American football has been played in Switzerland since the 1980s. The organizer of the national championship is the Swiss American Football Association (SAFV). In addition, there is a wild fun league in western Switzerland called the Non Professional Swiss Romande American Football League (NSFL), whose sporting importance can at best be described as marginal. The strong teams also play in the official SAFV championship in western Switzerland.
The SAFV annually organizes the Swiss championship for men and juniors in tackle and flag football as well as running the Swiss national team. The Swiss Tackle Football Champion is determined annually in the Swiss Bowl .
The men's 2019 season will be played with 24 teams, divided into three different leagues.
National League A
Gladiators Basel
Bern grizzlies
Lucerne Lions
Winterthur Warriors
Geneva Seahawks
Calanda Broncos
The teams of the NLA 2019
The National League A (NLA) has been played with six teams since the Hohenems Blue Devils entered Switzerland in 2010. Until 2009 the NLA was held with five teams. Since 2013, the Blue Devils have been playing their games again under the AFBÖ , but the NLA kept the mode with six teams. Each team plays one home and one away game against all other teams, making a total of ten games. After the regular season, the first four places in the two playoff semi-finals will play for a place in the Swiss Bowl. As usual in American football, the playoffs are played with only one game. The team that was better placed in the regular season has a home advantage. The winner of the regular season plays against the fourth-placed, the second against the third.
League B is also played with six teams. Each team plays one home and one away game against all other teams, making a total of ten games. The winner of the regular season plays in the promotion game against the last placed NLA team for promotion.
League C is an advanced league. It will be played with the rest of the teams that are not participating in the NLA or in League B. In 2019 there are a total of twelve in two groups. Each team plays two games against all other teams in its group, making a total of ten games.
