American Football League of China

The American Football League of China (AFLC) is the oldest, American-rules football organization in China. Founded in 2013, the AFLC has grown from a small recreational league into the premier showcase for American-rules football in China. The league is meant to be American football for China, with 92% of players in the 2016 season being Chinese nationals.

History

The AFLC was founded in 2013 by Chris McLaurin,[1] a former football player for the University of Michigan Wolverines. McLaurin, working in Chongqing at the time, helped to organize a group of locals and expatriates who were interested in football into the Chongqing Dockers, whose first season was profiled by the New Republic in The Year of the Pigskin.[2] After organizing the Dockers and building relationships with other football clubs that were beginning to pop up around the country, McClarren organized a meeting of the original eight AFLC teams in Shanghai to form the league (also attended by former Michigan and NFL running back Mike Hart). The first AFLC season featured two divisions: the Beijing Cyclones, Shanghai Titans, Shanghai Warriors and Tianjin Pirates in the East, and the Chongqing Dockers, Chengdu Mustangs, Guangzhou Tigers and Hong Kong Warhawks in the West. The 2013 season culminated in the first AFLC Championship Game at Luwan Stadium in Shanghai on January 12, 2014, and saw the Dockers defeat the Warriors 24-16[3] to capture the first AFLC Championship.

In 2014, the League expanded to 12 teams, shrank slightly to 10 teams in 2015, and in 2016 features 14 teams in three divisions. In 2017, the league expanded once again to feature 18 teams playing in 4 divisions. In addition, Chris McLaurin stepped down from the commissioner role and the AFLC named Datong Wang as his successor.

2016 Season

The 2016 AFLC regular season saw fourteen franchises with over 800 players competing in a four-game regular season from August through November.

CityTeamRegular Season WinsRegular Season LossesJoined
East Division
ShanghaiWarriors402013
ShanghaiTitans312013
BeijingIron Brothers222016
ShanghaiNighthawks222014
HefeiCrocodiles132016
ShanghaiFudan Dragoons042016
West Division
ChengduPandaman312015
ChongqingDockers312013
ChongqingCentaurs042016
South Division
Hong KongWarhawks312013
Hong KongCobras222014
GuangzhouApaches222014
GuangzhouTigers222013

The 2016 AFLC playoffs began on November 26, and feature the following teams:[4]

  • November 26: Shanghai Nighthawks def. Shanghai Warriors, 28-14
  • November 27: Guangzhou Tigers def. Hong Kong Warhawks, 20-8
  • December 3: Chengdu Pandaman def. Guangzhou Apache, 26-16
  • December 4: Shanghai Titans def. Chongqing Dockers, 38-6
  • December 17/18: Shanghai Nighthawks def. Chengdu Pandaman, 20-14
  • December 17/18: Shanghai Titans def. Guangzhou Tigers, 24-23

The 2016 AFLC Championship Game was be held on January 14, 2017 in Shanghai. The Shanghai Titans won their first ever American Football League of China championship, defeating the Shanghai Nighthawks 28-6.

2017 Season

The 2017 AFLC regular season will see eighteen teams competing in a four-game regular season from August through November.

CityTeamRegular Season WinsRegular Season LossesJoined
East Division
ShanghaiTitans402013
ShanghaiNighthawks222014
ShanghaiWarriors312013
HefeiCrocodiles132016
CUAFLCUAFL132017
HangzhouSmilodons132017
HangzhouGenerals2017
West Division
ChengduPandaman502015
Mountain CityFury322017
ChongqingCentaurs142016
Xi'anDark Tide032017
South Division
Hong KongWarhawks402013
GuangzhouTigers222013
Hong KongCombat Orcas222015
Hong KongCobras132014
GuangzhouApaches042014
North Division
BeijingIron Brothers402016
TaiyuanTroops132017
TianjinPirates132017 Note: The Pirates were part of the original AFLC in 2013, but left the league for several years.

The 2017 AFLC playoffs began on November 25 or 26, and featured the following teams:

  • November 25: Shanghai Nighthawks(A) def Beijing Iron Brothers (H) 50–20
  • November 25: Shanghai Titans (H) def Mountain City Fury (A) 36–0
  • November 26: Shanghai Warriors(A) def Hong Kong Warhawks (H) 42–3
  • November 26: Chengdu Pandaman(H) def Foshan Tigers (A) 28–21
  • Semifinals: Shanghai Nighthawks @ Shanghai Titans
  • Semifinals: Shanghai Warriors @ Chengdu Pandaman

Past AFLC Champions

SeasonChampion
2013Chongqing Dockers (24-16, over the Shanghai Warriors)
2014Shanghai Nighthawks (26-24, over the Shanghai Titans)
2015Shanghai Warriors (37-30, over the Shanghai Nighthawks)
2016Shanghai Titans (28-6, over Shanghai Nighthawks)
2017Shanghai Warriors (30-20, over Shanghai Titans)

AFLC in the Media

Coverage in Western Markets

Major media outlets such as BBC World News, ESPN.,[5] NPR[6] have included the AFLC in their coverage, and extensive features on McLaurin and the AFLC have printed in Time,[7] Global Times, The Atlantic, Esquire,[8] The New Republic,[9] Quartz[10] and Asean Weekly,[11] Barstool Sports among others.

Coverage in Chinese Markets

The AFLC is frequently featured in local and national media around China, including extensive national coverage on Shanghai Media Group’s International Channel Shanghai, CCTV 9,[12] World Insight, QQ Sports,[13] Sina Sports,[14][15][16] the China Daily[17] and the Shanghai Daily,[18] as well as frequent pieces on local TV, radio, and print news in many of the AFLC’s regional markets. The AFLC’s strong local Chinese-language media profile owes in large part to the fundamental integration of Chinese players, managers, and league administrators into the AFLC structure.

Coverage by International Football Community

The AFLC has received extensive coverage by American Football International (AFI), a leading international review of American rules football play around the world. Articles[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] are regularly written about the league by AFI staff, and scores and standings[44] of AFLC games are accessible on their website. The AFLC has also been profiled by the Gridiron Leaders’ Foundation],[45] NFL China[46] and NFL Hupu[47]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/mclaurin_chris00.html
  2. ↑ https://newrepublic.com/article/117246/chinese-football-my-season-chongqing-dockers
  3. ↑ http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2014/01/chongqing-dockers-american-football-champions-of-china/
  4. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/aflc-playoffs-china-looming/
  5. ↑ http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/15273529/how-american-football-becoming-worldwide-sport-europe-china-beyond
  6. ↑ https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/02/03/465387338/american-football-catches-on-in-china
  7. ↑ http://time.com/4512741/nfl-cafl-american-football-china-arena-football-sports-peyton-manning/
  8. ↑ http://www.esquire.com.cn/posts/1437
  9. ↑ https://newrepublic.com/article/117246/chinese-football-my-season-chongqing-dockers
  10. ↑ http://qz.com/774935/american-footballs-next-big-fanbase-is-china/
  11. ↑ http://epaper.chinadailyasia.com/asean-weekly/article-5790.html
  12. ↑ http://www.bilibili.com/video/av5115797/
  13. ↑ http://sports.qq.com/a/20160510/059937.htm
  14. ↑ http://sports.sina.com.cn/o/nfl/2014-04-21/03507128787.shtml
  15. ↑ http://sports.sina.com.cn/others/rugby/2016-09-29/doc-ifxwkzyh3866906.shtml
  16. ↑ http://slide.sports.sina.com.cn/o/slide_2_730_96813.html?img=1722452#p=6
  17. ↑ http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2016-09/09/content_26749938.htm
  18. ↑ http://www.shanghaidaily.com/feature/ideal/Tackling-a-sport-thats-tough-to-sell-in-China/shdaily.shtml
  19. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/chinas-aflc-held-annual-league-summit/
  20. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/shanghai-warriors-capture-aflc-title-in-china/
  21. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/aflc-quarterfinals-china-marked-massive-upset/
  22. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/as-chinas-aflc-heads-into-playoffs-a-look-at-final-regular-season-weekend/
  23. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/chinas-aflc-heading-into-final-week-of-regular-season/
  24. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/chinas-aflc-reaches-midpoint-of-season/
  25. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/the-aflc-announces-it-20152016-playoff-schedule/
  26. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-league-of-china-aflc-week-3-preview/
  27. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/teams-from-shanghai-hong-kong-dominate-week-2-in-aflc/
  28. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/china-the-aflc-heads-into-2nd-week-of-action/
  29. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/shanghai-titans-start-strong-succumb-to-shanghai-nighthawks-power-running-game-in-aflc-season-opener/
  30. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-league-china-aflc-set-for-2015-season-start-on-august-15/
  31. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/busy-month-american-football-league-china/
  32. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-china-happening/
  33. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-league-china-now-full-swing/
  34. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-league-china-set-fourth-season/
  35. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/video-shanghai-warriors-title-win-china-historic/
  36. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-league-chinas-championship-game-promises-fireworks/
  37. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/shanghai-warriors-advance-american-football-league-china-championship-game/
  38. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-league-of-china-semifinal-this-weekend/
  39. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-league-of-china-quarterfinal-action-this-weekend/
  40. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/the-football-action-continues-in-china/
  41. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-league-china-week-1-recap-week-2-preview/
  42. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/gridiron-leaders-foundation-developing-student-athletes-in-china/
  43. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/american-football-league-of-china-championships-this-weekend/
  44. ↑ http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/category/asia/china
  45. ↑ http://chinagridiron.org/american-football-league-of-china-aflc-championship-a-historic-success/
  46. ↑ http://www.nflchina.com/news/detail/1977259.html
  47. ↑ http://bbs.hupu.com/10731912.html
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