Northern Football Conference

The Northern Football Conference (NFC) was formed in 1954 as the Northern Ontario Rugby Football Union (NORFU). Its purpose, then as it is now, is to provide an opportunity for athletes over the age of 19 to play football beyond the high school level. Over 6700 players have availed themselves of the opportunity to play in the over 900 scheduled NFC games. Many players have gone on to star in University/College and Professional football. Likewise, many star University/College players have chosen to continue playing competitive football in the NFC. NFC football is played at a very high caliber and is very entertaining and exciting brand of play.

The newly formed league began playing in 1954 with four teams participating: Kirkland Lake Alouettes, North Bay Roughriders, Sudbury Hardrocks and Tri-Town (Cobalt, Haileybury, New Liskeard) Raiders, and has operated annually with as many as eleven teams and as few as three teams since that time.

In the intervening years other teams, communities and clubs have entered and departed the league. In total there have been thirty teams representing 19 communities and 1 team representing Laurentian University. The former membership includes: Sturgeon Falls Bombers, Rouyn-Noranda Fantassins, North Renfrew Rams, North Bay Ti-Cats, Val D'Or Jets, Timmins Falcons, Kirkland Lake Kougars, Sault Ste. Marie Steelers, Laurentian University Voyageurs, Bramalea Satellites, Orillia Silver Bombers, Etobicoke Argonauts, Stoney Creek Patriots, North Bay Northmen, Hamilton Wildcats, Brampton Bears, Brampton Bulldogs, Scarborough Crimson Tide, Hamilton Wild Cats, Toronto Eagles, Peterborough Packers and Mississauga Wolverines.

The current league is composed of eleven teams centred in Belleville, Toronto (Maddogs and Raiders), Milton, North Bay, Oakville, Oshawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Tri City (Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge) and Sarnia.

The league continues to have a Northern Ontario flavour as befits it name, but it is now a province-wide senior amateur football group that has a very storied history.