Major Alternative Football Leagues
Featured Image Credit: AAF – Atlanta Legends Vs San Antonio Commanders on Sunday March 17th, 2019 at Georgia State Stadium in Atlanta Georgia USA. Photo Contributor: Jamie Lamor Thompson
Ever since the birth of the National Football league in 1920 there have been attempts at creating a second Professional Football League to rival it, with only the American Football League of 1960-1969 being successful enough to force a merger (the NFL and AFL are now the NFC and AFC and the winners of each play in the Super Bowl).
There has been a number of eras of Major Leagues: The American Football Leagues Era (1926-1950), The Continental Football Leagues Era (1960-1983), and the XFL Football Leagues Era (1990-2020). In addition during the XFL Era there were two other Major League attempts: the Arena Football League (1985-2019) and the World Football Leagues (1991-2020).
Rival Leagues to the National Football League have existed since the 1920s, most of them from the 1920s to 1960s called themselves the American Football League, and since then there has been a variety of names and ideas, such as the Continental Football League (1965-1969), World Football League (1974-1975), Spring Leagues (United States Football League, 1983-1985), Indoor Football Leagues (Arena Football League 1986-2019), World Football Leagues (World League of American Football / NFL Europe 1991-2007, Elite Football League of India 2012, China AFL 2016-2019, & LFA Mexico 2016-present), Extreme Football Leagues & Leagues which failed to get off the ground (PSFL 1993, Spring League 2000, XFL 2001, United Football League 2009-2011, FXFL 2014-2015, North American Football League 2016, The Spring League 2017-Present, XFL 2020), More recently Minority Football Leagues have appeared such as the Alliance of American Football 2019 and the Freedom Football League 2020.
Only the American Football League of 1960-1969 has been successful long-term, leading to both the start of the Super Bowl between the AFL Winners and the NFL Winners in 1967 and the eventual merger of the two leagues (They are now the American & National Football Conferences in the NFL – the Super Bowl is still played between the winners of the two Conferences)
Irish-born Alternative Football League Players and Personnel
Irish-Born Alternative Football League Players & Coaches
Irish-Born AAA Football Players
Photo Contributor: Christopher Lyzcen -XFL- 2/29/20-MetLife Stadium East Rutherford,NJ- The Guardians host the Wildcats.
A look at the record of Irish-born Professional & US College American Football Players.
Major Rival Football Leagues Standings
Irish-Born Alternative Football Players, Coaches & Personnel:
Aviators TSL (2021)
Brooklyn Dodgers Continental Football League (1966)
The Hawaiians World Football League 1974-1975
Ian Jones Irish-Born GAA Football, Rugby Union and NFL American Football Coach 2010-Present
Salt Lake Stallions (Alliance of American Football 2018)
Spring Football Leagues (1983-Present)
From the early 1990s to 2020 Leagues have sprung up that have attempted to be the AFL / WFL / USFL of the Era. Some of these Leagues, such as the XFL of 2001 and 2020 have had quite an impact on the American Football scene, with big budgets, and Major TV contracts. Another set of leagues has played a limited schedule – 2 to 6 games per team per season, often due to fans not showing up at the gates, or sometimes due to repositioning themselves as leagues confined to one area – ie. South Florida (Stars Football League) or New York / New England (FXFL)
A new Era in Development League (AAA) Football began in 2001 with the first XFL, designed to give Football fans fed up with the NFL and Arena Football League “Hard Working Class Football” back. It lasted one season, but new leagues came up in 2009 (United Football League) and 2011-2013 (Stars Football League); 2014-15 (Fall Xperimental Football League) and 2017-2020 (The Spring League). The Budget XFL was resurrected in 2020 for half a season (it was cancelled due to the COVID virus) but is scheduled to return in 2023. The Spring Leagues are usually based in one city or area (Stars Football League, FXFL, TSL) which moves year-on-year. In 2022 The Spring League shall rebrand as the United States Football League, based in Birmingham, Alabama. Generally speaking the XFL, United Football League (2009-2011) and Alliance of American Football (2019) have been a step above the Spring Development Leagues (Stars Football League, FXFL, The Spring League).
Spring Football Leagues (1983-Present)
Picture Credit: XFL- 2/9/20-MetLife Stadium East Rutherford,NJ- The Guardians host the Vipers on opening day of the XFL. By Christopher Lyzcen [Shutterstock]
Spring Football Leagues Bowl Games
XFL (Seasons)
United States Football League (2022)
The Spring League (Seasons)
2020 (Fall season)
XFL (seasons)
Alliance of American Football (Seasons)
The Spring League (seasons)
The Spring League 2017-Present
FXFL Fall Experimental Football League (Seasons):
FXFL Fall Experimental Football League 2014-2015
Stars Football League (Seasons):
Stars Football League 2011-2013
United Football League (Overview and Seasons)
United Football League 2009-2011
Spring Football Leagues (Standings and Playoffs)
XFL (Match Reports and Scorers):
XFL (Seasons)
Spring Football League (Seasons)
Regional Football League (Seasons):
World League of American Football
World League of American Football 1995-1997
Canadian Football League USA
Canadian Football League 1993-1995
World League of American Football
World League of American Football 1991-1992
Minor League Football System
United States Football League
World Football Leagues
World Football Leagues (1983-Present)
Picture Credit: XFL- 2/9/20-MetLife Stadium East Rutherford,NJ- The Guardians host the Vipers on opening day of the XFL. By Christopher Lyzcen [Shutterstock]
World Football Leagues
World League of American Football
World League of American Football 1995-1997
Canadian Football League USA
Canadian Football League 1993-1995
World League of American Football
World League of American Football 1991-1992
Minor League Football System
American Football Leagues Era (1923-1983)
Only the American Football League of 1960-1969 has been successful long-term, leading to both the start of the Super Bowl between the AFL Winners and the NFL Winners in 1967 and the eventual merger of the two leagues (They are now the American & National Football Conferences in the NFL – the Super Bowl is still played between the winners of the two Conferences)
The first Major rival to the NFL to use the American Football League name was the AFL of 1926, and from then until 1950 Leagues using this name came and went, usually lasting only one or two seasons. Theses Leagues, however, are notable for the genesis of teams such as the Cleveland (Now Los Angeles) Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore (now Indianapolis) Colts, which later joined the NFL. The AFL of 1960 also reused the names of some of these teams (Buffalo Bills & Cincinnati Bengals), teams which are now also in the NFL.
After the 1950s when the National Football League started playing International games in Canada and against Canadian opposition, and the Canadian Football League and Leagues in the New York Metropolitan Area provided a AAA Alternative to the NFL, new AAA Leagues started up again in the 1960s. The Continental Football League (1965-1969), World Football League (1974-1975) and United States Football League (1983-1985) are the most famous and biggest of these leagues.
Most of these Leagues, in particular the WFL & USFL tried, and failed to become another American Football League of 1960-1969 which was so successful it forced a merger with the NFL, with the winners of the two Leagues (now conferences since the merger in 1970) playing each other in the Super Bowl. (see National Football League )
The United Football League (1961-1964) was the first of these, and then from 1965-1969 the Continental Football League was the first to put teams in both Canada and Mexico.
The Southwestern Football League of 1972-1973 was the precursor to the World Football League (1974-1975) which aimed to bring the sport to the World, although Hawaii was as far as it got. The American Football association of 1977-1983 was another attempt at a AAA League although it was put out of business by the United States Football League (1983-1985) which was the first Major Spring League. It featured High Profile Owners, such as the later US President Donald Trump, but was itself put out of business by the NFL’s collusion with the Major TV Networks to keep it off the air, as was proved in a later anti-trust trial.
American Football Leagues Era (1923-1983)
A worn and aged vintage old style American football helmet. Authentic and game-worn 1950s style football face mask and helmet Picture Credit: By Brocreative [Shutterstock]
United States Football Leagues Era Championship Games
United States Football Leagues Era AAA Championship Games 1961-1985
American Football Leagues Era Champions
American Football Leagues Era AAA Champions 1926-1949
American Football Association
American Football Association 1977-1983 (*)
World Football League
World Football League 1974-1975 (Irish Players)
Southwestern Football League
Southwestern Football League 1972-1973 (*)
Continental Football League 1965-1969
United Football League 1961-1964 (*)
All-America Football Conference (Overviews & seasons)
All-American Football Conference 1946-1949
Pacific Coast Pro Football League
Pacific Coast Pro Football League 1940-1948
American Football Leagues (Overviews)
American Football League 1940-1941
American Football League 1938-1939
American Football League 1936-1937
Pacific Coast and Southern Football Leagues (Seasons)
Memphis Tigers | AAA Independent American Football 1929-1933
California Winter League 1927-1928
American Football Leagues (Overview and Seasons)
USFL Teams
USFL Teams
Spring Football League 2000; UFL 2009-2011; The Spring League 2017-2021; USFL 2022-2023
Photo Contributor: Jamie Lamor Thompson – AAF – Players on Field – Atlanta Legends Vs San Antonio Commanders on Sunday March 17th, 2019 at Georgia State Stadium in Atlanta Georgia USA.
USFL North
USFL South
XFL Teams
XFL Teams
XFL 2001; Stars Football League 2011-2013; FXFL 2014-2015; XFL 2020; XFL 2023
Picture Credit: XFL- 2/9/20-MetLife Stadium East Rutherford,NJ- Tampa Bay Vipers Defender Mandato. By Christopher Lyzcen[Shutterstock]
XFL North
XFL South
XFL Eastern
XFL Western
FXFL 2014
