# British Collegiate American Football League

The British Collegiate American Football League (BCAFL) was an American football league consisting of players from various colleges and universities in the United Kingdom.
In 2007 it was succeeded by the British Universities American Football League.
The league officially began in the 1985–1986 season with 4 teams, with founder members Newcastle Skolars, led by Mike Rea, and Hull University, and celebrated its 20th anniversary with 37 teams competing the 2005–2006 campaign. The final season was contested by 39 teams, with some teams consisting of players from more than one institution.
Throughout its existence, BCAFL was plagued by the fact that some of its teams played at a vastly higher skill level than others. During its final years the British Student American Football Association (BSAFA), who was responsible for the operations of BCAFL, made great strides towards competitive balance; increasing the skill level on the field and expanding the game throughout the UK. However, after extended public disagreements with the policies of the governing body of the British American Football Association (BAFA), the BAFA dissolved the BSAFA with all the teams being forced to transfer to the new British university American Football League (BUAFL).

## Rules

BCAFL largely followed the rules of American college football (though there were restrictions on the number of North American players allowed on the field at any one time). As opposed to the conference and "bowl game" set-up used in American college football BCAFL divided itself into two conferences and used a season-ending playoff system, similar to the NFL (however, below the Bowl Subdivision of Division I, the NCAA uses a season-ending playoff system to crown national champions). At the end of an 8-game regular season, 16 teams would advance to the playoffs (the playoffs expanded from 12 to 16 teams in the 2004–2005 season), with the 4 division champions and 4 "wild card" teams from each conference participating. The playoffs culminated with a championship game, called the "College Bowl" which features the champions of the Northern and Southern Conferences.

## Teams
### Full Member records

Teams are listed within their divisions, with their all-time regular season record listed (records include ONLY official BCAFL regular season games through the 2006–07 season, as recorded in the BCAFL official all-time records).
| Team | Conference | Division | W | L | T | Winning Pct. | Division Champ. | Conference Champ. | BCAFL Champ. |
| Caledonian Roughriders | Northern | Scottish | 10 | 21 | 1 | .328 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Edinburgh Timberwolves | Northern | Scottish | 10 | 14 | 0 | .417 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Glasgow Tigers | Northern | Scottish | 92 | 55 | 13 | .616 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| Paisley Pyros | Northern | Scottish | 20 | 60 | 6 | .267 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stirling Clansmen | Northern | Scottish | 67 | 70 | 15 | .484 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Leeds Celtics | Northern | Eastern | 97 | 26 | 10 | .767 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Newcastle Raiders | Northern | Eastern | 65 | 80 | 8 | .451 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sunderland Kings | Northern | Eastern | 19 | 72 | 5 | .224 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UT Cougars | Northern | Eastern | 74 | 76 | 13 | .494 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| UCH Sharks | Northern | Western | 78 | 72 | 13 | .518 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Lancaster Bombers | Northern | Western | 62 | 59 | 7 | .512 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Lincoln Colonials | Northern | Western | 0 | 7 | 1 | .063 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sheffield Sabres | Northern | Western | 46 | 62 | 10 | .432 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sheffield Hallam Warriors | Northern | Western | 13 | 16 | 3 | .453 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Derby Braves | Northern | Central | 31 | 52 | 3 | .378 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UEA Pirates | Northern | Central | 77 | 75 | 5 | .506 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Leicester Longhorns | Northern | Central | 67 | 87 | 9 | .439 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Loughborough Aces | Northern | Central | 121 | 27 | 2 | .813 | 12 | 6 | 3 |
| Nottingham Outlaws | Northern | Central | 44 | 43 | 1 | .506 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tarannau Aberystwyth | Southern | Central | 52 | 64 | 4 | .450 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Birmingham Lions | Southern | Central | 93 | 41 | 10 | .681 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| Oxford Cavaliers | Southern | Central | 65 | 58 | 5 | .527 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Staffordshire Stallions | Southern | Central | 63 | 47 | 10 | .567 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Warwick Wolves | Southern | Central | 52 | 81 | 9 | .398 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ARU Phantoms | Southern | Eastern | 2 | 30 | 0 | .063 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Essex Blades | Southern | Eastern | 19 | 25 | 3 | .436 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Greenwich Mariners | Southern | Eastern | 13 | 10 | 0 | .565 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hertfordshire Hurricanes | Southern | Eastern | 72 | 26 | 6 | .721 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Kent Falcons | Southern | Eastern | 29 | 60 | 0 | .326 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Royal Holloway Vikings | Southern | Eastern | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bath Killer Bees | Southern | Western | 61 | 48 | 11 | .554 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Bristol Bullets | Southern | Western | 46 | 61 | 13 | .438 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Cardiff Cobras | Southern | Western | 103 | 41 | 14 | .696 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| Plymouth Blitz | Southern | Western | 14 | 32 | 2 | .313 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brighton Tsunami | Southern | Southern | 14 | 16 | 2 | .469 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portsmouth Destroyers | Southern | Southern | 1 | 6 | 1 | .188 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reading Knights | Southern | Southern | 27 | 121 | 8 | .199 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Southampton Stags | Southern | Southern | 89 | 44 | 11 | .656 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Surrey Stingers | Southern | Southern | 50 | 49 | 5 | .505 | 2 | 0 | 0 |

### Associate members

* Bristol Barracuda 2007/8
* Durham Saints 2007/8

### Defunct Teams

* Aberdeen Steamroller (0–8–0, .000)
* Aston Rhinos (10–43–3, .205)
* Cambridge Pythons (38–16–2, .696)
* Dundee Bluedevils (1–7–0, .125)
* Manchester MPs (3–12–2, .235)
* Strathclyde Hawks (64–41–15, .596)

## BCAFL/College Bowl History

* 1986 – Hull Sharks (5–0)
* 1987 – College Bowl I: Hull Sharks def. Newcastle Scholars 23–6
* 1988 – CB II: Cardiff Cobras tie Hull Sharks 0–0 (declared Co-Champions)
* 1989 – CB III: Hull Sharks def. Cardiff Cobras 7–6
* 1990 – CB IV: Teesside Demons def. Birmingham Lions 21–20
* 1991 – CB V: Teesside Demons def. UEA Pirates 19–0
* 1992 – CB VI: Southampton Stags def. Glasgow Tigers 53–0
* 1993 – CB VII: Southampton Stags def. Leeds Celtics 19–0
* 1994 – CB VIII: Glasgow Tigers def. Leicester Lemmings 26–0
* 1995 – CB IX: Loughborough Aces def. Cambridge Pythons 23–20
* 1996 – CB X: Leeds Celtics def. Cardiff Cobras 14–8
* 1997 – CB XI: Loughborough Aces def. Tarannau Aberystwyth 28–19
* 1998 – CB XII: Hertfordshire Hurricanes def. Leeds Celtics 16–7
* 1999 – CB XIII: Hertfordshire Hurricanes def. Loughborough Aces 7–3
* 2000 – CB XIV: Hertfordshire Hurricanes def. Leicester Lemmings 20–6
* 2001 – CB XV: Oxford Cavaliers def. Loughborough Aces 26–23
* 2002 – CB XVI: Loughborough Aces def. Oxford Cavaliers 39–23
* 2003 – CB XVII: Stirling Clansmen def. Hertfordshire Hurricanes 22–17
* 2004 – CB XVIII: Hertfordshire Hurricanes def. Staffordshire Stallions 27–6
* 2005 – CB XIX: Birmingham Lions def. Glasgow Tigers 34–7
* 2006 – CB XX: Southampton Stags def. UT Cougars 79–8
* 2007 – CB XXI: Bristol Bullets def. Loughborough Aces 31–14

## 2006–07 season
### Regular season

NC-Scottish :
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| y-Glasgow Tigers | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | 174 | 122 |
| Caledonian Roughriders | 4 | 3 | 1 | .563 | 67 | 88 |
| Edinburgh Timberwolves | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 99 | 64 |
| Stirling Clansmen | 1 | 5 | 2 | .250 | 1 | 73 |
| Paisley Pyros | 0 | 7 | 1 | .063 | 26 | 173 |
| NC-Eastern |||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| y-UT Cougars | 6 | 1 | 1 | .813 | 277 | 91 |
| x-Newcastle Raiders | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 189 | 119 |
| x-Leeds Celtics | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 299 | 96 |
| Sunderland Kings | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 53 | 179 |
| NC-Western |||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| y-Sheffield Sabres | 6 | 1 | 1 | .813 | 137 | 18 |
| x-Sheffield Hallam Warriors | 4 | 2 | 2 | .625 | 75 | 43 |
| x-Lancaster Bombers | 4 | 3 | 1 | .563 | 84 | 135 |
| UCH Sharks | 1 | 5 | 2 | .250 | 36 | 127 |
| Lincoln Colonials | 0 | 7 | 1 | .063 | 6 | 172 |
| NC-Central |||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| y-Loughborough Aces | 7 | 0 | 1 | .938 | 155 | 92 |
| Derby Braves | 3 | 3 | 2 | .500 | 74 | 113 |
| UEA Pirates | 2 | 5 | 1 | .313 | 82 | 99 |
| Nottingham Outlaws | 1 | 6 | 1 | .188 | 87 | 161 |
| Leicester Longhorns | 1 | 6 | 1 | .188 | 35 | 157 |
SC-Central :
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| y-Birmingham Lions | 5 | 2 | 1 | .688 | 124 | 103 |
| Staffordshire Stallions | 4 | 3 | 1 | .563 | 99 | 89 |
| Tarannau Aberystwyth | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 112 | 102 |
| Warwick Wolves | 3 | 4 | 1 | .438 | 126 | 75 |
| Oxford Cavaliers | 3 | 4 | 1 | .438 | 52 | 121 |
| SC-Eastern |||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| y-Essex Blades | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 245 | 33 |
| x-Hertfordshire Hurricanes | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | 275 | 90 |
| Greenwich Mariners | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 166 | 130 |
| Kent Falcons | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 106 | 134 |
| Royal Holloway Vikings | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 105 | 272 |
| ARU Phantoms | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 | 62 | 257 |
| SC-Western |||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| y-Bath Killer Bees | 5 | 1 | 2 | .750 | 155 | 90 |
| x-Cardiff Cobras | 5 | 2 | 1 | .688 | 113 | 80 |
| x-Bristol Bullets | 4 | 2 | 2 | .625 | 192 | 89 |
| Plymouth Blitz | 2 | 4 | 2 | .375 | 48 | 128 |
| SC-Southern |||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| y-Southampton Stags | 7 | 0 | 1 | .938 | 279 | 46 |
| x-Brighton Tsunami | 4 | 3 | 1 | .563 | 126 | 95 |
| Surrey Stingers | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 105 | 174 |
| Reading Knights | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 82 | 120 |
| Portsmouth Destroyers | 1 | 6 | 1 | .188 | 34 | 214 |
* y – Clinched Division Title
* x – Clinched Playoff Berth

### Playoffs

| Wild Card Round | Wild Card Round | Wild Card Round | | | Divisional Round | Divisional Round | Divisional Round | Conference Championships | Conference Championships | Conference Championships | | College Bowl XXI | College Bowl XXI | College Bowl XXI |
| 1 | Loughborough Aces | 45 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Lancaster Bombers | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Lancaster Bombers | 0 | | | 1 | Loughborough Aces | 16 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 6 | Leeds Celtics | 0 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Sheffield Sabres | 0 | | | 6 | Leeds Celtics | 0 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Leeds Celtics | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Leeds Celtics | 13 | | | | | | 1 | Loughborough Aces | 23 | | | | |
| Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | 1 | Loughborough Aces | 23 | | | | |
| Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | Northern Conference | 2 | UT Cougars | 18 | | | | |
| 2 | UT Cougars | 26 | | | | | | | | | 2 | UT Cougars | 18 | | | | |
| 7 | Sheffield Hallam Warriors | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Sheffield Hallam Warriors | 12 | | | 2 | UT Cougars | 26 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 5 | Newcastle Raiders | 20 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Glasgow Tigers | 12 | | | 5 | Newcastle Raiders | 20 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Newcastle Raiders | 28 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Newcastle Raiders | 28 | | | | | | | | | | N1 | Loughborough Aces | 14 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | S6 | Bristol Bullets | 31 |
| 1 | Essex Blades | 21 | | | | | | | | | | | | | S6 | Bristol Bullets | 31 |
| 8 | Brighton Tsunami | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Brighton Tsunami | 6 | | | 1 | Essex Blades | 6 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 6 | Bristol Bullets | 43 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Bath Killer Bees | 10 | | | 6 | Bristol Bullets | 43 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Bristol Bullets | 30 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Bristol Bullets | 30 | | | | | | 6 | Bristol Bullets | 21 | | | | |
| Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | 6 | Bristol Bullets | 21 | | | | |
| Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | Southern Conference | 4 | Birmingham Lions | 14 | | | | |
| 2 | Southampton Stags | 25 | | | | | | | | | 4 | Birmingham Lions | 14 | | | | |
| 7 | Hertfordshire Hurricanes | 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Hertfordshire Hurricanes | 22 | | | 2 | Southampton Stags | 6 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Birmingham Lions | 13 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Birmingham Lions | 20 | | | 4 | Birmingham Lions | 13 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Cardiff Cobras | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## All-star game

Each season BCAFL held an All-Star game between the Northern Conference Cougars and the Southern Conference Wildcats. Trials for these All-Star teams are open to all players in the league. Along with the accolades of competing for their conference, All-Star players are also eligible to try out for the Great Britain Bulldogs, a national college team that competes with North American and other European American football national teams.