Czech League of American Football
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2023) |
 Snapbacks liga | |
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Czech American Football Association (ČAAF) |
| First season | 1994 |
| CEO | Lukas Baros |
| No. of teams | 26 (6 in Division 1, 5 in Division 2, 8 in Division 3, and 7 in Division 4) |
| Country |  Czech Republic |
| Most recent champion(s) | Nitra Knights |
| Most titles | Prague Black Panthers (18 titles) |
| Official website | CAAF Online |
The Czech League of American Football (ČLAF) (Czech: Česká Liga Amerického Fotbalu), known as the Snapbacks liga for sponsorship reasons,[1] is a national American football competition in the Czech Republic. First held in 1994, it is organised by the Czech American Football Association (ČAAF).
Seasonal structure
[edit]
Divisions
[edit]Next to the "Paddock League" which is the first Division in Czech American Football there is in 2019; 5 more Divisions in Men's and 1 Division in Ladies' Football. The Trnava Bulldogs (from Trnava in Slovakia) are the only non-Czech participant in 2019.
| League | year | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Paddock League[2] | 2019 | Příbram Bobcats, Prague Lions, Trnava Bulldogs (SK), Ostrava Steelers, Pardubice Stallions, Ústí nad Labem Blades |
| Division 2 | 2019 | Prague Hippos, Pilsen Patriots, Brno Sígrs, Přerov Mammoths , Brno Alligators, Příbram Bobcats, |
| Division 3 – North | 2019 | Hradec Králové Dragons, Prague Mustangs, Liberec Titans, Trutnov Rangers |
| Division 3 – South | 2019 | Přerov Mammoths, Vysočina Gladiators, Budweis Hellboys, East Bohemia Bucks |
| Division 4 – West | 2019 | Prague Black Panthers 2, Teplice Nordians, Tabor Foxes |
| Division 4 – East | 2019 | Brno Sígrs 2, Šumperk Dietos, Třinec Sharks, Zlín Golems |
| Women's | 2017 | Brno Amazons, Prague Black Cats, Prague Harpies |
Format
[edit]Regular season
[edit]Divisions 1 and 2 uses a round-robin tournament system. Similar to Divisions 1 and 2, Division 3 also uses a same round-robin tournament system.
Playoffs
[edit]A semifinal bracket as follows 1. vs 4. and 2. vs 3., deciding the semifinals winners advanced into the finals. Whoever wins the semifinals, the team must advanced into the championship game, the Czech Bowl. Divisions 2 and 3 also has the final game, the Silver Bowl and the Bronze Bowl respectively, while Division 4 has the same championship game, the Iron Bowl, as the ČAAF does that.
Other information
[edit]In ČLAF A, a team must have 12 minutes, 10 minutes in ČLAF B and 4x8 minutes in ČLAF C. All games use the International Federation of American Football[3] rule book.
ČLAF winners
[edit]Czech Bowl winners
[edit]The Czech Bowl is the national American football game of the Czech Republic, where it had been held since 1995 after the Prague Panthers won the regular season championship when it swept the said season in 1994, the year the Czech Bowl was not held.
Czech Bowl statistics
[edit]| Rank | Team | Titles | Participations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Black Panthers | 18 | 1994–1996, 1999–2003, 2007–2010, 2013–2018 | 23 | 1995–2005, 2007–2018 |
| 2 | Prague Lions | 6 | 1998, 2004–2006, 2019, 2022 | 15 | 1995, 1998–2000, 2003–2009, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 |
| 3 | Prague Black Hawks | 2 | 2011, 2012 | 3 | 2010–2012 |
| 4 | Vysočina Gladiators | 2 | 2021, 2023 | 3 | 2021–2023 |
| 5 | Ostrava Steelers | 1 | 1997 | 5 | 1996, 1997, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 |
| 6 | Nitra Knights | 1 | 2024 | 1 | 2024 |
| 7 | Příbram Bobcats | 0 | – | 2 | 2014, 2015 |
| 7 | Brno Aligators | 0 | – | 2 | 2001, 2002 |
| 9 | Bratislava Monarchs | 0 | – | 1 | 2006 |
| 9 | Znojmo Knights | 0 | – | 1 | 2024 |
Silver Bowl titleholders
[edit]| Team | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 3x | Pardubice Stallions | 2010–2011, 2015 |
| 3x | Brno Alligators | 2006-2007, 2017 |
| 1x | Ústí nad Labem Blades | 2018 |
| 1x | Budweis Hellboys | 2012 |
| 1x | Brno Sígrs | 2016 |
Bronze Bowl titleholders
[edit]| Team | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 3x | Bílovice Sígrs | 2012, 2014-2015 |
| 1x | Brno Alligators | 2016 |
| 1x | Přerov Mammoths | 2017 |
Iron Bowl titleholders
[edit]| Team | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1x | Znojmo Knights | 2015 |
| 1x | Vysočina Gladiators | 2016 |
Rose Bowl titleholders (female)
[edit]| Team | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1x | Prague Black Cats | 2015 |
| 1x | Brno Amazons | 2016 |
References
[edit]- ^ Kroulík, Radim (29 March 2022). "Snapbacks liga! Nejvyšší liga soutěže mužů mění název". ČAAF (in Czech). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "League Split 2017". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "You make the call: Czech Bowl XXIII ends on controversial interception". 24 July 2016.
- ^ ČT sport (20 July 2015). "Black Panthers obhájili titul, Příbram přehráli hladce 52:13". Czech Television (in Czech). Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^ ČT sport (23 July 2016). "Czech Bowl znovu ovládli Black Panthers. Závěr ale poznamenal kontroverzní moment". Czech Television (in Czech). Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^ Velinger, Jan (25 July 2017). "Prague Black Panthers crush Ostrava Steelers in Czech Bowl". Radio Prague. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^ Hekele, David (14 July 2018). "Steelers doma bojovali, Czech Bowl ale v Ostravě obhájili pražští Black Panthers". Deník (in Czech). Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^ Grossmann, Pavel (21 July 2019). "Tým Steelers končil sezonu v slzách, bitvu o titul prohrál potřetí v řadě". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). Retrieved 21 May 2023.