Ligue Élite de Football Américain
The Ligue Élite de Football Américain or LEFA (Elite League of American Football in English) is the top-level American Football league of France. The league was founded in 1982.[1]
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| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1982 |
| No. of teams | 12, in two six-team divisions |
| Country | France |
| Most recent champion(s) | Thonon Black Panthers (2019) |
| Most titles | La Courneuve Flash (11) |
| Official website | web site |
History
American football was brought to France during WWI, it was not until 1980 that a physical education teacher, Laurent Plegelatte , created the first team, Spartacus de Paris. The same year, he founded and chaired the National Committee for the development of American Football.The Ligue Élite de Football Américain was created in 1982 under the leadership of Laurent Plegelatte with four participates. Spartacus de Paris, were the first ever champions of the Ligue Élite de Football Américain, but are now a defunct team as of 1993.The 1983 saw leadership change from Laurent Plegelatte to Michel Gofman.
League set-up
The league is partitioned into two divisions, each with six teams. The top three teams of each division enter the playoffs. Until 1994 the final was called Casque d'Or. Since 1995 the trophy of the league and the name of the final is the Casque de Diamant.
Teams
Active teams
| Team | City/Departement | Stadium | Founded | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Division | |||||
| La Courneuve Flash | La Courneuve, Seine-Saint-Denis | Stade de Marville | 1984 | ||
| Amiens Spartiates | Amiens, Somme | Stade du Grand Marais | 1987 | ||
| Molosses d'Asnières | Asnières-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine | Jacques Anquetil Stadium and Léo Lagrange Stadium | 1992 | ||
| Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône Cougars | Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, Val d'Oise | Stade Escutary | 1989 | ||
| Corsaires d'Évry | Évry, Essonne | Parc des Loges stadium | 1994 | ||
| Vikings de Villeneuve-d'Ascq | Villeneuve-d'Ascq, Hauts-de-France | Thames stadium | 1986 | ||
| South Division | |||||
| Aix-en-Provence Argonautes | Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône | Stade municipal Georges | 1986 | ||
| Thonon Black Panthers | Thonon-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie | Stade Joseph-Moynat | 1987 | ||
| Grenoble Centaures | Grenoble, Isère | Stade Teisseire | 1984 | ||
| Blue Stars de Marseille | Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône | Pierre-Delort Stadium | 1994 | ||
| Hurricanes de Montpellier | Montpellier, Hérault | Stade Sabathé | 2005 | ||
| Grizzlys de Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanquer | Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque, Pyrénées-Orientales | 2012 | |||
Championship Game
| Season | Edition | Date | Stadium | Winner | Score | Loser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | I | 1982 | Vélodrome de Vincennes (Paris) | Spartacus de Paris | 44 – 0 | Météores de Nogent |
| 1983 | II | May 21, 1983 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Spartacus de Paris (2) | 34 – 14 | Anges Bleus de Joinville |
| 1984 | III | 1984 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Anges Bleus de Joinville | 20 – 0 | Spartacus de Paris |
| 1985 | IV | 1985 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Paris Jets | 6 – 0 | Challengers de Paris |
| 1986 | V | 1986 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Anges Bleus de Joinville (2) | 20 – 2 | Spartacus de Paris |
| 1987 | VI | June 21, 1987 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Castors de Paris | 75 – 0 | Paris Jets |
| 1988 | VII | June 26, 1988 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Castors de Paris (2) | 7 – 0 | Anges Bleus de Joinville |
| 1989 | VIII | June 18, 1989 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Castors de Paris (3) | 14 – 13 | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes |
| 1990 | IX | June 24, 1990 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes | 34 – 7 | Castors de Paris |
| 1991 | X | June 16, 1991 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (2) | 29 – 7 | Castors de Paris |
| 1992 | XI | June 13, 1992 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (3) | 33 – 20 | Mousquetaires de Paris |
| 1993 | XII | June 12, 1993 | Stade Jean-Bouin | Castors de Paris (4) | 27 – 19 | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes |
| 1994 | XIII | June 26, 1994 | Stade Robert Bobin | Mousquetaires de Paris | 28 – 22 | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes |
| 1995 | XIV | June 25, 1995 | Stade Charléty | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (4) | 36 – 16 | Mousquetaires de Paris |
| 1996 | XV | June 16, 1996 | Stade Charléty | Mousquetaires de Paris (2) | 23 – 19 | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes |
| 1997 | XVI | June 14, 1997 | Stade Charléty | La Courneuve Flash | 45 – 28 | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes |
| 1998 | XVII | June 14, 1998 | Stade Charléty | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (5) | 28 – 14 | La Courneuve Flash |
| 1999 | XVIII | June 20, 1999 | Georges-Carcassonne Stadium | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (6) | 27 – 20 | Molosses d'Asnières |
| 2000 | XIX | June 17, 2000 | Stade René-Gaillard | La Courneuve Flash (2) | 68 – 35 | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes |
| 2001 | XX | June 23, 2001 | Stade Marville | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (7) | 30 – 23 | La Courneuve Flash |
| 2002 | XXI | June 23, 2002 | Georges-Carcassonne Stadium | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (8) | 23 – 21 | La Courneuve Flash |
| 2003 | XXII | June 1, 2003 | Georges-Carcassonne Stadium | La Courneuve Flash (3) | 28 – 24 | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes |
| 2004 | XXIII | June 19, 2004 | Stade Marville | Amiens Spartiates | 41 – 31 | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes |
| 2005 | XXIV | June 18 , 2005 | Stade Marville | La Courneuve Flash (4) | 33 – 27 | Amiens Spartiates |
| 2006 | XXV | June 17 , 2006 | Stade Marville | La Courneuve Flash (5) | 48 – 24 | Aix-en-Provence Argonautes |
| 2007 | XXVI | June 16 , 2007 | Stade Sébastien Charléty | La Courneuve Flash (6) | 21 – 6 | Thonon Black Panthers |
| 2008 | XXVII | June 28 , 2008 | Stade Sébastien Charléty | La Courneuve Flash (7) | 28 – 22 | Elancourt Templiers |
| 2009 | XXVIII | June 20 , 2009 | Parc des Sports Michel Hidalgo | La Courneuve Flash (8) | 41 – 27 | Thonon Black Panthers |
| 2010 | XXIX | June 27 , 2010 | Parc des Sports Michel Hidalgo | Amiens Spartiates (2) | 24 – 21 | La Courneuve Flash |
| 2011 | XXX | June 18 , 201 | Stade Sébastien Charléty | La Courneuve Flash (9) | 45 – 27 | Centaures de Grenoble |
| 2012 | XXXI | June 23 , 2012 | Stade Sébastien Charléty | Amiens Spartiates (3) | 10 – 7 | Thonon Black Panthers |
| 2013 | XXXII | June 22 , 2013 | Stade Sébastien Charléty | Thonon Black Panthers | 14 – 0 | La Courneuve Flash |
| 2014 | XXXIII | June 28 , 2014 | Stade Sébastien Charléty | Thonon Black Panthers (2) | 35 – 34 | Molosses d'Asnières |
| 2015 | XXIV | June 20 , 2015 | Stade Sébastien Charléty | Cougars de Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône | 28 – 7 | Thonon Black Panthers |
| 2016 | XXXV | June 25 , 2016 | Stade Guy Boniface | Cougars de Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône (2) | 28 – 17 | Dauphins de Nice |
| 2017 | XXXVI | June 24 , 2017 | Stade Parsemain | La Courneuve Flash (10) | 44 – 40 | Thonon Black Panthers |
| 2018 | XXXVII | June 30 , 2018 | Stade Parsemain | La Courneuve Flash (11) | 20 – 14 | Thonon Black Panthers |
| 2019 | XXXVIII | June 29 , 2019 | Stadium Lille Métropole | Thonon Black Panthers (3) | 24 – 7 | Cougars de Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône |
| 2020 | XXXIX | July 4, 2020 | Stadium Lille Métropole | Upcoming or ongoing competition | ||
Notes
- Russ Crawford, Le Football: A History of American Football in France (University of Nebraska Press; 2016).
- "Histoire et Palmarès du Casque de Diamant". fffa.org (in French). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
External links
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