Championnat Élite Division 1
SportAmerican football
Inaugural season1982
No. of teams12, in two six-team divisions
CountryFrance
Most recent
champion(s)
Thonon Black Panthers (2023)
Most titlesLa Courneuve Flash (12)
TV partner(s)Sport en France
Official websiteFFFA.org

The Championnat Élite Division 1 (French for 'Division 1 Elite Championship') is the top-level American football league of France.[1] The league was founded in 1982.[2]

History

American football was introduced to France in the early 20th century, but for decades it remained an infrequent activity, practised only by American touring teams and wartime servicemen.[2]
The formation of NATO in 1949 allowed for U.S. military settlements in France, and in turn the establishment of senior and high school teams representing these bases. They mainly competed in cross-border leagues sanctioned by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army, although some seasons featured a conference consisting solely of France-based armed forces teams.[2]

While some French citizens attended the games, actual participation by locals remained negligible and the sport quickly declined when French president Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from NATO's military command, evicting American troops from the country in 1967. Nonetheless, a few modern era French teams claim the lineage of those military organizations: the Châteauroux Sabres are named after an eponymous team from the now decommissioned Châteauroux-Déols Air Base.[3]

It was not until 1980 that a physical education teacher, Laurent Plegelatte, created the first "born and bred" French team, the 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 participants. The Spartacus de Paris were the first ever champions of the Ligue Élite de Football Américain, but are now a defunct team as of 1993. 1983 saw a change of leadership from Laurent Plegelatte to Michel Gofman.[2]

Thonon Black Panthers celebrating their 2013 title with the Casque de Diamant championship trophy

League set-up

The league is partitioned into two conferences, each with six teams. The top three teams of each conference enter the playoffs. Until 1994, the final was called Casque d'Or (French for 'Gold Helmet'). Since 1995, the championship game has been called Casque de Diamant (French for 'Diamond Helmet').

Trophy

Although the championship game is called the Diamond Helmet, the winners' trophy does not have the shape of a helmet. It is a shield similar to those awarded to the French champions of other rugby football codes, such as the Bouclier de Brennus and the Trophée Max-Rousié.

Teams

Active teams

Team City/Departement Stadium Founded
A Conference
La Courneuve Flash La Courneuve, Seine-Saint-Denis Stade 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
Thonon Black Panthers Thonon-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie Stade Joseph-Moynat 1987
Leopards of Rouen Rouen, Indre-et-Loire 1996
B Conference
Aix-en-Provence Argonautes Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône Stade Georges-Carcassonne 1986
Grenoble Centaures Grenoble, Isère Stade Teisseire 1984
Blue Stars de Marseille Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône Pierre-Delort Stadium 1994
Dauphins de Nice Nice, Alpes-Maritimes Stade des Arboras 1999
Grizzlys Catalans Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales Parc des sports du Moulin à Vent 2012
Ours de Toulouse Toulouse, Garonne Stades des Argoulets 1986

Championship Game

Results of the Ligue Élite de Football Américain championship.[4]
Season Edition Date Stadium Winner Score Loser
1982 I 1982 Vélodrome de Vincennes Spartacus de Paris44–0Météores de Nogent
1983 II May 21, 1983 Stade Jean-Bouin Spartacus de Paris (2)34–14Anges Bleus de Joinville
1984 III 1984 Stade Jean-Bouin Anges Bleus de Joinville20–0Spartacus de Paris
1985 IV 1985 Stade Jean-Bouin Paris Jets6–0Challengers de Paris
1986 V 1986 Stade Jean-Bouin Anges Bleus de Joinville (2)20–2Spartacus de Paris
1987 VI June 21, 1987 Stade Jean-Bouin Castors de Paris75–0Paris Jets
1988 VII June 26, 1988 Stade Jean-Bouin Castors de Paris (2)7–0Anges Bleus de Joinville
1989 VIII June 18, 1989 Stade Jean-Bouin Castors de Paris (3)14–13Aix-en-Provence Argonautes
1990 IX June 24, 1990 Stade Jean-Bouin Aix-en-Provence Argonautes34–7Castors de Paris
1991 X June 16, 1991 Stade Jean-Bouin Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (2)29–7Castors de Paris
1992 XI June 13, 1992 Stade Jean-Bouin Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (3)33–20Sphinx du Plessis Robinson
1993 XII June 12, 1993 Stade Jean-Bouin Castors de Paris (4)27–19Aix-en-Provence Argonautes
1994 XIII June 26, 1994 Stade Robert Bobin Mousquetaires de Paris28–22Aix-en-Provence Argonautes
1995 XIV June 25, 1995 Stade Charléty Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (4)36–16Mousquetaires de Paris
1996 XV June 16, 1996 Stade Charléty Mousquetaires de Paris (2)23–19Aix-en-Provence Argonautes
1997 XVI June 14, 1997 Stade Charléty La Courneuve Flash45–28Aix-en-Provence Argonautes
1998 XVII June 14, 1998 Stade Charléty Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (5)28–14La Courneuve Flash
1999 XVIII June 20, 1999 Georges-Carcassonne Stadium Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (6)27–20Molosses d'Asnières
2000 XIX June 17, 2000 Stade René-Gaillard La Courneuve Flash (2)68–35Aix-en-Provence Argonautes
2001 XX June 23, 2001 Stade Marville Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (7)30–23La Courneuve Flash
2002 XXI June 23, 2002 Georges-Carcassonne Stadium Aix-en-Provence Argonautes (8)23–21La Courneuve Flash
2003 XXII June 1, 2003 Georges-Carcassonne Stadium La Courneuve Flash (3)28–24Aix-en-Provence Argonautes
2004 XXIII June 19, 2004 Stade Marville Amiens Spartiates41–31Aix-en-Provence Argonautes
2005 XXIV June 18, 2005 Stade Marville La Courneuve Flash (4)33–27Amiens Spartiates
2006 XXV June 17, 2006 Stade Marville La Courneuve Flash (5)48–24Aix-en-Provence Argonautes
2007 XXVI June 16, 2007 Stade Sébastien Charléty La Courneuve Flash (6)21–6Thonon Black Panthers
2008 XXVII June 28, 2008 Stade Sébastien Charléty La Courneuve Flash (7)28–22Elancourt Templiers
2009 XXVIII June 20, 2009 Parc des Sports Michel Hidalgo La Courneuve Flash (8)41–27Thonon Black Panthers
2010 XXIX June 27, 2010 Parc des Sports Michel Hidalgo Amiens Spartiates (2)24–21La Courneuve Flash
2011 XXX June 18, 2011 Stade Sébastien Charléty La Courneuve Flash (9)45–27Centaures de Grenoble
2012 XXXI June 23, 2012 Stade Sébastien Charléty Amiens Spartiates (3)10–7Thonon Black Panthers
2013 XXXII June 22, 2013 Stade Sébastien Charléty Thonon Black Panthers14–0La Courneuve Flash
2014 XXXIII June 28, 2014 Stade Sébastien Charléty Thonon Black Panthers (2)35–34Molosses d'Asnières
2015 XXIV June 20, 2015 Stade Sébastien Charléty Cougars de Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône28–7Thonon Black Panthers
2016 XXXV June 25, 2016 Stade Guy Boniface Cougars de Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône (2)28–17Dauphins de Nice
2017 XXXVI June 24, 2017 Stade Parsemain La Courneuve Flash (10)44–40Thonon Black Panthers
2018 XXXVII June 30, 2018Stade Parsemain La Courneuve Flash (11)20–14Thonon Black Panthers
2019 XXXVIII June 29, 2019Stadium Lille Métropole Thonon Black Panthers (3)24–7Cougars de Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône
2020 XXXIX July 4, 2020Stadium Lille Métropole Season cancelled after week three due to COVID-19[5]
2021 Season not played due to COVID-19[6]
2022 XL July 9, 2022Stade Joseph-Moynat La Courneuve Flash (12)16–10Thonon Black Panthers
2023 XLI July 1, 2023Stade Joseph-Moynat Thonon Black Panthers (4)35–18Blue Stars de Marseille

Media

In 2022, the league is set to receive its first regularly scheduled television coverage on Sport en France.[1]

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Les calendriers 2022 de D1, D2 et U19 sont disponibles ! Football is back". fffa.org. Fédération Française de Football Américain. September 24, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Crawford, Russell (2016). Le Football: A History of American Football in France. Lincoln; London: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0803278790.
  3. "Les Sabres, revival du football américain à Châteauroux". france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr. France TV. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  4. "Histoire et Palmarès du Casque de Diamant". fffa.org (in French). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  5. "Communiqué FFFA - Arrêt des compétitions 2019-2020". fffa.org. Fédération Française de Football Américain. March 26, 2020.
  6. "Annulation des championnats de France de football américain et de cheerleading pour la saison en cours/". fffa.org. Fédération Française de Football Américain. March 18, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
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