The 2012 DV8s Development League schedule was announced today. There will be 19 regular season fixtures played this year, which is more than for any previous DV8s season. Drogheda Lightning and Trim Bulldogs return for their second year of their development programme. The DV8s programme will kick off on May 6th when both these teams meet in Trim. Five IAFL teams will be fielding 2nd teams – Belfast Trojans, Carrickfergus Knights, Craigavon Cowboys, Dublin Dragons and Tullamore Phoenix.
DV8s is an 8-a-side (as opposed to 11-a-side) version of full kitted American football. It has two important development aims – firstly it allows newly established teams who are in the process of building player/equipment levels to gain valuable on-field experience while they recruit players/staff. A typical DV8s squad is c.16-20 players, as opposed to c.40 in the main IAFL league. New IAFL teams typcially spend 2 years at DV8s level before advancing into the main league. Secondly, it allows some of the larger IAFL squads to field 2nd teams consisting of young inexperienced players who will benefit from game experience against similar opposition. The number of games scheduled per team varies and is taylored to their particular development needs.
2012 DV8s Development League Schedule
[matches league_id=29 season=2012 mode=all template=iafl-weeks]