The American Football League of China 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. In 2019, the AFLC officially renamed the organization to the CNFL.
History
The AFLC was founded in 2013 by Chris McLaurin, 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. 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. 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. Not all of the early teams were accepted into the league, such as the Suzhou Blue Knights, who still play non-conference games with league teams. 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 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. In 2018, the League expanded once again to twenty teams in four divisions, and expanded to a twelve team playoff, with 4 division champions earning first round byes.
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.
The 2016 AFLC playoffs began on November 26, and feature the following teams:
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. The 2017 AFLC playoffs began on November 25 or 26, and featured the following teams:
November 25: Shanghai Nighthawks def Beijing Iron Brothers 50–20
November 25: Shanghai Titans def Mountain City Fury 36–0
November 26: Shanghai Warriors def Hong Kong Warhawks 42–3
November 26: Chengdu Pandaman def Foshan Tigers 28–21
Semifinals: Shanghai Nighthawks @ Shanghai Titans
Semifinals: Shanghai Warriors @ Chengdu Pandaman
2018 Season
The 2018 AFLC regular season had twenty teams competing in a four-game regular season from August through November. The AFLC expanded their playoff format from eight teams to twelve, with the four division champions earning first round byes, and the 2nd and 3rd place finishers from each division qualifying for the first round. The 2018 AFLC playoffs began on November 17 and 18, and featured the following teams:
November 17/18: Foshan Tigers def Xi'an Panthers FF
November 17/18: Mountain City Fury def Hong Kong Cobras 38-7
November 17/18: Shanghai Warriors def Tianjin Pirates FF
November 17/18: Wuhan Berserkers def Taiyuan Troops 54-0
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, World Insight, QQ Sports, Sina Sports, the China Daily and the Shanghai Daily, 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, a leading international review of American rules football play around the world. Articles are regularly written about the league by AFI staff, and scores and standings of AFLC games are accessible on their website. The AFLC has also been profiled by the Gridiron Leaders’ Foundation], NFL China and NFL Hupu
