Gridiron Australia
Encyclopedia
Gridiron Australia is the governing body of American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 (gridiron
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...

) in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is an approved sporting association under federal government regulations and is a member of the International Federation of American Football
International Federation of American Football
International Federation of American Football is the international governing body of American football associations. Its headquarters are in La Courneuve, France, and its current president is Tommy Wiking...

 (IFAF). The organisation was formed in 1996.

Gridiron Australia oversees the country's national team
Australia national American football team
The Australia national American football team, nicknamed the Australian Outbacks, represent Australia in international American football competitions...

, which has competed in the IFAF World Cup. It is a governing body of the state-level leagues and does not manage a national-level league itself. Six out of the eight Australian states and territories run leagues; a total of 70 teams consisting of approximately 2500 players. Leagues also provide state-level teams to the Gridiron Australia National Championships.

Organised gridiron has been played in Australia since 1983 and is always referred to as gridiron rather than football to distinguish it from the other football codes such as Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

, Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

, Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 or soccer. There is no uniform gridiron season in Australia, with the leagues playing at different times of the year.

Australian national team

The Australia national team
Australia national American football team
The Australia national American football team, nicknamed the Australian Outbacks, represent Australia in international American football competitions...

, known as the Outbacks, represent Australia in international competitions. They have competed in the IFAF World Cup, the Oceania Bowl, and other national-level events.

Member leagues and teams

There are 39 Division One teams (over 18 division) who play in six leagues. Representative teams are formed by players across the league, not solely from the league championship team. Other teams part of Gridiron Australia include colts teams (under 18 division) and flag football tournaments.
  • ACT Gridiron
    ACT Gridiron
    ACT Gridiron or ACTG is the governing body for gridiron in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. ACT Gridiron currently has six teams. The season culminates with the grand final, known as the Capital Bowl....

    - Championship is the Capital Bowl, representative team is the ACT Monarchs
    • Astros
    • Narrabundah Centurions
    • Tuggeranong Tornadoes
    • University of Canberra Firebirds
    • Woden Valley Gladiators
    • Gungahlin Wildcats
  • Gridiron NSW
    Gridiron NSW
    Gridiron NSW is the governing body for gridiron in the state of New South Wales, Australia....

    - Championship is the Waratah
    Waratah
    Waratah is a genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees in the Proteaceae, native to the southeastern parts of Australia...

     Bowl
    , representative team is the NSW Wolfpack
    • Bondi Raiders
    • Northwestern Predators
    • Penrith City Outlaws
    • Sutherland Seahawks
    • Sydney Uni Lions
      Sydney Uni Lions
      The Sydney University Lions is the team fielded by the Sydney University American Football Club in the Division One competition of Gridiron NSW. The Sydney University Lions were one of the foundation teams of Gridiron NSW, playing its first game on 29 April 1984...

    • UTS Gridiron
      UTS Gridiron
      UTS Gridiron is a sporting club competing in the Gridiron NSW league in both Division One and Colts Divisions. The club's teams are both listed in the league under the name of UTS Gridiron, though informally the Senior squad is known as the Gators, one junior team known as the Titans, the other...

    • West Sydney Pirates
    • Wollongong Mustangs
    • Central Coast Sharks
  • Gridiron Queensland
    Gridiron Queensland
    Gridiron Queensland is the governing body for gridiron in the state of Queensland, Australia. There are currently eight Division One teams registered in the league.Finalists of the league participate in the Sun Bowl....

    - Championship is the Sun Bowl, representative team is the Queensland Sundevils
    • Bayside Ravens
    • Browns Plains Bruins
    • Kenmore Bears
    • Daisy Hill Wildcats
    • Gold Coast Stingrays
    • Western Cougars
    • Toowoomba Wolves
    • Sunshine Coast Spartans
    • Northside Rhinos
  • South Australian Gridiron Association
    South Australian Gridiron Association
    The Gridiron Association of South Australia , Gridiron SA, or GASA is the governing body for gridiron in the state of South Australia, Australia. There are currently five Division One teams registered in the league.The Association has had 3 main venues they have used for their games...

    - Championship is simply known as the Gridiron SA Grand Final, Representative team is SA Swarm
    • Port Adelaide Spartans
    • Adelaide Eagles
    • Eastside Razorbacks
    • Southern District Oilers
      Southern District Oilers
      Southern District Oilers are a Gridiron team from Adelaide in the State of South Australia in Australia. They play in the South Australian Gridiron Association league.-History:...

    • South City Chiefs
  • Gridiron Victoria
    Gridiron Victoria
    Gridiron Victoria is the governing body for American Football in the State of Victoria, Australia. Formed in 1997, Gridiron Victoria was an amalgamation of the two existing governing bodies of the time: the Victoria Gridiron Football League and the Gridiron Association of Victoria.-Clubs:* Bay...

    - Seniors Championship is the Vic Bowl and Junior Championship is the Riddel Bowl, representative team is the Victorian Eagles
    • Ballarat Pioneers
    • Bay City Buccaneers
    • Berwick Miners
    • Croydon Rangers
    • Gippsland Gladiators
    • Melbourne Uni Royals
    • Monash University Warriors
    • Northern Raiders
    • Western Crusaders
  • Gridiron West
    Gridiron West
    Gridiron West is the governing body for gridiron in the state of Western Australia, Australia. There are currently eight Division One Senior teams and five under 18 Junior teams registered in the league.-Members:*Claremont Jets...

    - Championship is simply known as the Gridiron West Championship, Representative team is the WA Raiders
    • Claremont Jets
    • Curtin Saints
    • Perth Blitz
    • Perth Broncos
      Perth Broncos
      The Perth Broncos are a Gridiron team based in Perth, Western Australia, AustraliaThe Perth Broncos are current members of Gridiron West and Gridiron Australia-Team history:...

    • Rockingham Vipers
    • West Coast Wolverines
    • West Coast Fire
    • Westside Steelers

See also

  • Gridiron in Australia
    Gridiron in Australia
    American football, known locally as "gridiron", is a participation and spectator sport in Australia. The sport is governed by Gridiron Australia, a member of the International Federation of American Football ....

  • American football
    American football
    American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

  • List of leagues of American football

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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