The 1991 WLAF season was the inaugural season of the
World League of American Football
NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally ...
and was the first
transatlantic
Transatlantic, Trans-Atlantic or TransAtlantic may refer to:
Film
* Transatlantic Pictures, a film production company from 1948 to 1950
* Transatlantic Enterprises, an American production company in the late 1970s
* ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film) ...
sports league. The regular season began on March 23, and concluded on May 27. The postseason ran from June 1 until June 9, when the
London Monarchs
The London Monarchs were a professional American football team in NFL Europe and its predecessor league, the World League of American Football (WLAF). The Monarchs played their final season in 1998 as the England Monarchs. In 1999, they were r ...
defeated the
Barcelona Dragons 21–0 in
World Bowl '91 at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Attendances
Average game attendance was 25,361. At London, Barcelona,
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
and
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, attendances surpassed early expectations.
The Monarchs' home attendance led the league, with an average of 40,481 in the regular season.
The dress rehearsal for the World Bowl, London v Barcelona at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
in week 10, attracted 50,835 fans,
while the same week Frankfurt v Sacramento received a bigger crowd, 51,653,
[ with around 10,000 more fans turned away.][ The World Bowl was attended by 61,108.][
]
Regular season
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Standings
* Division winners.
* Wild card qualifier for playoffs.
* New York/New Jersey won North American East title based on head-to-head record (1–0) versus Orlando.
Postseason
Bracket
All-World League team
Offense
Defense
Specialists
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1991 WLAF season
NFL Europe (WLAF) seasons
WLAF season, 1991