Let The Games Begin

Did you hear that there is a pretty good football tournament going on right now? The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) is holding its Senior World Championships (20 and older) in Austria July 8-16. Three cities are hosting the games, Innsbruck, Graz, and Vienna. I had not even heard of this organization until a year ago and am surprised at how little publicity this organization and its events receive. For a nation that loves our football, this gets overlooked completely. I see nothing on ESPN, other networks, magazines, or newspapers.

There are levels of competitions, Senior and Junior (19 and under), flag football , and women’s flag football. It’s all actually pretty cool and you can check it out on their website at www.ifaf.org. There are more countries from around the world than you might think playing American Football (is there any other kind?) and at the international level the United States is a relative newcomer. That’s hard to imagine, since it’s our game.

Japan became the first ever World Champions of American Football in a 6-0 overtime victory over Mexico in Palermo, Italy in 1999. Four years later in Frankfurt, Germany, Japan again defeated Mexico, 34-14. Japan hosted the 2007 Senior World Championship as the United States entered for the first time and outlasted Japan 23-20 in double overtime to return home triumphant from Tokyo.
As you can see, Japan and Mexico are extremely competitive. Here is the schedule.

2011 IFAF Senior World Championship Schedule

Date Game Time Venue
Fri July 8 USA vs. Australia 61-0 Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Fri July 8 Germany vs. Mexico 15-22 Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Sat July 9 Austria vs. Japan 3pm UPC Arena, Graz
Sat July 9 France vs. Canada 7pm UPC Arena, Graz
Sun July 10 Mexico vs. Australia 3pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Sun July 10 Germany vs. USA 7pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Mon July 11 Japan vs. France 3pm UPC Arena, Graz
Mon July 11 Canada vs. Austria 7pm UPC Arena, Graz
Tue July 12 Australia vs. Germany 3pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Tue July 12 USA vs. Mexico 7pm Tivoli Stadium, Innsbruck
Wed July 13 Canada vs. Japan 3pm UPC Arena, Graz
Wed July 13 Austria vs. France 7pm UPC Arena, Graz
Fri July 15 Seventh Place Game 3pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Fri July 15 Bronze Medal Game 7pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Sat July 16 Fifth Place Game 3pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Sat July 16 Gold Medal Game 7pm Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna


Defending world champion the United States kicked off the fourth IFAF Senior World Championship with a convincing 61-point shutout of Australia at the Tivoli Stadium in Innsbruck on Thursday. Mexico joined the U.S. atop Group A with a 22-15 win over Germany. The teams are in two pools and medal games will be played next week. The two group winners will meet in the Gold Medal Game in Vienna on Saturday, July 16 at 7pm. The two group runners up will meet for the Bronze Medal at 7pm on Friday, July 15. Third place finishers (3pm on July 16) and fourth place finishers (3pm on July 15) will also progress to placement games in Vienna.

The majority of games will be aired on ORF television in Austria and across the European continent by Eurosport 2 and some games will be available via a webcast on www.IFAF.org. For football fans unable to access either the TV coverage or webcast due to international broadcasting restrictions, a daily highlight show focusing on each day's games will be available, along with previews and features at the IFAF YouTube site www.YouTube.com/IFAFinsider. Live scoring updates and details of key plays from all games will keep fans informed through www.Facebook.com/IFAF.org and Twitter @IFAFinsider.

I’m going to follow the games as close as I’m able to and try to have a little fun with this. Football is just around the corner and this is a great warm up. Have fun and continue to visit www.chiefpigskin.com for more football resources.