This is a list of current and defunct leagues of American football and Canadian football.
Current Football Leagues[]
List of current leagues in North America[]
Professional outdoor leagues:
- Canadian Football League, 1958-
- Originally Canadian Football Council (1956-1958) in the Canadian Rugby Union (1891-1960)
- National Football League, 1920-
- Originally American Professional Football Conference, American Professional Football Association (1920-1921)
- United Football League, 2009-
- Premiership Football League, 2021-
Professional arena/indoor leagues:
- Arena Football League, 1987-
- American Professional Football League, 2003-
- Continental Indoor Football League, 2006-
- Southern Indoor Football League 2008-
- Indoor Football League, 2009-
- All-american football league, 2009-
Semi-professional leagues:
- Empire Football League, 1969-
- Mid Continental Football League, 1992-
- New England Football League, 1994-
- North American Football League, 1996-
- Alberta Football League, 1996-
- Maritime Football League, 1996-
- Northeastern Football Alliance, 1997-
- Rocky Mountain Football League, 1997-
- Central Football League, 1999-
- Southern States Football League, 2001-
- Minor League Football Association, 2003-
- Oklahoma Metro Football League, 2007-
- Florida Football Alliance, 2007-
- BNEFF, aka Big Northeast Football Federation 2007-
- FSFL, aka Five Star Football League 2010-
Collegiate and amateur leagues:
- Texas Sixman Football League, 1999-
- Canadian Junior Football League, 1890-
- National Collegiate Athletic Association, 1906-
- National Junior College Athletic Association, 1938-
- National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, 1940-
- National Capital Amateur Football Association, 1955-
- Canadian Interuniversity Sport, 1961-
- Quebec Junior Football League, 1970-
- Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, 1974-
Women's leagues:
- Women's Professional Football League, 1999-2007
- National Women's Football Association, 2000-2008
- Independent Women's Football League, 2000-
- Women's Football League, 2002-2007
- Lingerie Football League, 2009-
- Women's Football Alliance, 2009-
Future leagues in the United States[]
Outdoor professional leagues:
- All American Football League, indefinitely suspended since 2008
- New United States Football League, slated to start spring 2012
- Ultimate Football League, slated to start winter 2013[citation needed]
- Southern united football league, slated to start winter 2012
Indoor professional leagues:
- Ultimate Indoor Football League, slated to start spring 2011
Historical leagues in United States[]
Major outdoor leagues:
- National Football League (1902) and the World Series of Pro Football, 1902–1903
- Ohio League, 1903-19196
- New York Pro Football League, 1916-19206
- All-America Football Conference, 1946-19491
- American Football League, 1926, 1936-1937, 1940-1941, and 1960-19692 (all unrelated, four separate leagues)
- World Football League, 1974–1975
- United States Football League, 1983–1985
- XFL, 2001
- Carolina Coast Football League, 2021
- Minor outdoor leagues
- American Football League, 1934
- Midwest Football League, 1935–1937, became American Professional Football Association in 1938, American Football League in 1939
- Dixie League, 1936-1947 - originally South Atlantic Football Association
- American Association 1936-1941/American Football League 1946-19503
- American Football League, 1938-19394
- Pacific Coast Professional Football League, 1940–1948
- American Football League, 19445
- Unnamed professional league, (1945)[1]
- United Football League, 1961–1964
- Atlantic Coast Football League, 1962–1971, 1973
- Continental Football League, 1965–1969
- North American Football League, 1965–1966
- Seaboard Football League, 1971–1974
- American Football Association, 1977–1982
- International Football League, 1984[2]
- Professional Spring Football League, 1992
- Regional Football League, 1999
- International Football Federation, 2000
- Spring Football League, 2000
- 1: Two teams now in NFL
- 2: Agreed to merger with the NFL in 1966, with merger completed in 1970
- 3: American Association suspended operations for duration of U.S. involvement in World War II; in 1946 the AA was renamed American Football League
- 4: Known as the American Professional Football Association in 1938; renamed American Football League in 1939; dissolution after 1939 season caused by formation of 1940-1941 AFL major league
- 5: Merged with PCPFL in 1945
- 6: Informal league, direct predecessor to the NFL
Indoor leagues
- American Indoor Football Association, 2005-2010
- Arena Football League, 1987-2008 (assets acquired in December 2009 by Arena Football 1, which became the new Arena Football League)
- Arenafootball2 (af2), 2000–2009 (assets also acquired in the same transaction noted above)
- Professional Indoor Football League, 1998-2000 (Bought out by Af2 in 2001)
- Indoor Football League, 1999-2000 (Bought out by Af2 in 2001;not related to the Indoor Football League that began play in 2009)
- Indoor Professional Football League, 1999–2001
- National Indoor Football League, 2001–2007
- Intense Football League, 2004-2008 (merged into current incarnation of the Indoor Football League)
- United Indoor Football, 2005-2008 (merged into current incarnation of the Indoor Football League)
- Eastern Indoor Football League, 2007
- World Indoor Football League, 2007
Women's leagues
- Women's American Football League, formed 2001, became the AFWL in 2002
- American Football Women's League (AFWL), 2002
- Women's Football Association, 2002
List of defunct American football minor leagues around the world[]
- /File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg/File:Flag of Spain.svg/File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg.png NFL Europa 1995-2007
- /File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg.png/File:Flag of Spain.svg// World League of American Football, 1991–1992
- /File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg/File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg.png/File:Flag of Sweden.svg/File:Flag of Finland.svg/ Football League of Europe, 1994-1995
- File:Flag of Iceland.svg Icelandic Society for American Football, 1988–1991
- File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg.png - BAFL British American Football League, 1987-2010
- File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg.png - BCAFL British Collegiate American Football League, 1985–2007
- File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg.png/File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg///File:Flag of Spain.svg/File:Flag of Finland.svg International League of American Football - Intended to begin play in 1990, folded before first game[3]
See also[]
- International Federation of American Football (IFAF), international governing body for American football
- European Federation of American Football (EFAF)
- British American Football Association (BAFA)
- Association of Professional Football Leagues - compact of NFL and three minor leagues, 1946–1948
- List of professional sports leagues#Football: American and Canadian
- American-style Football Quarterback Leader Board
References[]
- ↑ "Pro circuit to have plenty of cash behind it," International News Service, April 6, 1944. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
- ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121180/index.htm
- ↑ International League Delays Debut; Football: ILAF cancels season that was to open next month in Europe, blaming lack of preparation time., The Los Angeles Times, March 1, 1990.