Standings

Please visit the American Football Ireland website at https://www.americanfootball.ie/americanfootball/premierdivision/ for the Official Schedule and Standings [Last accessed 12 February 2023]

Playoff Results

Regular Season Schedule

Please visit the American Football Ireland website at https://www.americanfootball.ie/americanfootball/premierdivision/ for the Official Schedule and Standings [Last accessed 12 February 2023]

Map of American Football Ireland Senior League Premier Division 2023

Regular Season Report

Dublin Rebels tore up the opposition, winning all eight regular season games by a combined total of 390 points to 82 – average of almost 50 points scored per game. Cork Admirals finished the regular season runners-up with a 7-1 record, finishing the season with a 42-0 defeat of South Dublin Panthers who missed out on the playoffs due to a ruled-forfeit in their last game at Belfast Trojans. University College Dublin and Belfast Trojans both finished 5-3, making the Semi-Finals ahead of the 3-5 Panthers. Westmeath Minotaurs and Belfast Knights put in respectable 2-6 records and Craigavon Cowboys finished 0-8, but put in some good performances on defence. [References: S-1 to S-11]

Semi-Finals (2 July 2023)

Dublin Rebels defeated Belfast Trojans 56-13, the Trojans putting 13 more points on the scoreboard than they did in their final regular season game – a 0-60 defeat to the same team. University College Dublin put up a surprisingly big score in Cork, winning 58-14 as the Dublin Rebels and University College Dublin meet again in the Shamrock Bowl in a repeat of the 2022 Bowl, won by UCD. [References: S-7 to S-11 and A-1 to A-3]

Shamrock Bowl XXXV (16 July 2023)

Dublin Rebels avenged their heavy defeat by UCD AFC in Shamrock Bowl XXXIV in 2022 by winning by a single touchdown in a high-scoring encounter in Munster Technological University, defeating UCD AFC 40-34. [References: S-11]

About American Football Ireland Senior League Premier Division 2023

The 2023 American Football Ireland season is the 35th year of the League, having played its’ first season in 1986 (There were no AFI Leagues in 2000, 2020 and 2021). There are eight teams in the American Football Ireland Senior League Premier Division, playing for the Shamrock Bowl – the top prize in Irish American Football. There are three Dublin teams: 2022’s Shamrock Bowl Champions University College Dublin; Runners-Up and Shamrock Bowl Record holders with 9 titles Dublin Rebels; and 2019 finalists South Dublin Panthers. There are also three Ulster Teams: Five-time Shamrock Bowl Champions Belfast Trojans; three time Shamrock Bowl Champions Belfast Knights (all three titles while playing in Carrickfergus); and three times Champions Craigavon Cowboys who last won the Shamrock Bowl in 1992. Completing the eight teams are Munster’s Cork Admirals, Shamrock Bowl Champions in 2018 and Leinster’s Westmeath Minotaurs, Division One Bowl Champions in 2022, their first Championship and promoted to the Premier Division for 2023 in replacement of West Dublin Rhinos, relegated to Division One from the Premier Division after finishing bottom of the Standings with a 1-7 record in 2022. [References: A-1 to A-3]

Stock Image of Green, White and Orange Football Helmet and Football

References

Scoreboard References

[S-1] American Football Ireland (2023) Premier Division – Season Fixtures [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/americanfootball/premierdivision/ [Accessed 6 February 2023][Last Accessed 9 July 2023]

[S-2] South Dublin Panthers Facebook (2023) Post, June 25, 2023 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/southdublinpanthers/posts/pfbid02eo8wiDkmjq8LPdnL1RJXCVpthwyGWcc5gjUe7q1w8uDtLDUFGCbqr3bYTdHR1Tcql [Accessed 9 July 2023]

[S-3] Cork Admirals American Football Club (2023) Post, June 26, 2023 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/corkadmiralsAFC/posts/pfbid0LoXX6kQbfwf8ix9yJGFsoFoeXH34pyTMcdh6fFJePEGaz7mCydnMnUqAoqTV9vjRl [Accessed 9 July 2023]

[S-4] Dublin Rebels Facebook (2023) Post, June 25, 2023 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/dublinrebels/posts/pfbid0fv1V8bKxnLth6sWXopvNABU4yGdu6bxyubtaEHZgmDLYQ9CZL1MzRNGEFvxFfBT1l [Accessed 9 July 2023]

[S-5] Belfast Trojans Facebook (2023) Post, June 24, 2023 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/pfbid02xbB1DRzzqELyzCupdeW8W2rvw7xp2Bprd3Kxr8FT7Nd7JeD4hJia32UYUMMYgWL6l [Accessed 9 July 2023]

[S-6] American Football Ireland Facebook (2023) Post, June 26, 2023 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/americanfootballireland/posts/pfbid022ZArsUNXQmZJrw7TSinpWENywqorikVfSHfjhHtB3GU6hSPxwJw6KGESWFnAFAaRl [Accessed 9 July 2023]

[S-7] Belfast Trojans Facebook (2023) Post, June 28, 2023 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/pfbid0rUZxibGwr5QGWUseWWLAAgehc9924vPBW3eGaZAZbcQbBb9vycdoXFAj45Jx8oB9l [Accessed 9 July 2023]

[S-8] Belfast Trojans Facebook (2023) Post, July 2, 2023 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/TheBelfastTrojans/posts/pfbid0U8FApva86mbYx58rJyMZ4z6o2j7zuzQrfF7QyVM6bW4mUpZ4F4cBT3gUUt9CYeiPl [Accessed 9 July 2023]

[S-9] Cork Admirals American Football Club (2023) Post, June 26, 2023 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/corkadmiralsAFC/posts/pfbid0qxkjDGEUQQP159yX2Dx6Ms54eXTzYJERPTEBvL6HasoyaVPCE8JjV246Zv2WSJeWl [Accessed 9 July 2023][Reply by Cork Admirals American Football Club to comment by Daniel Blackshields, 3 July 2023] 

[S-10] American Football Ireland (2023) Article, July 3, 2023: 2023 AFI Bowl Season – How to Watch! [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/2023-afi-bowl-season-how-to-watch/ [Accessed 9 July 2023]

[S-11] Under Center Podcast Facebook (2023) Post, July 16, 2023 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/UnderCentrePod/posts/pfbid02WufMoJVAiF2uGKgQdRKfeZY6ZZ8v7czSp6Xr6NhyeK8yoPbb6ydUSdDpcqNJnYkKl [Accessed 19 July 2023]

About AFI Premier Division 2023 References

[A-1] American Football Ireland (2022) AFI Premier Division 2022 [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/americanfootball/premier-division/ [Accessed 4 July 2022]

[A-2] American Football Ireland (2022) AFI Division 1 2022 [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/americanfootball/division1/ [Accessed 2 March 2022][Last Accessed 3 August 2022]

[A-3] Irish American Football Association (2019) Shamrock Bowl Winners [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/home/kitted-football/shamrock-bowl-history/ [Accessed 11 August 2019]

Logo References

[AFI-L1] South Dublin Panthers Facebook Page (2018) South Dublin Panthers Profile Picture https://www.facebook.com/southdublinpanthers/photos/a.345294775649262/906846089494125/?type=1&theater [Accessed 16 November 2018]

[AFI-L4] Irish American Football Association (2018) Dublin Rebels Team Logo [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Team-Logo-Dublin-Rebels-2.png [Accessed 22 July 2018]

[AFI-L15] Belfast Trojans | Facebook (2019) Belfast Trojans Logo [Internet] Available from: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/396414_329765713737073_1023026931_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=61cbbd2dd06504291f7e7843703e7b1d&oe=5CB71144 [Accessed 21 January 2019]

[AFI-L16] Carrickfergus Knights – Vimeo (2018) Portrait [Internet] Available from: https://i.vimeocdn.com/portrait/482449_300x300 [Accessed 22 July 2018]

[AFI-L17] Westmeath Minotaurs | Facebook (2015) Westmeath Minotaurs Logo [Internet] Available from: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12065840_1078155085529890_2779932276034449252_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=3673d2a991ca4920aad2e85dc589c794&oe=5CC01F4B [Accessed 21 January 2019]

[AFI-L3] Craigavon Cowboys – Twitter Account (2018) Profile Picture [Internet] Available from: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/864100166680424448/TCauLbnj_400x400.jpg [Accessed 22 July 2018]

[AFI-L32] Irish American Football Association (2017) Admirals Logo [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Admirals-PNG-1.png [Accessed 30 November 2018]

[AFI-L33] UCD AFC Facebook (2022) Profile Picture, January 3, 2019 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/UCDAFC/photos/a.436075842228/10154009765492229/ [Accessed 2 March 2022][Actual Logo Reference at: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/12809784_10154009765492229_5819653587549611131_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=09cbfe&_nc_ohc=dW0QAgQT0s8AX9FRH36&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=00_AT-zMsgHZu2N0DFzVYUghS0pBleaUyuQwt0pW5je7g4kcQ&oe=6243ECFE ][Accessed 2 March 2022]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Sean Douglas (UCD and Dublin Rebels) and Jo Buchanan (South Dublin Panthers)

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 19 July 2023

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2023

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved. The Logos and Photos used in this article remain the property of the organisations and individuals which own the copyright and are used here for educational and information purposes only.