1986 BAFL
—National Conference
Featured image credit: Football on Field by Jean-Daniel Francouer
Scoreboard
—Standings
BAFL National Conference Northern Division 1986
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Glasgow Lions | 7 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
| 2 | Edinburgh Blue Eagles | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | Tyneside Trojans | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
BAFL National Conference Pennine Division 1986
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Manchester Spartans | 10 | 0 | 2 | 22 |
| 2 | Manchester Allstars | 9 | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | Leeds Cougars | 5 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| 4 | Mansfield Express | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
BAFL National Conference Central Division 1986
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Birmingham Bulls | 10 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | +Leicester Panthers | 9 | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | +Nottingham Hoods | 9 | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| 4 | Walsall Titans | 2 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
BAFL National Conference Southern Division 1986
| Pos | Team | W | L | T | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Milton Keynes Bucks | 7 | 5 | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | Portsmouth Warriors | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Ealing Eagles | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
Scoreboard
—Playoffs
BAFL British American Football League Playoffs 1986
| Date | Event | Results | Venue | Match Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-08-17 14:59:30August 17, 1986 | Milton Keynes Bucks vs Leicester Panthers | 22 - 27 | N/A | Quarter-Finals |
| 1986-08-17 15:15:14August 17, 1986 | Glasgow Lions vs Nottingham Hoods | 44 - 14 | N/A | Quarter-Finals |
| 1986-08-17 15:17:20August 17, 1986 | Manchester Spartans vs Luton Flyers | 52 - 28 | N/A | Quarter-Finals |
| 1986-08-17 15:19:25August 17, 1986 | Birmingham Bulls vs Fylde Falcons | 28 - 14 | N/A | Quarter-Finals |
| 1986-08-31 15:21:20August 31, 1986 | Glasgow Lions vs Leicester Panthers | 27 - 15 | N/A | Semi-Finals |
| 1986-08-31 15:23:05August 31, 1986 | Manchester Spartans vs Birmingham Bulls | 7 - 35 | N/A | Semi-Finals |
| 1986-09-11 15:25:09September 11, 1986 | Glasgow Lions vs Birmingham Bulls | 2 - 23 | N/A | Summerbowl II |
Report
—1986 BAFL season
For the 1986 BAFL season, 36 teams were divided into two Conferences (National and Anglo) with most of the Northern teams from the 1985 AFL (UK) season (see below) aligning with the BAFL and most Southern teams with the rival Budweiser League.
Birmingham Bulls won Summerbowl II – the official Championship Game of Britain – defeating Glasgow Lions 23-2 in the decider after completing the regular season with 10 wins and 2 losses to Glasgow’s 7 wins, 4 losses and one tie. The Lions had knocked out Leicester Panthers in the Semi-Finals, while Birmingham upset the previously-undefeated Manchester Spartans 35-7 in the Semi-Finals. In all 6 teams qualified for the Playoff Quarter-Finals from the 14-team National Conference to be joined by the Fylde Falcons (Blackpool) and Luton Flyers, who had both finished the regular season undefeated with 10 wins apiece in the Anglo Conference.
A planned all-Britain Championship game involving the Summerbowl II Champions Bulls versus the Budweiser League Champions (and 1985 Summerbowl Champions) London Ravens to decide Britain’s representatives in the EFL Eurobowl never materialised.
Report
—About the BAFL
The British American Football League (BAFL) was a follow-on from the American Football League (United Kingdom) – shortened to AFL (UK) which had played one season in 1985 – the first full season of Gridiron (American) Football in Britain. The BAFL itself lasted only one season, the 1986 season, after which most teams merged with the Budweiser League.
The Budweiser League was an Alternative Football League in Britain, running parallel to the BAFL in 1986, and had significant financial input from the USA drinks giant, enabling the Budweiser League’s teams to import professional players from USA. Such was the high level of play, and confusion also, as to which league’s champions was the true Champion of Britain, that on a number of occasions, the Budweiser League’s Champions and its’ successor League’s champions (the Coca-Cola sponsored NDMA which ran from 1990 to 1993) were barred from official European Football League (EFL) competition.
As a result, the 1986 BAFL Champions, the Birmingham Bulls, represented Britain in the 1986 Eurobowl. The 1986 BAFL season included division-winning teams from the BAFL National Conference (the official top division in Britain) and the BAFL Anglo Conference (the official second division) in the season-ending playoffs.
REferences
—Bibliography
[1] Eden Phillips (ed.) (1986) “How the British Leagues finished in 1986” American Football – NFL Official Guide in 18 Parts – Part 17. pg 541. Published by Marshall Cavendish Partworks Ltd. London, UK.
About
—About Eirball
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish, North American and Word Sports Archives.
Last Updated: 8 September 2025. First Published: 8 September 2025.
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