About IFAF

The International Federation of American Football was formed in 1998 by founding nations Australia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Sweden and Spain. By 2008 IFAF membership had increased to a total of 52 countries governed by five continental federations.

American Football has been played internationally since the late 1800s in countries such as Canada and the United States and can trace its roots in Japan back to the 1930s. The game gained popularity in Europe in the 1970s and gathered pace in the 1980s when sports enthusiasts were gripped by a surge in interest in both watching football on television and participating on the gridiron.

Swedish native Tommy Wiking was elected as President of IFAF in 2006 and was unanimously elected to serve a second term in 2008.

Participation in competitions and tournaments are a cornerstone of IFAF objectives and the inaugural IFAF Senior World Championship kicked off in Palermo, Italy, in 1999. Japan became the sport’s first world champion by defeating Mexico 6-0 in overtime in the championship game. Japan retained its title four years later in 2003 in Frankfurt, Germany, when Mexico was again defeated 34-14 in the gold medal game. In 2007 the United States entered a nationally selected team for the first time and triumphed in Tokyo, Japan, denying the host nation a third successive title by a score of 23-20 in overtime. A record number of 21 countries had entered the qualification process in 2007, leading to six nations competing in Japan.

American Football made its debut at the ninth World Games in Duisburg, Germany, in 2005 when Germany emerged as the gold medal winner and the sport was the most watched event, attracting 18,000 spectators to the final and 28,000 fans in total.

The fourth IFAF Senior Flag Football World Championship was held in Canada in 2008, following tournaments held in Austria (2002), France (2004) and Korea (2006). IFAF has also endorsed participation in events such as the NFL Global Junior Championship (1997-2007) and the NFL Flag Football World Championship (2000-2007).

The key goals of IFAF include becoming recognized members of the international sporting community by earning recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the General Association of International Sports Federation (GAISF). In 2003, IFAF was granted GAISF provisional member status and in 2005 became a full member.

In 2007, IFAF launched a new membership development program with the mission to strengthen the quality of American Football in emerging federations and spread interest in the sport in those countries where a domestic structure does not exist yet.

IFAF is supported and endorsed by the NFL Youth Football Fund and the NFL Players Association.

IFAF Annual Congress

  • 1998: Palermo, Italy
  • 1999: Palermo, Italy
  • 2000: Paris, France
  • 2001: Vienna, Austria
  • 2002: Seoul, Korea
  • 2003: Frankfurt, Germany
  • 2004: Cancun, Mexico
  • 2005: Stockholm, Sweden
  • 2006: Boston, USA
  • 2007: Tokyo, Japan
  • 2008: Seville, Spain
  • 2009: Canton, USA
  • 2010: Sydney, Australia

IFAF Executive Board History

1998

President: Eiji Sasada (Japan)

1999

President: Frederic Paquet (France)

2000

President: Frederic Paquet (France)
Vice President: Jose Jorge Orobio de Rosas (Mexico)
Treasurer: Takuji Suzuki (Japan)
Secretary: Robert Huber (Germany)

Executive Committee member Europe: Tommy Wiking (Sweden)

2001

President: Frederic Paquet (France)
Vice President: Jose Jorge Orobio de Rosas (Mexico)
Vice President: John Puckett (Canada)
Treasurer: Takuji Suzuki (Japan)
Secretary: Robert Huber (Germany)

Executive Committee member Europe: Tommy Wiking (Sweden)

2002

President: Frederic Paquet (France)
Vice President: Jose Jorge Orobio de Rosas (Mexico)
Vice President: John Puckett (Canada)
Treasurer: Yoshio Kanazawa (Japan)
Secretary: Robert Huber (Germany)

Executive Committee member Europe: Tommy Wiking (Sweden)

2003

President: Frederic Paquet (France)
Senior Vice President: Yoshio Kanazawa (Japan)
Vice President: Jose Jorge Orobio de Rosas (Mexico)
Treasurer: Dave Ogrean (USA)
Secretary: Robert Huber (Germany)

Executive Committee member Europe: Tommy Wiking (Sweden)
Executive Committee member Asia: K.K Park (Korea)

2004

President: Frederic Paquet (France)
Senior Vice President: Yoshio Kanazawa (Japan)
Vice President: Jose Jorge Orobio de Rosas (Mexico)
Treasurer: Dave Ogrean (USA)
Secretary: Robert Huber (Germany)

Executive Committee member Europe: Tommy Wiking (Sweden)
Executive Committee member Asia: K.K Park (Korea)

2005

President: Frederic Paquet (France)
Senior Vice President: Yoshio Kanazawa (Japan)
Vice President: Jose Jorge Orobio de Rosas (Mexico)
Treasurer: Dave Ogrean (USA)
Secretary: Robert Huber (Germany)

Executive Committee member Europe: Tommy Wiking (Sweden)
Executive Committee member Asia: K.K Park (Korea)

2006

President: Tommy Wiking (Sweden)
Senior Vice President: K. K. Park (Korea)
Vice President: Jose Jorge Orobio de Rosas (Mexico)
Treasurer: Scott Hallenbeck (USA)
Secretary: Robert Huber (Germany)
Frederic Paquet (France) appointed as IFAF Honorary President.

Executive Committee member Europe: Roope Noronen (Finland)
Executive Committee member Asia: Shigeyuki Watanabe (Japan)

2007

President: Tommy Wiking (Sweden)
Senior Vice President: K. K. Park (Korea)
Vice President: Jose Jorge Orobio de Rosas (Mexico)
Treasurer: Scott Hallenbeck (USA)
Secretary: Robert Huber (Germany)

Executive Committee member Europe: Roope Noronen (Finland)
Executive Committee member Asia: Shigeyuki Watanabe (Japan)

2008

President: Tommy Wiking (Sweden)
Senior Vice President: K. K. Park (Korea)
Vice President: Jose Jorge Orobio de Rosas (Mexico)
Junior Vice President: Roope Noronen (Finland)
Treasurer: Scott Hallenbeck (USA)
Secretary: Henrik Oernstroem (Denmark) (resigned, March 2009)

Executive Committee member Europe: Robert Huber (Germany)
Executive Committee member Asia: Hidetsugu Hirai (Japan)
Executive Committee member Pan-America: Richard Munro (Canada)

Technical Conference

2005

Boston, USA
Participating Federations: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Norway, Russia, Sweden, USA

2008

Stockholm, Sweden
Participating Federations: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay