With this change, five of the six teams in the league's final incarnation were from Germany, with one from the Netherlands, leading some of the league's detractors to refer to it as "NFL Deutschland" or "NFL Germany",[33] even speculating that the Admirals only remained in Amsterdam because they had won World Bowl XIII. Unsurprisingly, German teams, won all seven World Bowls between 1998 and 2004. [12] The WLAF lost $7 million in 1991. The World League of American Football (shortened to WLAF or World League), later renamed the NFL Europe League (NFL Europe for short) and then NFL Europa, was a professional American football league that operated between 1991 and 2007. [6] In the cities of London, Barcelona, Frankfurt and Montreal, crowds surpassed early expectations. Therefore, if the first team to possess the ball scored, the other would get a chance to either equalize or win the game.

Only the LTU Arena in Düsseldorf was not chosen to host World Cup matches, and that stadium hosted the World Bowl that year.

[31] Radical changes were made to the two British teams and venues for the upcoming 1998 season. Diana Nyad served as the network's host for pregame and halftime.

The Bills Toronto Series started in 2008 but ended in 2013. [1][6] Both networks asked the WLAF to expand into two major U.S. markets for 1993. "[3], Pasquarelli also named J. T. O'Sullivan as the best 2007 NFL Europa player at a time when O'Sullivan was no higher than third on the quarterback depth chart of the Chicago Bears. [19] The relaunched league was sponsored by Reebok, which also manufactured team uniforms and apparel.[20]. The league existed in two forms: the 10-team transatlantic league in 1991 and 1992 and the six-team format in Europe only from 1995 to 2007. [5] The IFL would have involved teams in Barcelona, Rome, West Berlin, Munich, Vienna and Istanbul, but was cancelled due to economic and political problems. The WLAF's second season was confirmed to go ahead on 23 October 1991, six months before it eventually kicked off. [47], The 1995 WLAF relaunch featured uniforms with a significantly different look from what is traditionally associated with American football. This selection process was abandoned after the 1997 World Bowl. [...] there weren't many [NFL] team officials who adhered to the original intent anymore. Announcers who called NFL Europe games included Curt Menefee, Nick Halling, Ari Wolfe, Troy Aikman, Daryl "Moose" Johnston, Michael Reghi and Brentson Buckner. [40] Starting with the 2017 season, the 15-minute overtime period was shortened to 10 minutes after gaining approval from NFL team owners.[41]. After 1992, the World League was suspended for two years. [citation needed] The 1998 uniform designs were "thought to appeal to European tastes."[31]. The three European teams from 1991 to 1992, Frankfurt, Barcelona and London, were the only original teams to continue playing when the league was resurrected in 1995. [6] For the 1992 season, the WLAF charged each network less for broadcasting rights; the New York Times reported that ABC's annual fee went down from $12m to $3m, and USA's from $14m to $10m. The WLAF returned in 1995 with six teams, all in Europe, and then in 1998 the league was rebranded as the NFL Europe League[3] or NFL Europe, a name that lasted until 2006. The league did this by awarding four points to field goals of more than 50 yards, as opposed to three points in the NFL.

From 1999 to 2004, Fox Sports Net showed a "game of the week" on Saturday, with DirecTV viewers receiving additional live games on channels that normally carried NFL Sunday Ticket. In the 1995 season, for every team's home games, at least seven "local" players were required to play or appear on the bench (three locals in away games). Delhomme played for the Frankfurt Galaxy the following season in an unorthodox two-quarterback system that also included Pat Barnes; the Galaxy won the 1999 World Bowl. [Page 2]", https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/12/sports/football-wlaf-is-seeking-nfl-talent.html, "Media: Sports sponsors play for a bigger stake in the game", "Up next for the NFL in UK ... How about the London Fletchers? A regular-season game would end in a tie if no team scored in 15 minutes. In the wake of Fox's new contract to broadcast NFL games, the network became a co-owner of the WLAF and a major financial contributor, in return for broadcasting rights. The Sacramento Gold Miners would play in the CFL for three years, becoming the first American franchise in the league (and beginning a three-season sojourn in the U.S. for the CFL). [4][35] The announcement came less than a week after the Hamburg Sea Devils had defeated the Frankfurt Galaxy 37–28 in World Bowl XV in Frankfurt before a crowd of 48,125.

The league's squads were predominantly assigned by NFL teams, who wanted these younger, developmental players to get additional game experience and coaching. It was backed by the National Football League (NFL), the largest league in the United States. "[38] The NFL International Series began in October 2007 at Wembley Stadium, London, and continues today.

The 1995 WLAF[2] was based entirely in Europe, and was reduced to six teams. Fox Sports had become a co-owner of the league,[19][49] and from 1995 to 1998 the primary TV carrier was FX, which carried two games a week on Saturday and Sunday. [3] Kurt Warner played for the Amsterdam Admirals in 1998, with Jake Delhomme as his backup quarterback. [1] The average ratings for ABC's coverage declined from 1991 to 1992, from around 2.1 to 1.7, and those of USA Network dipped from 1.2 to 1.1. Under the new format, the World Bowl championship game would match up the first-half league leader, who would host the game, and the end-of-season league leader (or runner-up, if the first-half champion also had the best overall record). Only two games remained tied after overtime in WLAF/NFL Europe history: London Monarchs vs. Birmingham Fire in 1992, and Berlin Thunder at Hamburg Sea Devils in 2006. Sudden death applied if the score was even after each team had had one possession. "NFL Europe" continued to be used informally in the United States, including for the league's English-language website, nfleurope.com. EuroPass, an offshoot of FieldPass, broadcast Internet video of games, free of charge, in the league's later years. In the end they did not create enough of a rival."[16].

For other uses, see, The abbreviation "World League" was often used in, World League of American Football / NFL Europe / NFL Europa, International Federation of American Football, National Football League Players' Association, Germany hosted exhibition games from 1991 to 1994, "World League vs.

With each team playing all other teams twice (home and away), the WLAF's regular season spanned 10 games, as it had in 1991–92. [31] However, with attendances slumping to an average of 5,944, the England Monarchs were shut down after the 1998 season, replaced by the Berlin Thunder. [44] The Monarchs' first kicker was former Norwich City centre-half Phil Alexander. From 1995 to 2005, Fox showed the World Bowl and two or three regular season games annually. [3] The European six-team format was maintained for 12 seasons, from 1995 to 2007, but by 2007 five teams were based in Germany. Notable national players included Scott McCready, an English wide receiver who played some preseason games for the New England Patriots; the Claymores' wide receiver Scott Couper, who played a preseason game for the Chicago Bears; Constantin Ritzmann, a German defensive end who had played for the University of Tennessee; and Rob Hart, an English rugby player who became a placekicker[43] and kicked barefoot. With association football (or soccer) being the traditionally popular sport in Europe and American football a relative newcomer, the rules were changed slightly to encourage a greater element of kicking to make the game more enjoyable for soccer and rugby fans. The average game attendance for the first season was 25,361, and 24,216 in the second season. The reported cost of the contracts varied – the L.A. Times said that ABC had paid $28m for two years, and USA $25m. Starting in 1998, the league was known as NFL Europe. 's White Hart Lane in the 1995 and 1996 seasons. The Scottish Claymores began to divide their schedule between Edinburgh and Glasgow's Hampden Park, having previously only played at Murrayfield. The following is a list of win–loss records for each of the 32 active National Football League (NFL) teams. Each season culminated with the World Bowl. [21] Eight European continental broadcasters also showed coverage,[49] including Germany's Vox and DSF.[21]. By the end of the 1997 season, there were growing concerns that WLAF markets, except Germany, were not living up to their potential. [7] The Monarchs' home attendance led the league,[10] and the 1991 World Bowl played at Wembley Stadium was attended by 61,108. ABC Sports broadcast some games in both seasons, mostly on Sunday afternoons. Lavar Ball, who played for the London Monarchs, is now the owner and CEO of Big Baller Brand and the father of Lonzo Ball, LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball. The revived WLAF's UK coverage was mainly on Sky Sports, with coverage also on Channel 4,[21][49] STV[21][49] and Carlton. [27][29], The London Monarchs moved to Stamford Bridge for the 1997 season.[30]. The London Monarchs won the World Bowl. On the other hand, TV contracts were canceled when teams moved, such as the termination of the league's deal with satellite TV platform Digital+ in Spain after the demise of the Barcelona Dragons. Despite this, the European fans remained loyal, but the NFL owners suspended the WLAF after the season. [3] According to Pasquarelli, NFL Europe and NFL Europa "simply stopped producing players with even scant name recognition", with most coaches preferring to develop their players themselves.

[15] Paul Tagliabue mentioned plans to bring it back with only European teams, possibly in 1994. In 2006, NFL Network began showing all regular-season games, either live or on tape delay, and this continued until the league folded. [10] Channel 4 showed half-hour highlights of Monarchs games on Saturday mornings. This had the interesting side effect that a touchdown and point-after kick (seven points) could be equaled by one regular field goal (three points) along with a long field goal (four points). The winner was the team with the highest score after both teams had at least one possession. [42] In the years before 2006, each team was required to field at least one player of non-American extraction, called a "national" player, on every down of every other series. [3], NFL Europe/NFL Europa was credited for providing training to coaching interns and game officials, and as well as for being a useful testing ground for potential NFL rule changes. In 1991, parties in Moscow and Japan expressed an interest in additional franchises.[7]. The World League of American Football was founded in 1989 to serve as a type of spring league.

The NFL also treats the original Cleveland Browns and the new Cleveland Browns as one franchise, having suspended operations and then resuming play as an expansion franchise; the original Browns franchise relocated to Baltimore and rebranded as the Ravens in 1996. By 2007, only the Frankfurt Galaxy remained of the original WLAF teams. [5], The World League of American Football was formed in 1989, by a unanimous vote of NFL owners,[1] as a spring developmental league, the "brainchild" of commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

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