AFL Quebec

AFL Quebec is a 9-a-side Australian football competition formerly known as the Eastern Canadian Australian Football League or ECAFL. The league has both a men's and women's division and consists of teams from Montréal and its surrounding areas. Players from the current regular season teams are eligible to play representative 18-a-side football for the men's team the Québec Saints or the women's team the Montréal Angels. The Saints and Angels participate in the United States AFL National Championships Tournament, the Saints having previously participated in the AFL Ontario Division 2 competition from 2008 to 2010.

AFL Quebec
SportAustralian Football
Founded2008
No. of teams8
Country Canada
Most recent
champion(s)
Old Montreal Dockers
Official websitehttp://www.aflquebec.ca/

History

Formation Years: 2008-2010

The creation of the Québec Saints in early 2008 and their participation in the Toronto-based 'Rec' Footy league that same year led to a growing interest in Australian Football in Montréal. To capitalise on the popularity, club founder Luke Anderson launched a locally based 9-a-side competition named the Eastern Canadian Australian Football League or ECAFL. The 9-a-side format of the game is played on reduced size fields (usually rugby or soccer fields). Players from the Québec Saints were drafted into two subsidiary teams, the first match of the newly formed league was played on 4 October 2008 between the Montréal Saints and Laval Bombers at Parc Cartier in Laval.

Quebec Saints 2010 Canadian Aussie Rules Premiers
Dani Anderson tackles Margo Legault - Pointe Claire Power and the Laval Bombers face off in the 2010 ECAFL Grand Final

2009 saw the league schedule seven regular season games and one final and launch the introduction of an invitational Pre-Season tournament. The league also introduced women's football for the first time. The newly formed Montréal Angels (a branch of the Québec Saints), played exhibition games against the Toronto Central Blues and Montréal Shamrocks Gaelic Football team. Players from the 9-a-side competition where eligible to play representative football for the Québec Saints who were competing in the Ontario AFL Division 2.

With increasing player numbers, the 2010 season saw the launch of a third Montréal based team, the Pointe Claire Power. The invitational pre-season cup was contested by a record six teams and for the first time included a women's division. The league established a home field at Parc Cluny in Laval. The season was reduced to five rounds to accommodate the Québec Saints Ontario AFL schedule, the representative 18-a-side team's fixture featuring a marked increase in games in Ottawa and Toronto.

Transition Year: 2011

Club and league founder Luke Anderson departed Montréal in late 2010 and the newly formed committee under the leadership of new president Renaud Carbonell made several changes to the league's structure. Major changes included the Québec Saints withdrawing from the Ontario AFL's Division 2 competition and AFL Québec returning to the original two teams with the folding of the 2010 premiers the Pointe Claire Power. While player participation experienced a drop-off in 2011, Montréal still had a significant football presence with a host of players and coaches participating in 'IC11', the International Cup of Australian Football co-hosted by Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

Expansion Era: 2012-17

2012 saw a resurgence of Australian Football under the leadership of new president Neil Koch. The league was rebranded 'AFL Quebec', expanded to four teams - three of which had official backing from AFL teams the Melbourne Demons, Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles - and Montreal would be represented at the U.S. Nationals football tournament for the first time, albeit as a combine team. The growing interest in Aussie Rules would continue for the next few years before the league officially announced the creation of a women's division for 2014 with the creation of the N.D.G. Giants and Plateau Eagles.

In 2015 the women's league expanded to four teams when Ottawa entered the Carleton Warriors and the Rideau Shamrocks into the competition.

AFL Quebec Premiers

YearMen's PremiersMen's Runner-UpWomen's PremiersWomen's Runner-UpPre-Season ChampionsWomen's Tournament Champion
2008Laval BombersMontréal SaintsN/AN/AN/AN/A
2009Laval BombersMontréal SaintsN/AN/AOttawa SwansN/A
2010Pointe Claire PowerLaval BombersN/AN/AOttawa SwansMontréal Angels
2011Laval BombersMontréal SaintsN/AN/AOttawa SwansN/A
2012Laval BombersOld Montréal DockersN/AN/AWest Island EaglesMontréal Angels
2013Laval BombersWest Island EaglesN/AN/AOttawa SwansOttawa Lady Swans
2014West Island WoodersLaval BombersN.D.G. DevilsPlateau EaglesTBDMontréal Angels
2015West Island WoodersMontréal DemonsCarleton WarriorsRideau ShamrocksQuébec SaintsNew York Lady Magpies
2016Montréal DemonsWest Island WoodersCarleton WarriorsN.D.G. GiantsTBDTBD
2017Montréal DemonsWest Island WoodersPlateau EaglesN.D.G. GiantsTBDMontréal Angels
2018Old Montréal DockersMontréal DemonsPlateau EaglesMontréal City BluebellesN/AOntario Demons
2019Montréal DemonsWest Island WoodersN/AN/AN/ANew York Lady Magpies

AFL Quebec Individual Awards

YearLeague MVP (Men)League MVP (Women)Leading Goalkicker (Men)Leading Goalkicker (Women)
2008D.Barker (Bombers)/J.Lavoie (Saints)N/AJeff Lavoie - Saints (5)N/A
2009Cam Stark (Bombers)Aimee Legault (Angels)Cam Stark - Bombers (28)N/A
2010D.Haverhoek (Bombers)/S.Heath (Saints)Aimee Legault (Angels)Cam Beaman - Power (19)N/A
2011Paul Fairbrother (Bombers)N/AChristopher Micheletti - Saints (22)N/A
2012Ronan Shaughnessy (Dockers)N/APaul Fairbrother - Bombers (22)N/A
2013Bogdan Rotaru (Bombers)N/AToby Campaign - Dockers (27)N/A
2014Phil Manassa (Wooders)TBDFabio Petosa - Wooders (36)TBD
2015Daniel Robinson (Wooders)Valérie Moreau (Giants)TBDValérie Moreau - Giants (27)
2016Morgan Whyte (Demons)Belinda Wozniak (Warriors)TBDTBD
2017Phil Manassa (Wooders)Aimee Legault (Eagles)Simon Auger - BombersAimee Legault - Eagles (9)
2018Pat Eefting (Blues)Roxanne Besner (Bluebelles)Pat Eefting - Blues (31)Dale Bradley - Eagles (10)
2019Alex Bresse (Demons)Aimee Legault (Giants)Kyle Graham - Demons (30)Aimee Legault - Giants (20)

Current and Former AFL Quebec Teams

Men's Teams

TeamCityWebsiteActivePremiershipsPre-season Premierships
Laval BombersLaval2008-5
Old Montréal DockersMontréal2012-1
West Island Wooders (formerly Eagles)Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec2012-21
Montréal DemonsMontréal2012-3
Montréal SaintsMontréal2008-2011
Point Claire PowerPointe Claire2009-20101
Montréal City BluesMontréalmontrealfooty.com2018-

Women's Teams

TeamCityWebsiteActivePremiershipsPre-season Premierships
N.D.G. Giants (formerly Devils)Montréalmontrealangels.ca2014-1
Plateau EaglesMontréalmontrealangels.ca2014-1
Montréal City BluebellesMontréalmontrealfooty.com2018-
Carelton WarriorsOttawaottawaswans.com2015-162
Rideau ShamrocksOttawaottawaswans.com2015-16
Ottawa Lady SwansOttawaottawaswans.com2017

References

Anderson, Luke.A. L'Histoire des bleus et blancs: An Aussie Rules Journey Through Canada. Blurb Publishing, 2011.

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