It’s 9am on Saturday 10th November 2012. IAFL personnel have already arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry, Dublin. Ahead of them is a long day in which they will review the applications of seven new teams seeking to play competitive football in 2013. They will also briefly meet with two teams who have just completed their DV8s programme and a further two teams on specific topics. The IAFL team divides into two groups for the day. One group will review the teams’ administration, the other group will review the teams’ coaching and playing squads. Throughout the day, the various teams arrive and shuttle between the two rooms.

 In 2013, the IAFL received more applications than at any time in its history. Teams from Dublin City University, Galway, Mullingar, North Kildare, South Kildare, Ulster-Coleraine and Waterford are among the applicants.

 Each of these teams had already submitted a detailed application/audit form with items such as their home game facilities, equipment, budget, coaches qualifications, list of players, club structure etc. In the days leading up to the meeting, there have been many discussions between the IAFL Board members on the submitted information. Statistics have been produced to show where each applicant stands in comparison with a ‘typical IAFL team’.

 According to IAFL Development Officer Russell Kerley the new applicants are of a higher standard than, say, 3-4 years ago. “Teams are better organised and prepare better…they are more knowledgeable about what they need to play football in the IAFL…. the audit process has helped a lot”. In response to this, the IAFL has moved to change the format of the league. “Todays new applicants have more of the characteristics of an 11-a-side team than an 8-a-side team… they now are presenting themselves with squads in the 20-30 player range as opposed to the 12-15 player range”. So from 2013 onwards, new teams will go straight into a second tier of 11-a-side football called IAFL-1. The main IAFL league has now been branded the Shamrock Bowl Conference (SBC) and will feature the 10 best teams on the island – top division team squads now average excess of 40 registered players. The reduced number format – DV8s – is now being retooled into an under 19s league to commence next autumn.

 The IAFL had anticipated admitting 3 new teams in 2013 to bring the total number of team playing competitive football up to 16 – by far the most ever to play in Ireland. However, consideration is being given to expanding even further within the near future. Most of the 2013 applicants will probably make it onto the field by 2014 at the very latest. It is realistically possible that within 2-3 years, there will be in excess of 20 teams playing competitive full kitted American football in Ireland.

 Rapid expansion is not without its challenges. Unlike many sports in Ireland, there appears to be an almost unlimited supply of young athletes wishing to take up the sport. Membership of the Irish American Football Association has increased 8 fold over the past decade and now stands at in excess of 2,100 regular participants. The availability of experienced coaches, administrators and officials is the big limiting factor in the expansion of the sport. The IAFA has recently put some senior coaches through Coaching Ireland’s Tutor training course which should help get more coaches certified. The availability of trained officials has become a big issue within the sport due to the limitations it puts on the number of fixtures that can be played on any weekend. Teams have already started to respond to this by providing their own volunteers to train as officials.

 The competitiveness of the IAFL is increasing in tandem with increased team numbers. The mid ranking teams in particular have become more competitive over the past couple of years. The restriction of the top division to 10 teams in 2013 should make it even more competitive as will automatic promotion/relegation.

 It’s long after 6pm when the IAFL packs up and leaves for the day. Even though there is still some work to be done before the final 2013 line-up is known, there are already more teams enquiring about joining for the 2014 season.