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BAFA is introducing a new playoff structure for Mixed Adult Contact football for 2025 which means that every game will matter for teams involved in the battle for promotion and relegation between divisions – raising the stakes for an exciting and competitive close to the season.

The existing Bowl Games for Divisions 1 and 2 will now be replaced by “Promotion-Relegation” match-ups, pitching the bottom teams in Premier and Division 1 tiers with the top teams from the Division below.

Alongside increased competitive edge as teams battling for survival face-off against those battling for ascendency, the change also addresses a gap in our competitions by giving all teams something to play for as the season progresses. This decision was shaped by discussions within the Competitions Management Team, the output of a survey shared with all Mixed Adult Contact teams in October and a review of best practices in other sports, including European basketball and soccer. The proposal was subsequently shared with the BAFA Board for feedback and approval.

This change aims to ensure our National Leagues Mixed Adult Contact competitions remain stable, sustainable, and competitive as well as driving forwards the sport’s development at this level. We believe it will bring added stability, create more meaningful playoff games, and better align teams with the appropriate competitive level to support their success. Playoff Structures will follow similar design to previous seasons with some exceptions as outlined below:

Key Changes to the Playoff Structure: 

Premiership Relegation in 2025

  • In the Premiership North, due to the loss of Edinburgh Wolves, the 5th place team will defend their Premiership place.
  • In the Premiership South, the 6th place team will defend their place.

Division 1 Upward Playoffs

  • Playoffs will maintain the same number of participating teams as previous years, with 6 teams from the North and 6 from the South.
  • The playoff path will remain similar until the conclusion of the Northern and Southern Finals, after which the promotion-relegation game structure will take effect.
  • In the North, Winner of the Northern Final will receive automatic promotion to replace Edinburgh Wolves, the loser of the Northern Final will play the Promotion/Relegation game (This planned for 2025 only)
  • In the South, the Southern D1 final winner will play in the Promotion/Relegation game, the loser of the Southern Final will be eliminated

Division 1 Downward Playoffs

  • In Scotland, there will be no relegation due to regional limitations.
  • In the North, Relegation-eligible teams at the bottom of each Division 1 division will compete against promotion-eligible teams from Division 2.
  • In the South, Relegation-eligible teams at the bottom of each Division 1 division will be seeded, seed 1 and 2 will play a reverse playoff game, the loser of that game will compete against a promotion-eligible team from Division 2
  • Seed 3 will automatically compete against a promotion-eligible team from Division 2.

Division 2 Upward Playoffs:

  • In both North and South the Division 2 Playoffs will consist of one round of cross-divisional playoffs to determine the teams eligible for promotion and relegation games.
  • In the North, this will be Winner of NFC 2 East vs Runner up of NFC 2 West and Winner of NFC 2 West vs Runner up of NFC 2 East
  • In the South, this will be Winner of SFC 2 East vs Runner up of SFC 2 West and Winner of SFC 2 West vs Runner up of SFC 2 East
  • The winners of these games will then be scheduled in games against the nearest relegation placed opponent, starting with the ones that are furthest away, this allows for travel to be shared equally between playoff eligible teams.

Promotion-Relegation Game Logistics

  • Relegation-eligible teams will host the promotion-relegation games, ensuring a home advantage
  • BAFA will support hosting teams by covering the BAFRA fees for these games
  • Playoff Travel Subsidy rules will apply for all travelling teams eligible.

Review and Future Planning:

Following the conclusion of the 2025 Playoffs, a comprehensive review of the new approach will be conducted to evaluate its success and determine its viability for continuation in 2026 and beyond. We believe this step represents a progressive move towards enhancing the competitiveness, fairness, and excitement of British American Football. We thank you for your continued collaboration and commitment to the growth of our sport, and we look forward to your support as we take these steps forward together.

If you have any questions, please refer to our FAQ in the first instance. If you require further clarification, please raise this via your club GM / Chair who can contact BAFA Competition Management.