The 2011 AMNRL season was be the fourteenth season of the American National Rugby League

American National Rugby League

The American National Rugby League is a rugby league football competition for semi-professional clubs in the United States. It is the country's first domestic rugby league competition...

. The Jacksonville Axemen

Jacksonville Axemen

-Southeastern Rugby League Championship:In 2011 the Axemen launched a reserve grade competition, the Firehouse Subs Southeastern Rugby League Championship, which acts as a feeder club system for the Axemen to further develop players...

 are the reigning champions. Prior to the season seven AMNRL teams withdrew from the league to form the new USA Rugby League

USA Rugby League

The USA Rugby League is a semi-professional rugby league football competition based in the United States. The league was founded in 2011 by clubs that had broken with the established American National Rugby League , plus expansion franchises...

.

The New York Knights

New York Knights

The New York Knights were an Arena Football League team based in New York City. They played in the league for one season, 1988. They played their home games at Madison Square Garden. After going 2-10 overall in their only season the team ceased operations...

 defeated the Connecticut Wildcats

Connecticut Wildcats

The Connecticut Wildcats are an American semi-professional rugby league football team based in Norwalk, Connecticut. They currently compete in the American National Rugby League ....

 in the league's Grand Final on August 20, 2011.

Background

Prior to the season the AMNRL announced its intentions to expand to such places as Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, the West Coast of the United States

West Coast of the United States

West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

, and the Southeastern United States

Southeastern United States

The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....

. Additionally, the Bucks County Sharks, who had suspended operations for the 2010 season, announced that they would be resuming play for 2011. However, on January 12, 2011, seven former AMNRL teams announced they were withdrawing from the competition to form the new USA Rugby League

USA Rugby League

The USA Rugby League is a semi-professional rugby league football competition based in the United States. The league was founded in 2011 by clubs that had broken with the established American National Rugby League , plus expansion franchises...

. The AMNRL added a sixth team, the Delaware Vipers, ostensibly based in Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

, who had such a shaky season that they were dubbed the "Vapours" by some in the league.

Teams

AMNRL teams
Team	Stadium	City/Area	Foundation Year	Championships
Aston Bulls Aston Bulls The Aston Bulls, also known as the Aston Delco Sports Club Bulls , are a semi-professional rugby league football team based in Aston Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The team currently plays in the American National Rugby League , the United States' oldest competition...	Sun Valley High School	Aston Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania	1998	6 (as Glen Mills Bulls)
Bucks County Sharks	Falls Township Community Park	Levittown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania	1997	0
Connecticut Wildcats Connecticut Wildcats The Connecticut Wildcats are an American semi-professional rugby league football team based in Norwalk, Connecticut. They currently compete in the American National Rugby League ....	Brian McMahon Stadium	Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...	2003	3- 2003,2006,2007
Delaware Vipers	Baynard Stadium	Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...	2011	0
New York Knights New York Knights The New York Knights were an Arena Football League team based in New York City. They played in the league for one season, 1988. They played their home games at Madison Square Garden. After going 2-10 overall in their only season the team ceased operations...	Hudson River Park Hudson River Park Hudson River Park is a waterside park on the Hudson River that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Bicycle and pedestrian paths, including the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, span the park north to south, opening up the waterfront for...	New York City, New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...	1997	2- 2002,2009
New York Raiders New York Raiders The New York Raiders were an ice hockey team and founding member of the World Hockey Association based in New York City. Intended to be the WHA's flagship franchise, its short tenure was a result of being unable to compete with the National Hockey League's established New York Rangers, and the...	Rockland County, NY	Essex County, New York Essex County, New York Essex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...	2002	0