World War I and II Era 1918-1944
| Team | Years |
| American Expeditionary Force Football League | 1918-1919 |
| Saint-Nazaire | 1918-1919 |
| Bordeaux | 1918 |
| Panther 36th Division | 1918-1919 |
| Lightning 78th Division | 1918 |
| Blue Ridge 80th Division | 1918 |
| Rolling W 89th Division | 1919 |
| Ivy 4th Division | 1919 |
| SOS Tours | 1919 |
| SOS Base Section 2 | 1919 |
| GHQ Chaumont | 1919 |
| GHQ Le Mans | 1919 |
| First Army Corps | 1919 |
| Hourglass 7th Division | 1919 |
| Keystone 8th Division | 1919 |
| European Theater of Operations Northern Ireland Championship | 1942-1944 |
| Hale Blue Devils | 1942-1943 |
| Yarvard Crimson Tide | 1942-1943 |
| Tech Fighting Irish | 1942-1943 |
| Navy Galloping Gaels | 1944 |
| Army Wolverines | 1944 |
| European Theater of Operations Football Championship | Autumn 1943 |
| Podhs | 1943 |
| Ball Toters | 1943 |
| Red Tornado | 1943 |
| Gremlins | 1943 |
| Engineering Bulldozers | 1943 |
| Skytrain | 1943 |
| Army Blues | 1943 |
| Army Greens | 1943 |
| Central Base Pirates | 1943 |
| 8th air Force Commandos | 1943 |
| 101st Screaming Eagles | 1943 |
| Invaders | 1943-1944 |
| 4th Infantry Blues | 1943 |
| 8th Air Force Lightning | 1943 |
| US Blues | 1943 |
| Canadian Mustangs | 1943 |
| US Navy Seabees | 1943 |
| Army (Oran, Algeria) | 1943 |
| Army (Oran, Algeria) | 1943 |
| European Theater of Operations Football Championship | Winter 1944 |
| 1st Air Force Depot Shuttle-Raders | 1944 |
| Navy Sea Lions | 1944 |
| 348th Bomb Group Kiwis | 1944 |
| 445th Bomb Group | 1944 |
| Berger’s Bouncers | 1944 |
| Henley’s Hurricanes | 1944 |
| Moore’s Maulers | 1944 |
| Bearcats | 1944 |
| 78th Fighter Group Greyhounds | 1944 |
| 398th Bomb Group Blue Blazers | 1944 |
| Helton’s Hellcats | 1944 |
| 356th Fighter Group Tukey’s Terrors | 1944 |
| Air Force Command Warriors | 1944 |
| Photo Lightnings | 1944 |
| Cowboys | 1944 |
| Ramblers | 1944 |
| 94th Bomb Group Fighting Eagles | 1944 |
| European Theater of Operations Football Championship | Autumn 1944 |
| Air Force Command | 1944 |
| 3rd Air Force Depot Liberators | 1944 |
| Moore’s Maulers | 1944 |
| Doughter’s Fighting Eagles | 1944 |
| Navy Green Waves | 1944 |
| Army Red Raiders | 1944 |
| 8th Air Force Shuttle-Raders | 1944 |
| Shuttle-Raders | 1944 |
United States Air Force in Europe Era 1951-1993
| Team | Years |
| USAFE UK Sports Conference | 1951-1993 |
| London Rockets | |
| Alconbury Spartans | |
| Bentwaters Phantoms | |
| Chicksands Fighting Chicks | |
| Fairford Falcons | |
| Greenham Common Pirates | |
| Lakenheath Eagles | |
| Mildenhall Marauders | |
| Upper Heyford Skykings | |
| Weathersfield Raiders | |
| High Wycombe Bucks | |
| Burtonwood Bullets | |
| Greenham Common Crusaders | |
| USAFE Continental Sports Conference | 1951-1993 |
| Berlin Bears | |
| Bitburg Barons | |
| Camp New Amsterdam | |
| Landsberg Tigers | |
| Toul Tigers | |
| Rhein-Main Rockets | |
| Sembach Tigers | |
| Ramstein Rams | |
| Spangdalem Sheikhs | |
| Weisbaden Flyers | |
| Hahn Hawks | |
| Zweibrucken | |
| SHAPE Indians (Paris) | |
| USAFE Mediterranean Sports Conference | 1951-1993 |
| Aviano Eagles | |
| Hellenikon Olympians | |
| Moron | |
| San Vito | |
| Torreon |
Intercontinental Football League Era 1973-1986
| Team | Years |
| USAREUR Northern Italy League | 1974-1975 |
| Blue Knights Vicenza | |
| Bosco Rocks Verona | |
| Geronimos Verona | |
| Missile Support Command Vicenza | |
| Northern Italian Football League | 1976-1986 |
| Rangers Tirrenia | |
| Red Machine Aviano | |
| Eagles Aviano | |
| Rhinos Milano | |
| Frogs Gallarate | |
| Rams Milano | |
| Giaguari Torino | |
| Warriors Bologna | |
| Crusaders Brindisi | |
| Frogs Busto Arsizio | |
| Seamen Milano | |
| Wildcats Napoil | |
| Red Raiders Aviano | |
| Mustangs Napoli | |
| Black Knights Vicenza | |
| Blue Falcons Vicenza | |
| Intercontinental Football League | 1973-1975 |
| Munich Lions | |
| Vienna Lippizaners | |
| West Berlin Bears | |
| Barcelona Almogovares | |
| Istanbul Conquerors | |
| Rome Gladiators | |
| Intercontinental Football League European Cup | 1976-1978 |
| Texas A&I Javelinas | |
| Henderson State Reddies | |
| Newton Nite Hawks | |
| Chicago Lions | |
| Quad Cities Black Hawks | |
| Indianapolis Capitols |
Report
The first American Football Leagues in Europe were US Navy and Army matches in France during World War I. The American Expeditionary Force Football League was played from 1918-1919.
During World War II, US Soldiers based in Northern Ireland and Britain played in the European Theater of Operations Football Championship from 1942 to 1944, with one match, the Arab Bowl played in Oran, Algeria.
The United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE) had a Football League with a Continental Sports Conference (Germany and France), United Kingdom Sports Conference and Mediterranean Sports Conference (Italy, Spain and Greece). It played during the Cold War from 1951-1993, and unlike the WWI and WWII Championships which were basically “Turkey Bowl”-type Elimination Championships (so-named because they frequently took place at Thanksgiving), this League played an 8-10 game regular season, followed by a Conference Championship, and USAFE Final.
The US Army in Europe (USAREUR) had a league among players in Noerthern italy from 1974-1975, and from 1976 to 1986 included Italian teams, forming the first leagues in Europe that had European players.
The Intercontinental Football League was set up in 1972 following the success of the film M*A*S*H about US Soldiers, which featured a climactic end sequence of an American Football match. The league had sold enough franchises for a 6-team league by 1973, but was delayed due to the oil crisis and subsequent terror campaign by the Red Brigades and Baader-Meinhof Gang. It was eventually cancelled altogether after consultation with people in Washington, DC.
The Intercontinental Football League, however, wasn’t finished, and from 1976 to 1978 played a European Championship featuring touring American Teams. The Era ended after the End of the Cold War, and by then American Football Teams, with European players were being set up in almost every country.
References
Bibliography
[1] Foglio, Massimo & Ford, Mark L. (2017) Touchdown in Europe – How American Football Came to the Old Continent. pg. 21-34. Published by the author.
Websites
[2] Britball Now (2019) US Miltary Football in the UK [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/us-military-football-in-the.html [Accessed 8 November 2019]
[3] USAFE Football (2019) Teams | CSC [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/CSC/csc.html [Accessed 8 November 2019]
[4] USAFE Football (2019) Teams | UKSC [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/UKSC/uksc.html [Accessed 8 November 2019]
[5] USAFE Football (2019) Teams | MSC [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/Teams/MSC/msc.html [Accessed 8 November 2019]
[6] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2019) United States Army Europe Football Tournament [Internet] Available from: http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1974_USArEurFT.pdf [Accessed 8 November 2019]
Websites
[7] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) United States Army Europe Football Tournament 1974 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1974_USArEurFT.pdf [Accessed 15 October 2019]
[8] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) United States Army Europe Football Tournament 1975 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1975_USArEurFT.pdf[Accessed 15 October 2019]
[9] USAFE Football (2019) USAFE Football Home [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/ [Accessed 27 October 2019
[10] Massimo Foglio (2017) “Touchdown in Europe: How American Football Came to the Old Continent”. Pg. 228. Second Edition, 2017. Published by the Author
Websites
[11] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1976 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1976_nifl.pdf[Accessed 15 October 2019]
[12] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1977 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1977_nifl.pdf[Accessed 15 October 2019]
[13] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1978 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1978_nifl.pdf[Accessed 15 October 2019]
[14] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1979 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1979_nifl.pdf[Accessed 15 October 2019]
[15] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1980 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1980_nifl.pdf[Accessed 15 October 2019]
[16] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1981 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1981_nifl.pdf[Accessed 15 October 2019]
[17] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1982 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1982_nifl.pdf[Accessed 15 October 2019]
[18] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1983 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1983_nifl.pdf[Accessed 15 October 2019]
[19] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1984 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1984_nifl.pdf [Accessed 24 October 2019]
[20] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1985 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1985_nifl.pdf [Accessed 24 October 2019]
[21] Enciclopedia del Football Italiano (2018) Northern Italian Football League 1986 http://www.warriorsbologna.it/public/Enciclopedia/PDF/1986_nifl.pdfAccessed 24 October 2019]
Website / Sources
[22] Mark L. Ford and Massimo Foglio, The Coffin Corner Volume 27,No. 6, Pro Football Researchers Association (2002) THE FIRST “NFL EUROPE”[Internet] Available from: http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/27-06-1101.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2019]
Bibiography
[23] Massimo Foglio with Mark L. Ford (2017), Touchdown in Europe – How American Football Came to the Old Continent. Second Edition “The Trailblazers: Bleu et Rouge, College and Semi-Pro”. pg. 151-188. Published by the Author (2015, 2017)
[24] USAFE Football (2019) CSC Sports Patch [Internet] Available from: http://www.usafefootball.com/CSC-Sports-Patch.jpg [Accessed 8 November 2019]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Tim Leadingham and Todd Zboyan
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish, North American & World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 12 June 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020
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