Gridiron NSW, originally known as NSW Gridiron Football League (NSWGFL) until 2007, is the governing body for

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

(otherwise known as 'gridiron') in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. Arguably the longest tenured

league in Australia, Gridiron NSW took over from the

Australian American Football Conference American football, known locally as "gridiron football, gridiron", is a participation and spectator sport in Australia. The sport is represented by Gridiron Australia, a member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), and als ...

(AAFC) after its inaugural 1984 season and ultimately survived a threat from the breakaway

NSW Premier State Gridiron League Gridiron NSW, originally known as NSW Gridiron Football League (NSWGFL) until 2007, is the governing body for American football (otherwise known as 'gridiron') in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Arguably the longest tenured American f ...

between 1993 and 1996. The teams from the

returned to the NSW Gridiron Football League prior to the commencement of the 1997 season and since that time, Gridiron NSW has continued to expand as the sport has enjoyed increasing popularity both in

and Australia generally. Gridiron NSW currently consists of four divisions: Division 1 (Men 18+ years), Women (18+ years), Colts (16–19 years) and Juniors (8–15 years

The two top teams in each division (with the exception of the Juniors) participate in the Waratah Bowl (Men), Opal Bowl (Women) and the Kookaburra Bowl (Colts) respectively. These games and also known as the State Finals. The team with the most Waratah Bowl championships is the Sydney University Lions, who have won 21 in total, including 16 straight championships between 2003 and 2018 inclusive. This streak was broken when the UNSW Raiders were defeated by the Northern Sydney Rebels 38-32 in the 2019 Waratah Bowl. Each season the best players across the league are selected to represent New South Wales at the Australian Gridiron League National Championships in representative teams known as the NSW Wolfpack (Men), the Coyotes (Women) and the Wolverines (Colts) respectively. Following the demise of the Newcastle Kings, the Hunter Gridiron League was launched as a separate competition for players in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley area of NSW.

League members

Current members

*UNSW Raiders *Central Coast Sharks *Central West Giants *Northern Sydney Rebels
Nepean DucksSutherland SeahawksSydney University Lions
*UC Stars
UTS GridironWest Sydney Pirates
*Wollongong Mustangs

Former members (senior teams)

*Army * Astros (gridiron team), Astros *Blacktown Vikings *Canberra Sabretooths *Canterbury Cougars *Concord Jaguars *Eastern Suburbs Buccaneers *Fairfield Argonauts *Hills District Eagles *Manly Redbacks *Newcastle Cobras *Newcastle Kings *Newcastle Uni Thunder *North Western Rebels *North Western Sydney Predators *Parramatta Bears *Parramatta Saxons *Penrith Outlaws *Ryde Spartans *St George Fireballs *Tempe Jets/Mascot Jets *Western Wolverines

Former members (junior teams)

*Blacktown Starrs *Caringbah Chargers *Casula Bears *Eastside Colts *Lansvale Trojans *North Shore Falcons *North Western Sydney American Football Club *Penrith City Chiefs *Penrith Wolverines

Division One Championship Game history

NSW Premier State Gridiron League

The NSW Premier State Gridiron League (NSWPSGL) was formed by disgruntled members of the NSWGFL, which was the only

American Football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

league in NSW at the time.https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/piano.revolutionise.com.au/site/q2xbsvlnhcvhuah9.pdf It operated between 1993 and 1996. The affiliated NSW Premier State Youth Gridiron League (NSWPSYGL), which was the first junior gridiron competition in Australia, was also conducted under its administration. In its inaugural 1993 season, the league consisted of 6 teams – Bondi Raiders, Liverpool Pirates, L.U.S.C. Argonauts, Mascot Jets, Newcastle Cobras and Wollongong Mustangs. Prior to the commencement of the 1997 season, and after only four seasons, the league was disbanded and its teams rejoined what was then the NSW Gridiron Football League.

NSW Premier State Youth Gridiron League

The origins of the NSW Premier State Youth Gridiron League (NSWPSYGL) may be traced to the establishment in 1991 of the first two junior teams in New South Wales: Blacktown Starrs and Penrith Wolverines. The teams played two exhibition games at Penrith Park and Parramatta Stadium in June and July 1991 before games between touring US Down Under Bowl high school teams from North Dakota and Colorado. In its inaugural 1993 season, the Penrith City Chiefs defeated the North Shore Falcons 32-0 in the State Championship Game. In 1994, the NSWPSYGL consisted of 5 teams: Caringbah Chargers, Eastside Colts, Lansvale Trojans, North Shore Falcons and Penrith City Chiefs. The 1994 season ended with the Penrith City Chiefs being crowned State Champions following an amazing 13-12 comeback victory against the North Shore Falcons in the State Championship Game on 29 May 1994. The Penrith City Chiefs completed a three-peat in the 1995 season and in the NSWPSYGL’s final season in 1996, the newly formed Casula Bears won the State Championship. The Casula Bears also heavily recruited players from the Penrith City Chiefs, who had since moved to the NSW Gridiron League. The team went on to once again beat Bondi in the State Championship game.

References

External links

Gridiron NSW official site
{{Gridiron in Australia Sports governing bodies in New South Wales

New New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

Sports organizations established in 1984 1984 establishments in Australia