Vaahteraliiga
Encyclopedia
The Vaahteraliiga is the highest level of American football
in Finland
played under American Football Association of Finland
. The winner of the Vaahteraliiga is the Finnish champion. The Vaahteraliiga season is played in summer, with a schedule usually from May to September.
The first season of the Vaahteraliiga was played in 1980. The name Vaahteraliiga ("Maple League") comes from the name of the championship trophy Vaahteramalja ("Maple Bowl"), which was donated to the newly formed association by the embassy of Canada
in Finland. Helsinki Roosters
has most Maple Bowl titles (14).
Vaahteraliiga is managed by American Football Association of Finland – SAJL. It is government approved non-profit organization governing both American football and flag football activities in Finland. Established in 1980 the Association has grown to 28 member clubs and over 1,200 licensed players. In 28 years SAJL National teams have taken 5 senior and 3 under-19 European Championships and one ladies flag football title in European Championships. SAJL is the only national federation in Europe to participate in all 10 Senior European Championships. As a member federation for both IFAF (International Federation of American Football) and EFAF(European Federation of American Football) the SAJL is actively participating in getting American football an IOC acceptance.
The system was put in place largely to ensure long-term planning and sensible running of clubs. The system has already shown its cruelty as teams with no alarming difficulties in competitiveness have been relegated due to lack of management and/or economical difficulties.
In a seven-team league teams face each team twice, home and away, with a total of 12 games.
In the early years Helsinki and it surrounding towns were loaded with Maple League teams and they seemed to almost monopolize the championship. The first team outside the Helsinki metropolitan area to win the championship were the Seinäjoki Crocodiles in 2001, ending the 21 year Helsinki area supremacy. Since then, however, those teams have only won the championship twice.
Turku Trojans have the questionable record of most Maple Bowl losses. Having qualified for the game ten times, their only win is from their last visit in 2003.
Current powerhouse Porvoo Butchers won their first championship in 2005 and has won every championship since, equaling Roosters record for most consecutive wins.
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...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
played under American Football Association of Finland
American Football Association of Finland
American Football Association of Finland is the national governing body of American football in Finland. It was founded in 1979 and it is founding member of both of European Federation of American Football, EFAF and International Federation of American Football, IFAF. Since 2000 American football...
. The winner of the Vaahteraliiga is the Finnish champion. The Vaahteraliiga season is played in summer, with a schedule usually from May to September.
The first season of the Vaahteraliiga was played in 1980. The name Vaahteraliiga ("Maple League") comes from the name of the championship trophy Vaahteramalja ("Maple Bowl"), which was donated to the newly formed association by the embassy of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in Finland. Helsinki Roosters
Helsinki Roosters
Helsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
has most Maple Bowl titles (14).
Vaahteraliiga is managed by American Football Association of Finland – SAJL. It is government approved non-profit organization governing both American football and flag football activities in Finland. Established in 1980 the Association has grown to 28 member clubs and over 1,200 licensed players. In 28 years SAJL National teams have taken 5 senior and 3 under-19 European Championships and one ladies flag football title in European Championships. SAJL is the only national federation in Europe to participate in all 10 Senior European Championships. As a member federation for both IFAF (International Federation of American Football) and EFAF(European Federation of American Football) the SAJL is actively participating in getting American football an IOC acceptance.
Current teams (2011 season)
- Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- Helsinki Wolverines
- Jyväskylän Jaguaarit
- Lappeenrannan Rajaritarit
- Porvoon Butchers
- Seinäjoki CrocodilesSeinäjoki CrocodilesSeinajoki Crocodiles is an American football team from Seinäjoki, Finland. The team plays in the Finnish Maple League and it has also played in the European Football League. The Crocodiles is one of the top teams in Finland and Europe...
- Turku TrojansTurku TrojansTurku Trojans is one of the oldest American Football teams in Finland, established in 1982. Turku Trojans plays in the Maple League operated by American Football Association in Finland. Finnish champions in 2003. Maple Bowl appearances in 1984, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2004....
- Oulu Northern Lights
League license
Vaahteraliiga has had a different number of teams during its tenure. In recent years the number has been around seven and eight. This is partly because of league license system enforced by SAJL. In addition to competitive status teams have to reach certain economical and organisational standards. This in turn means that at the end of each season it cannot be said to a certainty which teams will eventually play in the league the next year as teams need to apply for the license. SAJL checks the applications and grants licenses to maximum eight teams according to their seed in the previous season. Teams from the 1st division title game, Spaghetti Bowl, are the only division teams eligible to apply for the license.The system was put in place largely to ensure long-term planning and sensible running of clubs. The system has already shown its cruelty as teams with no alarming difficulties in competitiveness have been relegated due to lack of management and/or economical difficulties.
Regular season
League schedule is highly dependent on the number of teams. During seasons of eight teams teams are divided into two pools. Teams play against the teams in the same pool twice, home and away, and teams from the other pool once so that each team has ten games, five home and five away. Despite the pools teams are considered as one conference and they are seeded in one conference.In a seven-team league teams face each team twice, home and away, with a total of 12 games.
Post season
After the regular season the four best teams advance to the post season with seed #1 facing #4 and #2 facing #3 in a single-game play-off. Winners will play in the Maple Bowl for the national title. As of 2006, there hasn't been a game for the bronze medal; they are simply awarded to the losing team of the semi-finals with better seed.Champions
Official national champion has been crowned since 1980. The most successful team all-time are the Helsinki Roosters with a total of 14 championships, including a then-record six consecutive first-place finishes from 1995-2000.In the early years Helsinki and it surrounding towns were loaded with Maple League teams and they seemed to almost monopolize the championship. The first team outside the Helsinki metropolitan area to win the championship were the Seinäjoki Crocodiles in 2001, ending the 21 year Helsinki area supremacy. Since then, however, those teams have only won the championship twice.
Turku Trojans have the questionable record of most Maple Bowl losses. Having qualified for the game ten times, their only win is from their last visit in 2003.
Current powerhouse Porvoo Butchers won their first championship in 2005 and has won every championship since, equaling Roosters record for most consecutive wins.
- 1980 – Poli, Espoo
- 1981 – Majs, Helsinki
- 1982 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1983 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1984 – Helsinki East City Giants
- 1985 – TAFT, Vantaa
- 1986 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1987 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1988 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1989 – Munkka Colts
- 1990 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1991 – Helsinki East City Giants
- 1992 – Helsinki East City Giants
- 1993 – Helsinki East City Giants
- 1994 – Helsinki East City Giants
- 1995 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1996 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1997 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1998 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 1999 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 2000 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 2001 – Seinäjoki CrocodilesSeinäjoki CrocodilesSeinajoki Crocodiles is an American football team from Seinäjoki, Finland. The team plays in the Finnish Maple League and it has also played in the European Football League. The Crocodiles is one of the top teams in Finland and Europe...
- 2002 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 2003 – Turku TrojansTurku TrojansTurku Trojans is one of the oldest American Football teams in Finland, established in 1982. Turku Trojans plays in the Maple League operated by American Football Association in Finland. Finnish champions in 2003. Maple Bowl appearances in 1984, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2004....
- 2004 – Helsinki RoostersHelsinki RoostersHelsinki Roosters is an American Football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.- National Champions :...
- 2005 – Porvoo Butchers
- 2006 – Porvoo Butchers
- 2007 – Porvoo Butchers
- 2008 – Porvoo Butchers
- 2009 – Porvoo Butchers
- 2010 – Porvoo Butchers
- 2011 – Helsinki Wolverines