American Football Wellington
Encyclopedia
American Football Wellington, abbreviated AFW, is the governing body for American Football
(Gridiron
) in Wellington
, New Zealand
. Formally known as the American Football Southern Conference (AFSC), it was officially established in 1996 to govern the sport of American football in the Wellington and greater lower North Island region. The league generally runs from November through February ending with two teams competing for the Capital Bowl
championship game. The AFW is an affiliate member of the New Zealand American Football Federation (NZAFF), which governs the sport of American Football in New Zealand.
American football in Wellington began in 1987 when local Wellingtonian Quentin Poulsen started up Wellington’s first American football team. Games were played against another team organised by former National Basketball League coach Jeff Green. The games were played without equipment. The following year, a committee was set up and named their team the Harbour City Hurricanes American Football Club and in 1989 the team finally obtained some equipment. By then Jeff's team had folded leaving the Hurricanes the only organised American football team in Wellington. Quentin went on to form two more clubs in Wellington. He established the Hutt Valley Chargers and Capital City Giants teams in 1990 and 1991 respectively.
By 1996 three more clubs had join the existing teams from Wellington. All three clubs were from outside the Wellington region. The Levin Tigers (folded in 1993), Wanganui Royals and Palmerston North Silverbacks. That year a regional governing organisation was formed by representatives of the current clubs and the Wellington representatives of the New Zealand Gridiron Officials Association. Horst Maczuga was voted the inaugural Commissioner of the newly formed American Football Southern Conference.
During the 2002-2003 season, the American Football Southern Conference gave a new name to the Capital Bowl trophy and called it the Horst Maczuga Trophy, in recognition of the league’s inaugural AFSC Commissioner, former Head Coach of the Harbour City Hurricanes and NZGOA Official, Horst Maczuga.
The competition name was changed to the Ambassadors Cup Competition alongside with the name of the trophy to that of the same name, prior to the 2004-2005 season. The Ambassadors Cup competition format is a Round-Robin that generally runs for 10 weeks with every team facing each other twice. The AFW uses a Points System to decide who is awarded the Ambassadors Cup at the end of the regular season. The team with highest number of competition points, based on the points system wins the Ambassadors Cup.
The AFW Points System:
The number of teams competing in the Ambassadors Cup competition determines the number of teams that will qualify for post-season matches including the Capital Bowl championship game. The post season formula is as follows:
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
(Gridiron
Gridiron
Gridiron may refer to:*Gridiron Secret Society, a secret society at the University of Georgia.* Gridiron , type of grill that can be used to cook meat or other food over a fire; most of the other usages derive from this term due to their fancied resemblance* Gridiron plan, in urban planning, a...
) in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Formally known as the American Football Southern Conference (AFSC), it was officially established in 1996 to govern the sport of American football in the Wellington and greater lower North Island region. The league generally runs from November through February ending with two teams competing for the Capital Bowl
Capital Bowl
The Capital Bowl is the grand final event for American football clubs in the New Zealand capital Wellington and surrounding districts. The trophy was presented by Quentin Poulsen, founder of the city's first three clubs and its league.The original trophy was lost and replaced with the Horst Maczuga...
championship game. The AFW is an affiliate member of the New Zealand American Football Federation (NZAFF), which governs the sport of American Football in New Zealand.
American football in Wellington began in 1987 when local Wellingtonian Quentin Poulsen started up Wellington’s first American football team. Games were played against another team organised by former National Basketball League coach Jeff Green. The games were played without equipment. The following year, a committee was set up and named their team the Harbour City Hurricanes American Football Club and in 1989 the team finally obtained some equipment. By then Jeff's team had folded leaving the Hurricanes the only organised American football team in Wellington. Quentin went on to form two more clubs in Wellington. He established the Hutt Valley Chargers and Capital City Giants teams in 1990 and 1991 respectively.
By 1996 three more clubs had join the existing teams from Wellington. All three clubs were from outside the Wellington region. The Levin Tigers (folded in 1993), Wanganui Royals and Palmerston North Silverbacks. That year a regional governing organisation was formed by representatives of the current clubs and the Wellington representatives of the New Zealand Gridiron Officials Association. Horst Maczuga was voted the inaugural Commissioner of the newly formed American Football Southern Conference.
Current Club Members
- Spartans Sports Club trading as the Hutt Valley Spartans
- Established: 1990 (Left AFSC to join Gridiron New Zealand in 1999. Rejoined AFSC in 2003 as the Hutt Valley Spartans)
- Former names: Hutt Valley Chargers
- Founder: Quentin Poulsen
- Location: Hutt Valley
- Club colours: Orange and white (Spartans), Green and Gold (Chargers)
- AFW Championships: Four
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: Three
- Porirua Giants American Football Club
- Established: 1991
- Former names: Capital City Giants, Wellington Giants
- Founder: Quentin Poulsen
- Location: Porirua (formally Wellington)
- Club colours: Red and Gold
- AFW Championships: Nine
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: Three
- Porirua Knights American Football Club
- Established: 2001
- Former names: Knight City Knights, Porirua City Knights
- Founder: John Kisiona
- Location: Porirua
- Club colours: Purple and Gold
- AFW Championships: Four
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: Four
- Wellington City Wolves American Football Club
- Established: 2003
- Former names: Amalgamation of the Harbour City Sharks (formally known as the Wellington Knights) and Capital Patriots (formally known as the Wellington/Porirua/Harbour City Hurricanes)
- Founder: Harbour City Sharks and Capital Patriots
- Location: Wellington
- Club colours: Green and Orange
- AFW Championships: One
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: Three
- Linton Central Turbines American Football Club
- Established: 2006
- Former names: N/a
- Founder: Bryn Morton and Justin Williams
- Location: Linton
- Club colours: Black and Red
- AFW Championships: Nil
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: Nil
Former Club Members
- Capital Patriots
- Established: 1990 (Amalgamated with the Harbour City Sharks to form Wellington City Wolves in 2003)
- Fomer names: Harbour City/Porirua/Wellington Hurricanes
- Founder: Quentin Poulsen
- Club colours: Aqua blue and silver (Patriots), Gold and black (Hurricanes)
- AFW Championships: Two
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: Four
- Horowhenua Tigers
- Established: 1992 (folded 1993), 2000 (folded 2001)
- Fomer names: Levin Tigers
- Founder: N/a
- Location: Levin
- Club colours: Black and Red
- AFW Championships: One
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: One
- Wanganui Royals
- Established: 1994 (folded 1996)
- Fomer names: N/a
- Founder: N/a
- Location: Wanganui
- Club colours: Blue and White
- AFW Championships: Nil
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: Nil
- Palmerston North Silverbacks
- Established: 1996 (Left AFSC to join Gridiron New Zealand in 1999. Rejoined AFSC 2001. Club folded 2004)
- Fomer names: Manawatu Silverbacks
- Founder: N/a
- Location: Palmerston North
- Club colours: Silver and White
- AFW Championships: Nil
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: One
- Linton Marauders
- Established: 1997 (folded 1998)
- Fomer names: N/a
- Founder: N/a
- Location: Linton Army Base
- Club colours: Maroon
- AFW Championships: Nil
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: Nil
- Harbour City Sharks
- Established: 1998 (Amalgamated with the Capital Patriots to form Wellington City Wolves in 2003)
- Fomer names: Wellington Knights
- Founder: John Kisiona, Dominic Viles and Matt Hudson
- Location: Wellington
- Club colours: Orange and black (Sharks), Gold and black (Knights)
- AFW Championships: Nil
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: One
- Mavericks
- Established: 1999 (Folded 2001)
- Fomer names: N/a
- Founder: Mike Skinnon
- Location: Petone
- Club colours: Purple and blue
- AFW Championships: Nil
- Southern Zone/Ambassadors Cup: Nil
Capital Bowl winners
The Capital Bowl championship game is the Grand Final of the AFW senior season and is generally played in mid or late February. In 1990 two founding teams, the Harbour City Hurricanes and the Hutt Valley Chargers competed in organised games between each other during the season. Quentin Poulsen who founded both teams, personally donated a trophy for the inaugural Wellington championship game. The name given to the championship game was the Capital Bowl given the city’s status as New Zealand’s capital. The Hurricanes defeated the Chargers 20-16 in the inaugural championship game.During the 2002-2003 season, the American Football Southern Conference gave a new name to the Capital Bowl trophy and called it the Horst Maczuga Trophy, in recognition of the league’s inaugural AFSC Commissioner, former Head Coach of the Harbour City Hurricanes and NZGOA Official, Horst Maczuga.
| Year | Game | Team | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Capital Bowl XXI | Hutt Valley Spartans | Wellington City Wolves | 34-8 |
| 2010 | Capital Bowl XX | Porirua Knights | Hutt Valley Spartans | 28-8 |
| 2009 | Capital Bowl XIX | Wellington City Wolves | Hutt Valley Spartans | 20-13 |
| 2008 | Capital Bowl XVIII | Porirua Knights | Wellington City Wolves | 28-18 |
| 2007 | Capital Bowl XVII | Porirua Knights | Wellington City Wolves | 14-6 |
| 2006 | Capital Bowl XVI | Hutt Valley Spartans | Knight City Knights | 21-19 (4 OT) |
| 2005 | Capital Bowl XV | Porirua Giants | Knight City Knights | 13-0 |
| 2004 | Capital Bowl XIV | Porirua Giants | Knight City Knights | 22-20 |
| 2003 | Capital Bowl XIII | Knight City Knights | Manawatu Silverbacks | 42-0 |
| 2002 | Capital Bowl XII | Porirua Giants | Knight City Knights | 12-3 |
| 2001 | Capital Bowl XI | Porirua Giants | Harbour City Sharks | 12-3 |
| 2000 | Capital Bowl X | Porirua Giants | Wellington Knights | 22-0 |
| 1999 | Capital Bowl IX | Porirua Giants | Palmerston North Silverbacks | 46-21 |
| 1998 | Capital Bowl VIII | Porirua Giants | Wellington Hurricanes | 6-0 |
| 1997 | Capital Bowl VII | Porirua Hurricanes | Palmerston North Silverbacks | 30-8 |
| 1996 | Capital Bowl VI | Capital City Giants | Porirua Hurricanes | 8-0 |
| 1995 | Capital Bowl V | Capital City Giants | Porirua Giants | 24-6 |
| 1994 | Capital Bowl IV | Hutt Valley Chargers | Levin Tigers | WBD |
| 1992 | Capital Bowl III | Levin Tigers | Capital City Giants | 21-7 |
| 1991 | Capital Bowl II | Hutt Valley Chargers | Harbour City Hurricanes | 12-6 |
| 1990 | Capital Bowl I | Harbour City Hurricanes | Hutt Valley Chargers | 20-16 |
Ambassadors Cup Competition
The Ambassadors Cup Competition is AFW's annual flagship American football senior competition, which generally takes place from early November through February. The competition was previously known as the Southern Zone competition and started in 1991 with three teams (Harbour City Hurricanes, Hutt Valley Chargers and Capital City Giants) competing in the inaugural season. The Hutt Valley Chargers won the inaugural Southern Zone competition and were awarded the Southern Zone Championship Cup, which was presented by former United States of America’s Ambassador, Dean Newman in 1992.The competition name was changed to the Ambassadors Cup Competition alongside with the name of the trophy to that of the same name, prior to the 2004-2005 season. The Ambassadors Cup competition format is a Round-Robin that generally runs for 10 weeks with every team facing each other twice. The AFW uses a Points System to decide who is awarded the Ambassadors Cup at the end of the regular season. The team with highest number of competition points, based on the points system wins the Ambassadors Cup.
The AFW Points System:
- Four (4) points are awarded for a win
- Two (2) point for a draw
- One (1) point for a loss by seven (7) or fewer points
The number of teams competing in the Ambassadors Cup competition determines the number of teams that will qualify for post-season matches including the Capital Bowl championship game. The post season formula is as follows:
- 3 Team Competition – (2 teams maximum qualify) - 1st and 2nd – Capital Bowl
- 4 Team Competition – (2 teams maximum qualify) - 1st and 2nd – Capital Bowl
- 5 Team Competition – (3 teams maximum qualify) - 3rd v 2nd (Elimination) - Winner v 1st in Capital Bowl
- 6 Team (or more) Competition – (4 teams maximum qualify) - 1st v 4th & 2nd v 3rd (Semi) – Winners in Capital Bowl OR 1st v 2nd (Game 1) & 3rd v 4th (Game 2), Game 1 loser v Game 2 winner (Game 3) – Game 3 winner v Game 1 winner in Capital Bowl.
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2010-2011 | Wellington City Wolves |
| 2009-2010 | Hutt Valley Spartans |
| 2008-2009 | Wellington City Wolves |
| 2007-2008 | Porirua City Knights |
| 2006-2007 | Porirua City Knights |
| 2005-2006 | Wellington City Wolves |
| 2004-2005 | Knight City Knights |
| 2003-2004 | Porirua Giants |
| 2002-2003 | Knight City Knights |
| 2001-2002 | Manawatu Silverbacks |
| 2000-2001 | Harbour City Sharks |
| 1999-2000 | Porirua Giants |
| 1998-1999 | Porirua Giants |
| 1997-1998 | Porirua Hurricanes |
| 1996-1997 | Porirua Hurricanes |
| 1995-1996 | Porirua Hurricanes |
| 1994-1995 | Porirua Hurricanes |
| 1993-1994 | Hutt Valley Chargers |
| 1992-1993 | Levin Tigers |
| 1991-1992 | Hutt Valley Chargers |