List of sports clubs playing in the league of another country
There are a number of sports clubs around the world that are based in one country/territory but play in another's league in their respective sport. Conditions for competing in a "foreign" league, as well as in a continental/confederational competition, are set case-by-case by the international sports federation as well as the respective confederation and national sport associations involved.
Clubs which are located in defunct nations that merged with others, new nations separated from others, or which stopped competing in a nation's league system because their locale was transferred to another nation, are not included in this article.
Association football[edit]
Australian rules football[edit]
Canada / United States[edit]
→ 
: Canadian in the United States
United States Australian Football League has had several Canadian teams:
- Calgary Kangaroos, Calgary, 2002-present
- Quebec Saints, Montreal, 2008
- Vancouver Cougars, Vancouver, 2006-2009
Denmark / Sweden[edit]
Scania currently has two teams in the DAFL Premier League, the Port Malmö Maulers from Malmö and Helsingborg Saints based in Helsingborg.
Helsingborg Saints were founded in 1993, and from 1994 and onwards the Saints competed in the Danish Australian Football League, they were briefly called South Sweden Saints from 2003 - 2007.
For the years 2003 and 2004, the Helsingborg Saints split their squad into three teams for the DAFL's new Scania Conference, these being the Helsingborg West Raptors, Lund Magpies and the Port Malmö Maulers. During this period, the Saints played as Scania in the DAFL's regional league, being a representative team made up of the best players from the three Scanian clubs.
In the 2005 structure for the DAFL the Saints returned, now called the South Sweden Saints and playing in the DAFL Premier League.
The Port Malmö Maulers were formed in 2003, to play in the Scania Conference of the Danish Australian Football League. As of the 2005 DAFL restructure, the Maulers are a feeder team for the South Sweden Saints (now called Helsingborg Saints again), who play in the DAFL Premier League. In 2006, with the creation of the Swedish Australian Football League, the Maulers competed in the Southern Sweden regional league, against the Landskrona Bulldozers and the Göteborg Berserkers, and also field two sides in the new Scania league, the Malmö Red Eyes and the GV Malmö Rebels (named for their partner league the Goulburn Valley Football League in Australia. As of 2007, the Port Malmö Maulers compete in the DAFL Premier League. In 2009, they became the first team from outside the Copenhagen area to win the DAFL premiership.
Basketball[edit]
Andorra / Spain[edit]
- BC Andorra has played in the Spanish basketball league system since the club's formation in 1970. The club has played in the top level, Liga ACB, on two occasions—first from 1992 to 1996, and most recently since 2014.
Australia / New Zealand[edit]
→ 
: New Zealander in Australia
- The New Zealand Breakers have played in Australia's National Basketball League since the 2003–04 season.
- The Christchurch Sirens played in the Women's National Basketball League in the 2007–08 season.
Canada / United States[edit]
→ : Canadian in the United States
The National Basketball Association has had three teams in Canada in its history:
- The Toronto Huskies played in the Basketball Association of America, the league through which the NBA traces its history, in that league's inaugural 1946–47 season. The Huskies folded after that season, and the BAA/NBA became solely a U.S. league until 1995.
- The Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies entered the NBA in 1995. The Grizzlies moved to the U.S. after the 2000–01 season, where they are now known as the Memphis Grizzlies; the Raptors remain in Toronto to this day.
The minor leagues also have several teams:
- Toronto 3D played at The RISE Centre in Toronto, Ontario in the IBA as an affiliate member which meant it did not compete for championships, for one season that it was in existence, 2014.
- Raptors 905 from Mississauga, Ontario, play at the Hershey Centre and were created in 2015 as a feeder team for the Raptors in what is now the NBA G League.
- Vancouver Balloholics formed in 2014 and based in Burnaby, British Columbia play in the ABA.
Gibraltar / Spain[edit]
→ 
: Gibraltarian in Spain
Basketball in Gibraltar is managed by the Gibraltar Amateur Basketball Association (GABBA). Sponsored by Grind House, Men and Ladies GABBA teams play the senior basketball league in the neighbour Spanish province of Cádiz. Grind House GABBA won the 2007/08 female championship[1] GABBA is a member of FIBA since 1985,[2] and the men's team plays biennially the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries.
Monaco / France[edit]
→ 
: Monegasque in France
AS Monaco Basket plays in the French basketball league system, paralleling its parent club's presence in the French football system. They have played in the top level, now known as LNB Pro A, on several occasions in their history, most recently since 2015.
Baseball[edit]
Canada / United States[edit]
→ : Canadian in the United States
In Major League Baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays have played in the American League since 1977. Also, the Montreal Expos were members of the National League from 1969 until they moved to Washington, D.C. in 2004.
In the MLB-affiliated minor leagues, the only active team is the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League. However, over the years there have been numerous Canadian teams playing in the U.S-based professional leagues. Among the notable teams were the Montreal Royals, for whom Jackie Robinson made his professional debut in 1946.
The U.S.-based independent leagues currently have four Canadian teams.
- Three Canadian teams play in the six-team Can-Am League: the Ottawa Champions, Québec Capitales, and Trois-Rivières Aigles.
- The Winnipeg Goldeyes began play in 1994 in the Northern League after relocating from Rochester, Minnesota. The team moved to the American Association for the 2011 season and have played in that league ever since.
Cuba / United States[edit]
→ : Cuban in the United States
From 1946 to 1953, the Havana Cubans played in the Class C (later Class B) Florida International League. From the 1954 season through the middle of the 1960 season, the Havana Sugar Kings played in the Class AAA International League. (The International League also included two Canadian teams at the time.) Beginning in 1955, the Sugar Kings were the Cincinnati Reds' top minor-league affiliate. In 1959, the Sugar Kings won the league championship and the Junior World Series. The franchise was moved to Jersey City, New Jersey in July 1960 during the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. The move was made after the Castro regime began nationalizing American-owned assets. (Ironically, Castro himself had been an avid fan of the team.) The franchise has been moved and renamed several times since then and it is currently known as the Norfolk Tides.
United States / Mexico[edit]
Beginning in 1985, the Mexican Baseball League's Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo played games on both sides of the international border, in Laredo, Texas as well as Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. The team was known as Los Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (or "The Owls of the Two Laredos.") They won the league championship in 1989. The team moved to Tijuana after the 2003 season.
The "Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos" name will return to the Mexican League in 2018.[3] The relocated Rojos del Águila de Veracruz franchise will play half its home games at Estadio Nuevo Laredo and the other half at Uni-Trade Stadium.[4]
Mexico's three professional summer leagues are officially part of the USA's organized Minor League Baseball system, although teams are not affiliated with Major League Baseball franchises, and only a few players cross the USA-Mexico border.
Malta / Italy[edit]
Malta had a baseball championship, the National League, from 1993 until 2008. From 2009, the clubs were integrated in the Italian system.[5]
San Marino / Italy[edit]
→ 
: Sammarinese in Italy
San Marino Baseball Club (also known as T&A San Marino for sponsorship reasons) plays in the Italian leagues since its foundation, in 1985 (a parent club took part to the system since 1970, though, reaching the second level, Serie B in 1980 before leaving space for the new club). It was first promoted in the first level, Serie A, in 1986. The side has since became one of the best clubs in Italy, taking part to the Italian Baseball League where it won four titles: in 2008 and three in a row from 2011 to 2014. The club also won the Coppa Italia in 2006 and 2009. As the only professional club in San Marino, they also qualify automatically to the European Cup, where they proved to be a serious contender, winning the competition in 2006, 2011 and 2014.
Slovenia / Italy[edit]
The Baseball Federation of Slovenia formed a representative club with the same players of the national team, that took part to the amateur Serie C1 in 2008.[5]
Canadian football[edit]
United States / Canada[edit]
In Canadian football, the sport's professional league, the Canadian Football League, expanded into the U.S. in the mid-1990s.
- First, in 1993, the Sacramento Gold Miners joined the league.
- The following season, three more American teams joined—the Las Vegas Posse, Shreveport Pirates, and a team that eventually became the Baltimore Stallions. After that season, the Posse folded and the Gold Miners moved to become the San Antonio Texans.
- For the 1995 season, the three remaining U.S. teams were joined by the Birmingham Barracudas and Memphis Mad Dogs.
- Apart from the Stallions, which had some of the league's best attendance figures and also won the Grey Cup in 1995, the U.S. teams were unsuccessful; even the Stallions posted a modest financial loss that season. The U.S. experiment also led to tension between the American and Canadian teams. Ultimately, the announcement by Art Modell, owner of the NFL's Cleveland Browns, that he would move the team to Baltimore for the 1996 season (where it became the Baltimore Ravens) ended the CFL's foray into the U.S. All of the American teams except for the Stallions folded; the Stallions moved to Montreal to become the current version of the Montreal Alouettes.
Futsal[edit]
Andorra / Spain[edit]
- FC Andorra Futsal played in the Spanish leagues until the club's disbandment in 2013.
Gaelic Sports[edit]
England / Ireland[edit]
- Two GAA teams in England play in All-Ireland competitions. London GAA competes in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and in the Christy Ring Cup, the second tier senior inter-county hurling championship. Warwickshire GAA competes in the Lory Meagher Cup, the fourth-tier inter-county senior hurling championship.
United States / Ireland[edit]
- New York GAA competes in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
Ice hockey[edit]
Indoor American football[edit]
Canada / United States[edit]
→ : Canadian in the United States
- The Arena Football League, which has been the top level of the indoor game since its creation in 1987 (with a one-season hiatus in 2009), included the Toronto Phantoms in its 2001 and 2002 seasons.
- The Can-Am Indoor Football League, which only played one season in 2017 before merging with another minor league to form the American Arena League, initially included the Ontario–Niagara Spartans, from the Niagara Peninsula town of Beamsville. The Spartans were expelled from the league after playing only two games.
Mexico / United States[edit]
→ : Mexican in the United States
- The National Arena League, a league that began play in 2017, included the Monterrey Steel as one of its eight inaugural teams. The Steel only played in the 2017 season, and were removed from the league when they could not commit to playing in 2018.
Lacrosse[edit]
Canada / United States[edit]
→ : Canadian in the United States
The National Lacrosse League, headquartered in New York City and playing the indoor box version of the sport, traces its history to a league formed in 1987, and has operated under its current name since 1998. While it was initially a U.S.-only league, it expanded into Canada in 1998, and has had teams in Canada ever since.
- The league's first Canadian team was the Hamilton-based Ontario Raiders, which joined the league in 1998. The team was sold after its first season, moved to Toronto, and has played in that city as the Toronto Rock ever since.
- The Ottawa Rebel was the next Canadian team, relocating from Syracuse, New York for the 2001 season. The Rebel withdrew from the league following the 2003 season; the franchise was purchased by Edmonton interests and reactivated in 2005 as the Edmonton Rush. The team relocated to Saskatoon for the 2016 season and is now the Saskatchewan Rush.
- Three new Canadian teams joined for the 2002 season:
- The Montreal Express played only the 2002 season before folding.
- The Vancouver Ravens played from 2002 to 2004 before folding.
- The Calgary Roughnecks have remained in the league since debuting.
- The NLL returned to the Vancouver area in 2014 with the relocation of a team from the Seattle area to become the Vancouver Stealth.
Motorcycle Speedway[edit]
Czech League[edit]
→ 
: Slovakian in the Czech Republic
- SC Žarnovica is the only remaining speedway club in Slovakia and therefore rides in the Czech league system, having previously competed in the Czechoslovakian counterpart in the past before its dissolution.
Finnish League[edit]
- Neva Sankt Petersburg, now known as Lokomotiv Daugavpils, between 1994-2002 took part in the Finnish Extraliiga. In its last 5 years they did not finish below the podium; were 3rd 3 times (1998, 1999, 2001), once runners-up (2002), and won the Finnish title in 2000. During this time they were concurrently competing in the Russian league.
Polish Leagues[edit]
- Speedway Miskolc joined the Polish Second League in 2005.
- Lokomotiv Daugavpils joined the Polish Second League in 2005.
- SKA Speedway Lviv took part in the Polish Second League 2004 season.
Russian Leagues[edit]
- Neva Sankt Petersburg, now known as Lokomotiv Daugavpils, between 1995-2002 took part in the Russian Premier Speedway League. In their debut season 1995 they won the bronze medal, a feat they repeated in 1996, 2001 and 2002. Since 2003, after withdrawing from the Finnish Extraliiga, in which they competed concurrently, the club competed under the name Spidveja Centrs Daugavpils but without success.
- SKA Speedway Lviv after the dissolution of the Soviet Union joined the lower Russian leagues.
Netball[edit]
Australia / New Zealand[edit]
& : New Zealand and Australia
- Netball formerly featured a transnational league with extensive involvement from both countries. The ANZ Championship, with co-equal head offices in Melbourne and Auckland, featured five teams each from Australia and New Zealand from its formation in 2008 until the league's disbanding in 2016. Each country now runs their own separate national leagues.
Rugby league[edit]
Australia / New Zealand[edit]
→ : New Zealander in Australia
- The New Zealand Warriors have competed in Australia-based rugby league competitions since 1995. In that year, the team, then known as the Auckland Warriors, became the first overseas team to compete in the Australian Rugby League. In 1997, during the Super League war, they left to compete in the Super League; with the resolution of the conflict the following year, they joined the reunified National Rugby League. The team rebranded themselves as the New Zealand Warriors in 2001.
- The Auckland Lions/Auckland Vulcans competed in the NSWRL Premier League between 2007 and 2013, when they were taken over by the New Zealand Warriors.
Canada / England[edit]
The Toronto Wolfpack, a rugby league club from Toronto, are now part of the British rugby league system. While teams from France and Wales compete in the system, the great majority of teams are based in England, and the system is organised by the Rugby Football League, based in Leeds. The Wolfpack began play at the third level of the system, League 1, in 2017, and after winning the League 1 title that season will play in the second-level Championship in 2018.
France / England[edit]
Three different French teams have played in the British rugby league system:
- The first, Paris Saint-Germain, played in the first two seasons of the top-level Super League in 1996 and 1997. Due to financial difficulties, the club folded after its second season.
- Catalans Dragons, from Perpignan, have played in Super League since the 2006 season, having beaten out fellow French clubs Toulouse Olympique and Villeneuve Leopards for a licence. In their first Super League season they finished last, however in the 2008 season they finished third, entering the play-offs, where they were beaten by Wigan 50-26 in the Semi finals. They have played in Super League ever since, and are now currently 12th in the all time Super League table as of 2015.
- Toulouse Olympique, from Toulouse, have played in the British leagues during two different periods.
- First, after having failed to secure a Super League licence in 2009, they were invited to play in the second-level Championship, and played in that league through the 2011 season. The club, having experienced little competitive or financial success, then withdrew from the British leagues and rejoined the French leagues.
- In 2016, they returned to the British system, this time in the third-level League 1. They earned promotion to the Championship at the first opportunity, and began play at that level in 2017.
Wales / England[edit]
Several Welsh clubs have played in the English league system.
- In the early years of rugby league, several South Wales clubs played in the RFL system.
- Aberdare was the first, forming in 1907.
- By 1908–09, five more South Wales clubs entered the system: Ebbw Vale, Merthyr Tydfill, Mid-Rhondda, Treherbert and Barry.
- However, all six of the South Wales sides folded by 1912. Only Ebbw Vale lasted as long as five seasons.
- The next Welsh side to play in RFL competitions was Pontypridd, established in 1926. The club folded the following year, having played only one full season plus eight games of their second season.
- Two different efforts to establish a Cardiff side, in 1947–48 and 1951–52, ended in failure after a single season.
- South Wales Dragons, founded in 1995, played at the RFL's second level (later split into two leagues now known as the Championship and League 1) in 1996. The club was reasonably successful on the field, but attendances varied wildly during the season. They folded when they failed to earn a Super League licence for the 1997 season.
- The Celtic Crusaders began play in 2006 in National League Two (later known as Championship 1 and since 2015 as League 1), originally in Bridgend in South Wales. They were promoted to the second-level National League One (since renamed the Championship) for 2008, and earned a Super League licence for the 2009–2011 period. In 2010, they moved to Wrexham in North Wales and rebranded themselves as Crusaders Rugby League. They folded after the 2011 season.
- The Crusaders' successor, the North Wales Crusaders, have played at the Championship 1/League 1 level since their formation in 2012.
- The South Wales Scorpions began play at the level now known as League 1 in 2009, and have remained at that level ever since. The club rebranded itself as South Wales Ironmen after the 2016 season, and then moved to Llanelli after the 2017 season, rebranding itself as West Wales Raiders.
Italy / France[edit]
The Saluzzo North West Roosters, an amateur rugby league club from Saluzzo, Piedmont have been accepted into the French rugby league system. The Roosters are the first foreign team to play in the French leagues and will play at the fourth level of the system, National Division 2, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) League, beginning with the 2016-17 season.[6]
Rugby union[edit]
Argentina / South Africa[edit]
→ 
: Argentine in South Africa
The Pampas XV, a developmental side for the Argentina national rugby union team, played in the Vodacom Cup, the second level of South Africa's domestic structure, from 2010 to 2013. The team withdrew from the competition after 2013 for financial reasons, but it was not the end of Argentina's involvement in South African rugby. Starting in 2016, an Argentine side, the Jaguares, entered the hemispheric Super Rugby competition.
Australia / New Zealand / South Africa / Argentina / Japan[edit]
, , , , 
: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan.
The Super Rugby competition, operated by the Sydney-based SANZAAR, a joint enterprise between the governing bodies of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and since 2016 Argentina, has teams from all of the SANZAAR countries plus Japan. As of the current 2018 season, New Zealand has five teams, Australia and South Africa four each, and Argentina and Japan one each.
Canada / United States[edit]
- The Seattle Saracens currently play in competitions operated by the British Columbia Rugby Union. Since the 2015–16 season, they have competed in the BCRU's top league, the Canadian Direct Insurance Premier League.
Fiji / Australia[edit]
The Fijian Drua, an effective developmental side for the country's national team, began play in Australia's National Rugby Championship in 2017.
Liechtenstein / Switzerland[edit]
→ 
: Liechtensteiner in Switzerland
In rugby union, there are only two clubs in the country; Lynx RC, which is based at Sportpark Eschen-Mauren, in Eschen, they used to play in the Swiss rugby union leagues,[7] and FC Vaduz Red Pride Rugby, based in Liechtenstein's capital, Vaduz.
Luxembourg / Belgium[edit]
→ 
: Luxembourger in Belgium
Rugby Club Luxembourg joined the Belgian second division in 1995, and remain a part of it 1998, when it earned promotion to the Belgian Elite League.[8] In 2001, the club decided to return to the French league system.
Luxembourg / France[edit]
→ : Luxembourger in France
Rugby Club Luxembourg played its first competitive game against US Castillionnaise in September 1973. Up until 1995, the club played in the Alsace-Lorraine regional league. In that year, the team joined the Belgian second division. In 2001, the club decided to return to the French league system, again playing regionally in Alsace-Lorraine. It won its division in 2008 but, after an invitation to play in Germany, decided to join the German league system in 2009.[8]
Luxembourg / Germany[edit]
→ 
: Luxembourger in Germany
Rugby Club Luxembourg has played in the German league system since 2009, having previously played in the Belgian and French league system, and earning promotion to the highest tier, the Rugby-Bundesliga, in 2015–16.[9] The inclusion of the club in the 2009 promotion round to the 2nd Bundesliga caused some debate in regards to its legality, as the club had not qualified through the German league system and was not a member of any of the German regional rugby federations. However, RC Luxembourg's application was declared valid in regards to the German rugby federations rules and regulations and the team finished second in the promotion round, earning a place in the 2nd Bundesliga for 2009-10.[10]
Namibia / South Africa[edit]
→ : Namibian in South Africa
The Welwitschias, a developmental side for the Namibia national rugby union team, have played in the South African domestic rugby structure on three separate occasions. The history of Namibian involvement in South African rugby predates the country's independence in 1990; when Namibia was a South African colony known as South West Africa, it regularly competed in the top South African domestic competition, the Currie Cup, from 1954 until withdrawing in 1989. After independence, Namibia began fielding a side in the Vodacom Cup in 1999, with the side initially known as Kudus before adopting the Welwitschias name in 2000. Namibia withdrew from the Vodacom Cup after the 2001 season. The Welwitschias returned to the Vodacom Cup in 2010 and 2011 before withdrawing yet again. They returned to the Vodacom Cup in 2015, after which South Africa scrapped that competition. In 2016, the Welwitschias played in a one-off expanded Currie Cup; in 2017, they joined the Vodacom Cup's successor, the Rugby Challenge.
San Marino / Italy[edit]
→ : Sammarinese in Italy
- Aside from the national team, there is one major club in the country; Rugby Club San Marino.[11]
Other[edit]
Canada / United States[edit]
→ : Canadian in the United States
- The NCAA, whose membership otherwise consists entirely of U.S.-based institutions, has one Canadian member—Simon Fraser University, which has participated in the NCAA's second level, Division II, since 2010. Simon Fraser competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference alongside schools in the Northwest U.S., Alaska, and Montana.
Sources[edit]
- Where's My Country? Article on cross-border movements of football clubs, at RSSSF.com
References[edit]
- ↑ Comienza la liga senior provincial femenina (in Spanish)
- ↑ GFA proposal to join UEFA Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, pg. 16
- ↑ Asamblea de Presidentes LMB (Spanish). MILB.com. September 27, 2017. Retrieved on October 24, 2017.
- ↑ Spedden, Zach (November 21, 2017). "Laredo Approves Deal With Tecolotes Dos Laredos". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Le squadre di Malta giocheranno nel campionato italiano
- ↑ Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII (November 16, 2016). "Un club italien intègre le championnat français de DN2 !" (in French). ffr13.fr. Retrieved March 22, 2017.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&p=24981
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 RCL - a potted history Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine RCL website, accessed: 8 April 2010
- ↑ "Rugby Club Luxembourg steigt in Bundesliga auf" (in German). L'essentiel Online. 23 May 2016.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ Karlsruhe und Luxemburg steigen in die 2.Liga Süd auf (in German) totalrugby.de, published: 6 July 2009, accessed: 19 March 2010
- ↑ http://www.rugbyclubsanmarino.com/
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