The New England Football League (NEFL) is a semi-professional American football league based in Salisbury, Massachusetts, and owned by Thomas Torrisi.[1] It is the second largest semi-professional league in New England, and formerly of the biggest leagues in the United States.[2][3] The NEFL was founded in 1994 and was also known as the Greater Lawrence Men's Football League.[4] In 2024, the league shifted to one conference, comprising seven teams. The 2023 season involved nine teams, down from a recent high of 32, with about 2,000 players.
| Formerly | Greater Lawrence Men's Football League |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Tom Torrisi |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | Salisbury, Massachusetts |
| Most recent champion(s) | AA: Glens Falls Greenjackets A: Rhode Island Riptide (2nd NEFL Title) |
| Official website | nefl.us |
From 2021-2023, the NEFL has had single-A, and AA Conferences, and from 2013-2019 with a AAA Conference, with annual promotion and relegation among Conferences based on game results, so that the best teams work their way toward the AA level. 2024 is the first season since 1999 that the NEFL has played with one conference.
The league provides competitive football for adult players. It is a "working man's league", as most players have regular jobs during the week.[5][6] Teams practice on weeknights and play virtually all games on weekends.[2] Players are not paid for their participation, but they often pay up to $200 to be on the team's roster.[2][6] The league runs from July through September, followed by single-elimination championship tournaments within each Conference. Each team can dress up to 55 players.[7]
The league is unrelated to the original NEFL, which operated from 1964 to 1969.[8]
The 2023 NEFL season finished with two league champions in AA and A; the Rhode Island Riptide won the Maritime (A) Conference by defeating the New England Bombers 28-21, their second NEFL Championship (2011). The Glens Falls Greenjackets won the North Atlantic Conference (AA), their first in program history in the NEFL, by beating the Middleboro Cobras 12-6 in overtime. It was the first season playing in the NEFL for the Greenjackets
League history
editThe New England Football League was founded in 1994 by League President and Director of Marketing, Tom Torrisi, Chairman Matt Brien, Commissioner Bob Oreal, Vice-President and Treasurer John Motta and Secretary Christine Torrisi.[2] It started its 1994 season with four teams. By 1997, the number of teams tripled to twelve; in 2002, the league had at least one team in each New England state, and started its three-conference alignment with three different skill levels, one for each conference. The 2006 was the first season with at least 30 teams, making the NEFL one of the largest semi-pro football leagues in the country.
Game rules
editThe NEFL describes its rule set as "modified NCAA rules". Most rules are adopted from the NCAA rulebook, but there are also a few NFL rules and NEFL-specific rules. Games use a free-running clock until five minutes left in either half or overtime, at which time the clock stops according to NFL rules. Game time is usually kept by an official on the field, but for some games is kept on the scoreboard by a paid, uniformed official operating it.
Current teams
editAA (2024)
edit| Team | Stadium | City/Area |
|---|---|---|
| Glens Falls Greenjackets | East Field | Glens Falls, New York |
| Middleboro Cobras | Battis Field | Middleborough, Massachusetts |
| New England Bombers | Alumni Stadium at Braintree High School | Braintree, Massachusetts |
| Rhode Island Riptide | Stebbins Field at Cranston Stadium | Cranston, Rhode Island |
| Southern Vermont Storm | Storm Stadium | Bennington, Vermont |
| Worcester Wildcats | Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Vermont Ravens | South Burlington High School | South Burlington, Vermont |
2023 Teams
editNorth Atlantic Conference (AA) (2023)
edit| Team | Stadium | City/Area |
|---|---|---|
| Glens Falls Greenjackets | East Field | Glens Falls, New York |
| Mass Warriors | Wayland High School | Wayland, Massachusetts |
| Middleboro Cobras | Battis Field | Middleborough, Massachusetts |
| Western Mass Blitzin Bears | Roberts Sports Complex | Holyoke, Massachusetts |
| Worcester Wildcats | Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium | Worcester, Massachusetts |
Maritime Conference (A) (2023)
edit| Team | Stadium | City/Area |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Reapers | Crosby High School Field | Waterbury, Connecticut |
| New England Bombers | Alumni Stadium at Braintree High School | Braintree, Massachusetts |
| Rhode Island Riptide | Stebbins Field at Cranston Stadium | Cranston, Rhode Island |
| Vermont Ravens | South Burlington High School | South Burlington, Vermont |
League champions
edit| Year | Team | A | AA | AAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Lawrence Lightning | |||
| 1995 | North Shore Rage | |||
| 1996 | Massachusetts Havoc | |||
| 1997 | Massachusetts Havoc | |||
| 1998 | Lowell Nor'easter | |||
| 1999 | Lowell Nor'easter | |||
| 2000 | Seacoast Hawks | Lowell Nor'easter | ||
| 2001 | Southern Maine Raging Bulls | Boston Bandits | ||
| 2002 | Connecticut Thunder | Vermont Ice Storm | Lowell Nor'easter | |
| 2003 | Seacoast Hawks | New England Stars | Boston Bandits | |
| 2004 | Hampton Hurricanes | Connecticut Thunder | Lowell Nor'easter | |
| 2005 | Rhode Island Raptors | Seacoast Hawks | Boston Bandits | |
| 2006 | Notre Dame Cobras | North Attleboro Renegades | Boston Bandits | |
| 2007 | Leominster Razorbacks | Whaling City Clippers[9] | Middleboro Cobras | |
| 2008 | Tri City Charge | Whaling City Clippers | Middleboro Cobras | |
| 2009 | Connecticut Spartans | New Hampshire Wolfpack | Tri City Charge | Lowell Nor'easter |
| 2010 | Seacoast Hawks | Connecticut Panthers | Western Mass Warriors | Lowell Nor'easter |
| 2011 | Rhode Island Riptide | New Hampshire Wolfpack | Connecticut Bearcats | |
| 2012 | Connecticut Bearcats | Cape Cod Seadogs | South Shore Outlaws[10] | Western Mass Warriors |
| 2013 | Central Mass Sabercats | Pioneer Valley Knights | Connecticut Panthers | |
| 2014 | Brass City Brawlers | Rhode Island Wardogs | Connecticut Panthers | |
| 2015 | Port City Vipers | Somerville Rampage | Boston Bandits | |
| 2016 | Mass State Wolverines | South Coast Outlaws | Western Connecticut Militia | |
| 2017 | Southern Vermont Storm | Mass State Wolverines | Connecticut Panthers | |
| 2018 | Seacoast Warhawks | Worcester Wildcats | Boston Bandits | |
| 2019 | Connecticut Brawlers | Worcester Wildcats | Marlboro Shamrocks | |
| 2020 | Green Valley Blackhawks | Boston Bandits | ||
| 2021 | Hartford Colts | Western Mass Blitzin Bears | ||
| 2022 | Mass Warriors | Western Mass Blitzin Bears | ||
| 2023 | Rhode Island Riptide | Glens Falls Greenjackets |
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ "North Shore Generals Football - League Information". north-shore-generals.com.
- ^ a b c d "Love of the game drives semipro football players - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. 2015-07-26. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
- ^ "East Coast Football League (ECFL) Joins American Football Association for 2022 and Becomes Largest AFA Member League In United States". PRWeb. American Football Association. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ a b "New England Football League - Champions". www.semiprofootball.org. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- ^ Gasper, Christopher L. (2004-08-29). "Blue-collar bruisers". Boston.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
- ^ a b "Semipro football players in it for love of the game - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
- ^ COLLINS, ED. "Foundation set for South Coast Outlaws semi-pro football team". southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
- ^ William J. Ryczek. Connecticut Gridiron: Football Minor Leaguers of the 1960s and 1970s, McFarland & Company, 2014. ISBN 0786478330
- ^ THOMAS, BUDDY. "McCann has Clippers 'D' primed for title game". southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
- ^ Correspondent, Rob Duca. "SOUTH COAST OUTLAWS: The boys are back in town". Wicked Local Wareham. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
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