Football season is here again. Green fields, raucous crowds, college bands and pageantry, and thunderous hits. And in futebol-mad Brazil – amateur futebol Americano has grown in popularity and now boasts regional championships across the country.

Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach is a hotspot with locals and tourists alike relaxing and enjoying a day in the hot sun, Atlantic waves lapping the sandy beach. Amazingly, this spot was also the birthplace of what eventually became the Associaçãu Futebol Americano do Brasil (AFAB). In the summer of 1986, several Brazilian boys began meeting regularly on this sun-soaked beach, running, launching passes, and scoring touchdowns like an average afternoon of touch or tackle football you might see in any American city.

The beach games began to grow as Cariocas were attracted to this new game so different from their own futebol. After years of the informal games on the beach, the Rio Guardians were created, Rio’s first American football team. The Guardians’ founding would lead to the official beginning of the American Football Association of Brazil in 1994. Teams would come and go, but the league continues to grow. This is no fly by night operation, these athletes and coaches are serious about spreading the game throughout Brazil and coaching players to improve on the gridiron. While the league still hosts flag-football beach leagues for several age groups, full-contact football is also played each year now. The AFAB has even hosted camps by NFL stars such as Tony Gonzalez.

“Our league is the oldest league in the country and we have always delivered a good level of service to the players,” says Rodrigo Hermida, an official and league organizer. “Former players, now experienced professionals, are running the league and because of that, we understand the players and the organization’s needs.”

The league offers flag-football for younger age groups, but the majority of its players over 16. Team names include the Reptiles, Falcões (Falcons), América Red Lions, and Tubarões (Sharks). Our favorite name – the Piratas de Copacabana.

Hermida says globalization has led to an increased interest in the sport in Brazil. Football-themed movies, cable television, and travel abroad have all helped fuel interest in “America’s game”. NFL games are also shown in the country, with many players rooting for their favorite teams regularly.

“We still don’t have a national championship, due to amateur level of the sport and the size of Brazil. But we have a few regional champions. As members of the Pan-American and International Federation, we are having more access to the opportunities of development.” Hermida says. “We do watch NFL games and in fact we would also like to see more NCAA games.”

Last year’s champions? The Silver Bullets were São Paulo champs, the Cavaliers in Amazonas, the Panzers in Santa Catarina, and the Reptiles won the Carioca Bowl, the championship game in Rio de Janeiro.

While Brazilian players won’t be dominating the NFL or NCAA any time soon, it is nice to see that the game Americans love is making an impact globally. Several players have come from the league and gone on to compete on the collegiate level including: Guilherme Moreira, a sophomore linebacker at Malone University; Heron Azevedo, a sophomore wide receiver at Diablo Valley College; Maikon Bonani, a sophomore kicker at the University of South Florida; and Raiam Santos, a kicker at the University of Pennsylvania. According to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), Brazilian Felipe Alfaia kicks for Northern State University in South Dakota.

The league is a member of the IFAF and also the Pan-American Federation of American Football (PAFAF), which aims to promote and strengthen the sport in North, South and Central America, and the Caribbean. The federation, founded in 2007, is made up of national federations from Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, the United States, and Uruguay.

Hermida says the league is always seeking opportunities for player development and support. For more information visit www.afabonline.com.br or email internacional@afabonline.com.br.

Amazing, huh? A website for Brazilian music and culture and we even give you some football information. What do you think? Do you have a personal experience with American football in Brazil? And for that matter, who’s your pick to win the Super Bowl? Leave a comment and let us know.

– SEAN CHAFFIN