American Football in Israel (AFI) is a non-profit association that in spring 2004 was granted official recognition as the sport's governing body in Israel by the Ministry of Education's Sports Authority. American Football in Israel is a member of the International Federation of American Football.
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History
AFI was founded in the mid-1980s by current president Steve Leibowitz. The Talk'n'Save AFI has grown to five tackle and flag football leagues, including some 90 teams and over 1000 players. In each league, teams play in colored jerseys displaying the team sponsor.
The Moshiko AFI men's contact league is six-on-six and played according to AFI rules. In 2008, Stevie's Boyz came back from a 21-0 deficit to upset Big Blue in the Holyland Bowl, the national flag football championship game.
AFI operates a successful women's league, the WAFI, and the Israeli national women's team is regarded as one of the top teams in the world. The team took first place at Big Bowl III (2009) in Germany, and at the 2008 Flag Oceane tournament in Le Havre, France.
In the fall of 2005, the co-ed non-contact league and boys' non-contact high school league used for the first time EFAF/NFL Flag Football Rules, which is five-on-five.
In February 2006, American Football in Israel hosted an international flag football tournament at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem. Known as "Flag in Jerusalem", the event marked the first time the State of Israel hosted a sanctioned international flag football competition. Six teams participated in the event including the Italian national team and Germany's Waldorf Wanderers, plus two American and two Israeli teams composed of some of the best talent the AFI had to offer.
Robert Kraft
In 2005, the AFI joined with the IFL, and together they established the Israeli Football League, which is now known as the Kraft Family IFL, sponsored by Robert Kraft and his family. Kraft owns the New England Patriots of the National Football League.