Australia wins hosting rights for 2019 IFAF Men's World Championship

Gridiron Australia is elated to announce that it has won the bid to host the 2019 IFAF Men’s World Championship of American Football.

The IFAF Men’s World Championship of American Football is an international American football competition held every four years. The championship is run by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and contested by teams representing member nations from around the globe.

The 2019 event marks the 20thanniversary of IFAF international competition with the first tournament held in 1999 in Palermo, Italy. Australia has participated in a number of the tournaments and look forward to hosting the international American Football family on home soil.





“This is a tremendous win for our sport,” said Darrin Mitchell, Chairman of Gridiron Australia. “Gridiron has had a presence in Australia since 1979, so we couldn’t dream of a better way to celebrate our 40 year anniversary of the sport here in Australia than to host an IFAF Championship. We’re excited at the opportunity that this brings, not only for gridiron in Australia but for us to show off our wonderful country to our international friends.”

Richard MacLean, the President of IFAF said, “IFAF looks forward to Australia hosting the Senior Men's event and I know that with the support of the Australian community this will be a huge success for IFAF and Gridiron Australia. This event will become a key indicator for IFAF, the International Olympic Committee and the Global Association of International Sports Federations that American Football is growing worldwide."

Kate Palmer, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Sports Commission comments, “A great feature of Australian sport is the diversity of options available for everyone, so it’s wonderful to see Gridiron Australia have an opportunity to promote their football code on home soil through this historic international event.”

This event draws together the best amateur American Football players from around the world and is the first IFAF event of its kind to be held in the southern hemisphere.

Gridiron Australia will announce the host city and dates once all contractual arrangements have been finalised and confirmed.