National Rugby Association
| Founded | December 7, 1966 |
|---|---|
| Country | North America |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of teams | 40 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Promotion to | None |
| Relegation to | None |
| TV partners | CBS, Nickelodeon, AMX, Paramount+ |
The North American Rugby Federation (NARF) is the top-level major professional rugby league within most of the North America continent. Although NARF was considered to be the fifth rugby league within North America, it was regarded and considered to be the most successful league on a national scale within most of North America.
History
Founding
The surprisingly large North American viewings within the element of television audiences, reported to have been as large as well as over 1.39 million for the 1957 IRFA World Cup and the resulting documentary film, Touchdown!, led American sports investors to believe there was an untapped market for the sport within North America. In 1967, two professional rugby leagues started in the United States: the IRFA-sanctioned United Rugby Association (URA), which consisted of entire European and South American teams brought to the U.S. and given local names, and the unsanctioned National Professional Rugby League (NPRL). The NPRL did not receive sanctioning by the IRFA, as it refused to pay the $25,000 fee, and was quickly branded an outlawed entity by FIFA, with players and coaches facing major penalties for signing with its operations. While the URA had major IRFA sanctions, the foreign teams and franchises that were rebranded with American names for their first season were quickly terminated, as people within North America started viewing the league as little more than a training exercise for their major offseasons, and most did not field their best players overall.
In February 1959, with some assistance from both IRFA and CBS Inc., the two leagues declared a merger with the NFL and formed the North American Rugby Federation (NARF). The cities and states that were granted franchises within the new federation are Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Boston Pagans, Buffalo Bills, Calgary Flames, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Louisiana Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Titans, Newark Jets, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Toronto Vampires, Utah Caribous, and Washington Commanders.
Trivia
(TBA)
