Bowl Games: DAFF (Danish American Football Federation) arrange five Bowl games each season: Challenge Bowl (Youth under 16), Development Bowl (Youth under 19), Elming bowl (nine-man League), Dannebro Bowl (flag football) and Mermaid Bowl.
Season: Mid April - Mid October
Import rules:
Import definition: Players without a European passport go under the definition "Foreign players". European citizens can get a player license just like the Danish citizens. Players outside Europe need to have Biometric. It can be made in US or on arrival (3 weeks processing time)
Imports are only allowed to play and practice in Denmark when they have a work permit.
Foreign players are allowed to play in all the Danish leagues.
Danish teams are allowed to have as many foreign players as they want but they are only allowed to have two foreign players on the field at the same time.
Number of teams: 40 (North : pool A : 5 teams + pool B : 5 teams + pool C : 5 teams + pool D : 5 teams | South : pool A : 5 teams + pool B : 5 teams + pool C : 5 teams + pool D : 5 teams)
Minimum age to play in this division: 19 (European) or 18 (Non-European)
Championship name: German Bowl
2009 Winner: Berlin Adler
2010 Winner: Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
GFL 2
Level: 2nd
Divisions: 2
Gruppe Sud (Southern Germany)
Gruppe Nord (Northern Germany)
Number of teams: 16 (8 in each division)
Minimum age to play in this division: 17
Championship name: none. The winner of each division plays a 2 game series -vs- the worst team from the corresponding 1st League Division. If they win the series (once at home, once away) then that team moves up into the GFL and the other team drops into the GFL 2.
Regionalliga (Regional Leagues)
Level: 3rd
Divisions: 3. Each region of Germany has these three divisions, meaning that there are several of them with no less than 7 teams each.
Gruppe Sud
Gruppe Mitte
Gruppe Nord
Number of teams: varies
Minimum age to play in this division: 17
Championship name: none. Playoff system in place to determine which teams get the opportunity to move up into the GFL 2. The best get the chance to move up, the worst move down.
Oberliga (Regional Leagues, smaller regions than Regionalliga)
Level: 4th
Number of teams: varies
Minimum age to play in this division: 17
Championship name: none. Playoff system in place to determine which teams get the opportunity to move up. The best get the chance to move up, the worst move down.
Verbandsliga (Regional Leagues, smaller regions than Oberliga)
Level: 5th
Number of teams: varies
Minimum age to play in this division: 17
Championship name: none. Playoff system in place to determine which teams get the opportunity to move up. The best get the chance to move up, the worst move down.
Landesliga (league for newly built teams)
Level: 6th
Number of teams: varies
Minimum age to play in this division: 17
Championship name: none. Playoff system in place to determine which teams get the opportunity to move up. The best get the chance to move up, the worst move down.
Season start date: March
Import rules:
Import definition: Non European players
Number of imports allowed per team (roster): 8
Number of imports allowed per game (game roster): 6
Number of imports allowed per game (on the field at the same time): 2
Both the GFL & GFL 2 follow the import rules mentioned above. The lower tier leagues have stricter import limits. As a rule of thumb, GFL & GFL2 teams import paid players, very few teams below the GFL2 pay any imports. There are exceptions, but these are generally only well funded teams that are looking to climb the league structure quickly.
HFL: Max 10 import players on roster - 4 non-european and 6 european. Europeans are allowed to play in every snap. For non-europeans maximum 2 can be on the field at the same time.
Div1: Max 5 import players on roster - 2 non-european and 3 european. Europeans are allowed to play in every snap. Only 1 non-european is allowed to be on the field.
Season start date: Late february/beginning of march
Import rules:
Imports are only allowed in the IFL.
Import definition: non-Italian players.
Italian players are treated as 'import' if they have played in any American, Mexican, Canadian Japanese High School, College or any Pro and semipro League or in any of the Leagues Members of IFAF.
Number of imports allowed per team: 2
Number of imports allowed per game (on the field at the same time): 2
Import definition: North-American players (USA, CAN, MEX) who didn't live already in the Netherlands and weere contracted by a Dutch team to play football.
Number of imports allowed per team: unlimited
Number of imports allowed per game: 4 (only 3 on the field at any given time)
Import definition: Paid players. Imports are defined by whether they're paid or not. The import players in the Elite Series can be of whichever nationality, while the import players in the 1st division can not be from outside the European Economical Area [because they won't get a work permit as athletes at a lower level than the top level - which is the Elite Series. A work permit is required for all non-Europeans, which is defined as countries outside the EEA.
Number of imports allowed per team: 2 in the Elite Series, 2 in the 1st division, none in the 2nd division
Number of imports allowed per game (on the field at any given time): 2 in 1st division, unlimited in the 2nd division
Dual passport (Import/European passport) players are not considered imports so there is no limit or restriction
Season start date: Regular season is from April to June. Playoff games and the final are in July.
Import rules:
Import definition: any player who started his career in another country other than the Republic of Poland.
Number of imports: 3 Eastern European players (Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine or Estonia), 2 import players (USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil or Japan) and 1 European player (any European citizen other than Polish national). A total of 6 per team. Limits for imports players are set in the rules of each game.
Second division
Level: 2nd
League: Polish Futbol League (PFL 2)
Number of teams: 6
Minimum age to play in this division: 18
Season start date: Regular season is from April to June. Playoff games and the final are in July.
Import rules:
Import definition: any player who started his career in another country other than the Republic of Poland.
Number of imports: 3 Eastern European players (Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine or Estonia) and 1 European player (any European citizen other than Polish national). A total of 4 per team. Limits for imports players are set in the rules of each game.
Third division
Level: 3rd
League: Polish Futbol League (PFL 9)
Number of teams: 18 divided in 4 groups
Minimum age to play in this division: 18
Season start date: Regular season is from August to October. Playoff games and the final are in November.
Import rules:
Import definition: any player who started his career in another country other than the Republic of Poland.
Number of imports: 3 Eastern European players (Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine or Estonia) and 1 European player (any European citizen other than Polish national). A total of 4 per team. Limits for imports players are set in the rules of each game.
Juniors division
League: Polish Futbol League (PFL J)
Number of teams: 8 divided in 2 groups
Maximum age to play in this division: 19
Season start date: Regular season is from September to October. Playoff games and the final are in November.
Import definition: players from Canada, USA or Mexico. Dual passport players are treated as 'import' if they have played in any American, Mexican, Canadian Japanese High School/College.
Number of imports allowed per team: 2
Number of imports allowed per game (on the field at any given time): 2
Number of European passport/other allowed per team: players are not 2
No restrictions for any players in the team or game, but during one down, there should be no more than 4 non-Slovakian players (max. 2 from USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan) for SFL and 2 non-Slovakian players (max. 1 from USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan) for SFL 7