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The Rebels (black) and Vikings (Blue) are two of Ireland's most storied teams. INPHO/Morgan Treacy
IAFL

Excited about Super Bowl XLVIII, why not play American football in Ireland?

The Irish American Football League is bigger than ever.

WITH SUPER BOWL XLVIII just days away, excitement is building on this side of the Atlantic among American football fans but did you know you can play the game here?

Well you can and the Irish American Football League is back again this year and it’s bigger than ever with 19 teams from north and south playing across three different divisions.

Shamrock Bowl Conference

The Shamrock Bowl Conference (SBC) is the top division in the country and this year contains ten teams spread across two conferences. The season starts in March and continues right through until the Shamrock Bowl in August.

The SBC North is home to the defending Shamrock Bowl champions, Belfast Trojans, the defeated finalists, Dublin Rebels, Carrickfergus Knights, Craigavon Cowboys and the newly promoted Dublin Dragons.

SBC South will contain perennial contenders, the University of Limerick Vikings, Trinity College Dublin, the West Dublin Rhinos and two promoted teams, the North Kildare Reapers and Waterford Wolves.

The conference winners and the four best runners up go into the playoffs with the final taking place in Tallaght Stadium in August to see who is crowned Shamrock Bowl champions.

IAFL-1

The second tier of Irish American football contains five teams, with Cork Admirals and UCD — who were both demoted from the SBC, joining the Meath Bulldogs, Drogheda Lightning and Mullingar Minotaurs.

With a season running at the same time as the SBC, the top two teams in the IAFL 1 will playoff to see who is promoted to the top tier.

IAFL-2

For the first time in its history, the IAFL contains a third tier with Dundalk Mavricks, South Kildare Soldiers, Tyrone Titans and Galway Warriors playing each other home and away, the team with the best record being crowned IAFL-2 champions.

As well as giving new teams’ experience, this third tier is intended to test whether or not a team is viable and, if all four teams complete their schedule and pass league audits next year, they will automatically be promoted to IAFL-1.

YouTube: Belfast Trojans

With a wide geographic spread and teams looking for new players — and you can contact the team in your area here – the league’s Commissioner, Cillian Smith, says: “It’s an exciting time to be involved in the league, growing from four teams in 2001 to 19 this year.

“There’s also a wider geographic spread with teams in Galway and Waterford where there have never been teams before as well as expanding the number of teams in Leinster and Ulster.”

Smith also believes there’s plenty of scope for even further expansion of the league too, if the demand is there.

“And the structure of the league, with the IAFL-2 in place to give new teams experience, means we can continue to grow and the plan in to do so when new teams approach us.”

With many more people watching the Super Bowl this Sunday than will ever play the game, Smith is keen to point out what they are missing out on.

“Firstly, it helps you get fit. It’s a sport that requires you, regardless of size, to be fit and healthy. Secondly, it’s a team sport that requires a lot of coordination between individual members which means you build up great relationships and friendships and, finally, you probably really only appreciate how good the sport is when you take part in it.”

As for the Super Bowl itself, Smith only sees one winner:

“Seattle will win. It’s an old saying but defence wins championships and Denver has a mediocre one while the Seahawks’ is elite. That will be the difference.”

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