raiders 7.7 (49) | Sussex 2.6 (18) d. Wandsworth Demons 0.8 (8) | West London 1.8 (14) d Wandsworth 1.3 (9) | Wimbledon 8.14 (62) d Wandsworth 0.0 (0) |
| 2023 | Wandsworth 9.9 (63) d West London 7.13 (55) | Wandsworth 9.8 (62) d London Swans 7.5 (47) | Wandsworth 8.2 (50) d Ealing Emus 0.2 (2) | West London 1.8 (14) d Wandsworth 2.1 (13) | London Swans 2.3 (15) d South East London Giants 0.1 (1) |
| 2024 | Wandsworth 11.14 (80) d West London 6.6 (42) | Wandsworth 10.6 (66) d Wimbledon 4.3 (27) | South East London Giants 8.8 (56) d Wandsworth 6.1 (37) | West London 5.10 (40) d Wandsworth 1.0 (6) | London Swans 3.4 (22) d South East London Giants 1.2 (8) |
| 2025 | Wandsworth 14.10 (94) d North London 8.7 (55) | London Swans 7.15 (57) d Wimbledon 3.6 (24) | Wandsworth 5.0 (30) d London Swans 3.6 (24) | West London 2.8 (20) d Wandsworth 1.2 (8) | Wimbledon 3.5 (23) d North London 1.2 (8) |
- Shepherds Bush Raiders and Ealing Emus were West London's second and third teams respectively
- Regent's Park Lions and Bounds Green Lions were North London's second and third teams respectively
- Clapham Demons and South London Demons were Wandsworth's second and third teams respectively.
Best and Fairest
The Best & Fairest awards in each division celebrate outstanding players each season, as voted on by umpires at the conclusion of each game.[7]
| Year | Premiership | Conference | Social | Women's Prem. | Women's Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | David Allitt (West London Wildcats) | Ian Ash (London Swans) | Nick Bucovaz (Reading Roos) | Stephanie Filby (North London Lions) | Dee Kelly (Putney Magpies) |
| 2018 | Paul Fry (North London Lions) | Harrison Pearce (Clapham Demons) | Simon Kenny (Bounds Green Lions) | Kyle Russo (North London Lions) | Dee Kelly (Putney Magpies) |
| 2017 | Andy Challis (West London Wildcats) | Harrison Pearce (Clapham Demons) | Matt Pike (Ealing Emus) | Lisa Wilson (Wimbledon Hawks) | Jessie Humble (West London Wildcats) |
| 2016 | Andy Challis (West London Wildcats), Cameron Perry (Wandsworth Demons) & Nik Schoenmakers (North London Lions) | Tim Kear (Shepherds Bush Raiders) | |||
| 2015 | Lloyd Williams (West London Wildcats) | Chad Sellenger (Shepherds Bush Raiders) | Trav White (Reading Roos) | Jess Edwards (Wandsworth Demons) | |
| 2014 | Trent Georgiou (Wandsworth Demons) | Jimmy Gottschalk (Shepherds Bush Raiders) & Jimmy Boot (Regents Park Lions) | Nathan Grindall (Reading Roos) | ||
| 2013 | Joel Moloney (Putney Magpies) | Matt Halacas (Regents Park Lions) |
See also
References
- ^ "The story of the British Footy League". Australian Football. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "East London school embarks on AFL Program". Australian Times. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ Kirby, Chloe (12 March 2015). "Women's AFL making its mark in London, and they want you". Australian Times. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "It's all kicking off: the rise of a new Aussie rules women's league | Sport". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "AFL London Premiers | AFL London, Season 2017". Afllondon.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "Grand Final Winners | AFL London". afllondon.com. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ "AFL London Best & Fairest Winners | AFL London, Season 2017". Afllondon.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2017.