Israeli Football League
Encyclopedia
The Israel Football League was founded in the Summer of 2005 by a group of Israelis, led by Mr. Ofri Becker, who wanted to play tackle American football
. The first season, played without pads or an official governing body, began in the Fall of 2005. In 2007, the league began fully equipped play under the umbrella of American Football in Israel (AFI), and Israel Bowl I was held in 2008.
Thanks to the generosity of New England Patriots
owner Robert Kraft
, the IFL is sponsored by the Kraft Family.
Play by play of I.F.L. games can be heard on IsraelSportsRadio.com.
, the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers, and the Mike's Place Tel Aviv Sabres. In the championship game, Israel Bowl I, the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions defeated the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs in overtime.
), while the Dancing Camel Pioneers moved to a new home in Modi'in. The Pioneers defeated the defending champion Lions, 32–26, after two overtimes, in Israel Bowl II.
In the North Division, the Sabres clinched the bye and in the semis beat the Pioneers, who had beaten the Hammers in the first round.
In the South division, the Rebels beat the Black Swarm in the first round and then beat the Lions in the semis in an unforgettable comeback, coming back from an 18-point deficit with 7:40 to go in the game. Rebels QB and probable League M.V.P. Alex Swieca took the winning score in himself with just sixteen seconds left.
The Rebels defeated the Sabres in Israel Bowl IV by a score of 32–30, having almost let the Sabres complete a comeback of their own.
Most Israel Bowl Appearances: 3 (Lions)
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...
. The first season, played without pads or an official governing body, began in the Fall of 2005. In 2007, the league began fully equipped play under the umbrella of American Football in Israel (AFI), and Israel Bowl I was held in 2008.
Thanks to the generosity of New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
owner Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
, the IFL is sponsored by the Kraft Family.
Play by play of I.F.L. games can be heard on IsraelSportsRadio.com.
2007–08 Season
The inaugural season of the IFL, with regulation pads and staff, witnessed a surprisingly high level of play for a first-year tackle league. There were four teams in the league for the 2007–08 season: the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions, the Real Housing Haifa UnderdogsHaifa Underdogs
The Haifa Real Housing Underdogs is an amateur American football team based in Haifa, Israel, playing in the Israeli Football League .Haifa Underdogs was established at 2005, the year that the IFL was established...
, the Dancing Camel Hasharon Pioneers, and the Mike's Place Tel Aviv Sabres. In the championship game, Israel Bowl I, the Big Blue Jerusalem Lions defeated the Real Housing Haifa Underdogs in overtime.
2008–09 Season
The league grew to five teams with the addition of another team in Jerusalem (The Blue Sun Music KingsJerusalem Kings
The Jerusalem Kings are an Israeli "American Football" Team, a member of the IFL . The team is based in Jerusalem, Israel and uses Kraft Family Stadium as its home field.- History :- 2008 Season :...
), while the Dancing Camel Pioneers moved to a new home in Modi'in. The Pioneers defeated the defending champion Lions, 32–26, after two overtimes, in Israel Bowl II.
2009–10 Season
After growing from four to five teams the previous year, the IFL expanded to seven teams for the 2009–10 season with the addition of two new teams, The Beer Sheva Black Swarm and The Judean Rebels. The schedule grew, as well, as each team was scheduled to play 10 regular season games followed by playoffs. The teams who finished the regular season in first through sixth place qualified for the playoffs. The Tel Aviv Sabres defeated the Jerusalem Lions in Israel Bowl III.2010–11 Season
With eight teams in the I.F.L., the league was split in to two divisions: the North Division, consisting of the Tel Aviv/Jaffa Sabres, the newly relocated Tel Aviv Pioneers, the Haifa Underdogs, and the expansion Herzliya Hammers; and the South Division, consisting of the Jerusalem Lions, the Jerusalem Kings, the Judean Rebels, and the Be'er Sheva Black Swarm. Each team played a home-and-away series against each of its division rivals and one game against each team in the other division for a total of ten regular season games. The top team in each division got an automatic bye in to the semi-finals, with the number two seed in each division hosting the number three seed in a "wild-card" game, and the last team in each division missing the playoffs.In the North Division, the Sabres clinched the bye and in the semis beat the Pioneers, who had beaten the Hammers in the first round.
In the South division, the Rebels beat the Black Swarm in the first round and then beat the Lions in the semis in an unforgettable comeback, coming back from an 18-point deficit with 7:40 to go in the game. Rebels QB and probable League M.V.P. Alex Swieca took the winning score in himself with just sixteen seconds left.
The Rebels defeated the Sabres in Israel Bowl IV by a score of 32–30, having almost let the Sabres complete a comeback of their own.
IFL Champions
| Season | Champion | Runner Up | Israel Bowl | Venue | Date | Finals MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Jerusalem Lions | Haifa Underdogs Haifa Underdogs The Haifa Real Housing Underdogs is an amateur American football team based in Haifa, Israel, playing in the Israeli Football League .Haifa Underdogs was established at 2005, the year that the IFL was established... |
I | Kraft Stadium, Jerusalem | March 28, 2008 | Moshe Horowitz (Jerusalem) |
| 2008–09 | Modi'in Pioneers | Jerusalem Lions | II | Kraft Stadium, Jerusalem | April 3, 2009 | Assaf Katz (Modiin) |
| 2009–10 | Tel Aviv Sabres | Jerusalem Lions | III | Kraft Stadium, Jerusalem | March 26, 2010 | Evan Reshef (Tel Aviv) |
| 2010–11 | Judean Rebels | Tel Aviv Sabres | IV | Kraft Stadium, Jerusalem | March 18, 2011 | Zack Miller (Judea) |
List of Teams
| Team | City | Home Field | Year Accepted into League |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Real Housing" Haifa Underdogs Haifa Underdogs The Haifa Real Housing Underdogs is an amateur American football team based in Haifa, Israel, playing in the Israeli Football League .Haifa Underdogs was established at 2005, the year that the IFL was established... |
Haifa Haifa Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher... |
Yoqneam Stadium | 2005 |
| "ISD" Jerusalem Kings Jerusalem Kings The Jerusalem Kings are an Israeli "American Football" Team, a member of the IFL . The team is based in Jerusalem, Israel and uses Kraft Family Stadium as its home field.- History :- 2008 Season :... |
Jerusalem | Kraft Family Stadium | 2008 |
| "Big Blue" Jerusalem Lions | Jerusalem | Kraft Family Stadium | 2007 |
| "Dancing Camel" Tel Aviv Pioneers | Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with... |
Tel Aviv University Soccer Field | 2005 |
| Tel Aviv-Jaffa Sabres | Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with... |
Neve Golan, Jaffa | 2005 |
| Be'er Sheva Black Swarm | Be'er Sheva | Be'er Sheva | 2009 |
| Gush Texas Judean Rebels | Efrat Efrat Efrat , or officially Efrata , is an Israeli settlement established in 1983 and a local council in the Judean Mountains of the West Bank. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this... |
Kraft Family Stadium | 2009 |
| "Leo Bloom's" Hammers Herzliya Hammers The Herzeliya Leo Blooms Hammers is an amateur American football team based in Herzliya, Israel, playing in the Israeli Football League .... |
Herzliya Herzliya Herzliya is a city in the central coast of Israel, at the western part of the Tel Aviv District. It has a population of 87,000 residents. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya covers an area of 26 km²... |
Herzliya | 2010 |
League Format
In 2007–08, each team played 9 regular-season games: 4 at home, 4 away games and 1 neutral site game. The playoffs consisted of 3 games. A game between 2nd and 3rd place in the regular-season IFL standings determined who faced the 1st place team in Israel Bowl I. The second game of the playoffs was held between the 4th place team in the standings and the losing team from the 1st playoff game. In Israel Bowl I, which was held at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem, the 1st place team in the regular season standings faced the winner of the 1st playoff game.The Israel Bowl
The Israel Bowl is the IFL championship game. See above for a list of Israel Bowl winners.The Becker Trophy
Mr. Israel, one of the original founders of the Israel Football League and currently a referee in the IFL, donated the trophy which is named in his honor. It resides in the city of the reigning Israel Bowl champions until it returns to Kraft Family Stadium for the next Israel Bowl.League Records
Most Israel Bowl Wins: 1 (Lions, Pioneers, Sabres, Rebels)Most Israel Bowl Appearances: 3 (Lions)