Olympians return as champs
Jets promoted again after unbeaten season
Rebels win record fourth Shamrock Bowl in row
Stags win by record College Bowl score

In February, BAFL confirmed that nine British players made the rosters for NFL Europe teams including Britbowl 2005 MVP, Jermaine Allen. The lucky nine were:
Lorn Mayers – Berlin Thunder (London Blitz)
Danny Watts – Berlin Thunder (London Olympians)
Marvin Allen – Frankfurt Galaxy (London Olympians)
Jeff Brown – Frankfurt Galaxy (Birmingham Bulls)
Jermaine Allen – Hamburg Sea Devils (London Olympians)
Aden Durde – Hamburg Sea Devils (London Olympians)
Emmanuel Akah – Rhein Fire (London Olympians)
Shaun Smith – Rhein Fire (Southern Sundevils)
Peter Fields – Frankfurt Galaxy (Personal Assurance Knights)

BAFL Chairman Glen Schild said, " I am delighted to see the progress being made by BAFL players. Every year the competition for roster spots with NFL Europe increases and I wish those that have been successful in securing a place with a team every success for the 2006 season and beyond. For those that have not made it this time, I have no doubt that the experience gained will serve them well in the future."

The British American Football League expanded again with two new teams joining in 2006 - the East Kent Mavericks and the Reading Renegades. With all 35 teams from the 2005 season returning the number of teams in the BAFL now stood at 37 teams.

2006 was again the year of the Olympians as they won the title for the 9^th time in 10 years. Gateshead Senators won their first Div.1 Conference title finishing with a 8-2 record, ahead of the Birmingham Bulls (7-3) and they were also joined in the playoffs from the North by the East Kilbride Pirates (6-4). The Southern Conference was a highly competitive conference with shocks aplenty as a resurgent London Blitz led by the impressive Tom Britton overturned the Olympians 28-12 early in the season. The Southern Sundevils got in on the act by defeating the 2005 champions, PA Knights (42-34), and then defeating the Blitz 6-3. PA’s crown was slipping and successive defeats to the Olympians (twice) and the London Blitz (twice) led to relegation from Britball’s top flight.

The Olympians showed their killer instinct by beating the Ipswich Cardinals 64-6 to clinch the Southern Conference. Blitz came in second with a 8-2 record with the Sundevils in third (6-4).

In the playoffs, the Olympians triumphed 43-35 over the Southern Sundevils in a real humdinger of a semi-final, and they were joined in the final by their only conquerors of the season, the London Blitz. The Blitz, who had comfortably defeated East Kilbride 16-0 in the wild-card defeated the Gateshead Senators in the semi-finals 34-6 in the North East.

In Britbowl XX, the Olympians took the newly created Boston Trophy 45-30 which was sealed by Britball veteran Victor Muhammad’s 4 yard run late in the game.

Coventry Jets repeated their feat from 2005, by completing another unbeaten season in 2006 and what’s more beating all four Division One opponents. The Jets scored a hugely impressive 417 points in their 10 games conceding just 21. They rounded off their season with a thumping 52-20 win over the Bristol Aztecs in the Div.1A Final. Joe Wright claimed MVP honours with 191 passing yards for the Jets.

In an expanded Division Two, 20 sides took to the fields in highly competitive football. The Redditch Arrows and the West Coast Trojans went 10-0 in regular season, and eventually met in the semi-finals with the Trojans winning a thriller 38-30. Colchester Gladiators (8-2) won the Eastern Conference, the Oxford Saints (9-1) took the Western Conference and the Sussex Thunder (8-1-1) won the Southern Conference. In the other semi-final, the Saints thrashed the Sussex Thunder 33-0 to set up an eagerly awaited match-up with the Trojans. In a see-saw final, West Coast took a 28-22 lead on the back of Scott McMenemy’s interception return for a score, but with 48 seconds to go the Saints RB Chris Taylor (who rushed for 231 yards from 37 carries and 2 TDs) barreled his way in to tie the scores, and Newman sealed the championship for the Saints with the P

The Personal Assurance Knights embarked on a trip to Las Vegas to take on Team USA, and put in a cracking display in a 15-3 defeat at the Sam Boyd Stadium.

Photo by Paul Campbell

The Knights were also BAFA’s representatives in the EFAF Cup courtesy of their runner-up spot in last year’s Division One final. In their group matches they faced Norwegian opposition home and away. In their opening match, they thrashed the Valerenga Trolls 60-20. They then travelled to Norway to take on their champion team, the Eidsvoll 1814’s and in a hard fought encounter they lost 19-7.

Onto the quarter-finals, and the Knights came unstuck against a superior Zurich Renegades side who dumped them out of the competition with by a 41-8 scoreline.

The Eurobowl was won for a third straight year by the Vienna Vikings who thrashed La Courneuve Flash 41-9, and the EFAF Cup was won by another Austrian side – the Graz Giants, who defeated the Eidsvoll 1814s 37-20 in front of 2,600 fans in the final.


Vienna v Hamburg in 2006 Eurobowl action

After the BAFL season ended, the Coventry Jets defeated Ireland in a friendly 35-8 in Coventry, as Ireland geared up for their EFAF European Championship Pool C campaign in 2007.

In Ireland, the league expanded again with the six established clubs being joined by the Dublin City University Saints and the North Dublin Marshals. Dublin Rebels won the league after an undefeated regular season, and went on to win a record fourth consecutive Shamrock Bowl with a convincing 44-12 win over the University of Limerick Vikings on the back of 3 TD’s passes from Andrew Dennehy.

Shamrock Bowl action

On the international front, the GB Lions senior kitted side did not play in 2006 as their next scheduled tournament will be the 2009 European Championships. France won the European Junior Championship in Stockholm with a 28-21 win over Germany to retain their title.

Great Britain hosted the prestigious Euroflag tournament for under 13’s and Under 15’s in Gateshead in September. The GB Lions Under 13’s finished second, and the Under 15’s finished a disappointing seventh place.

In senior flag football, the English Senior Flag League introduced an end of season finals day to determine their champion with the top four sides from the league season (Leicester Eagles, London Liberty, Chichester Sharks and The Barbarians) playing off for the title in December. It was the London Liberty who defeated The Barbarians in the final 40-18. The Scottish champs were the Kirkcaldy Bulls who won their league for a fourth straight year. BAFA also announced late in 2006 that they were setting in motion a series of steps that will lead to the formation of a single National Association for adult flag football. All Flag Football in Great Britain will now be coming under the BAFA umbrella subject to ratification by the respective leagues. 

London Liberty - 2006 ESFL champs

In other finals in 2006, the Southampton Stags won College Bowl XX by a record 79-8 scoreline against the UT Cougars at Butts Park Arena in Coventry. 


Southampton Stags - college champs in 2006

BYAFA Bowl XVIII was won by the London Warriors who defeated the Bristol Aztecs 20-14 in Overtime. Sussex Junior Thunder won the BYAFA Junior Kitted title with a 33-27 overtime win over Glasgow Tigers. The BYAFA Cadet flag champions were the Woodham Warriors ‘B’, the Junior Champions were the South Wales Rebellion who defeated the Sussex Thunder 32-24 and the Youth Flag champions were the Woodham Warriors ‘A’ who defeated the Sussex Thunder 33-13.

The Scottish Flag Football League held their finals day in September with the Glasgow Hornets lifting the Cadet Championship, while the Grangemouth Broncos and the Inverness Rockets lifting the Junior and Youth Championships respectively.