Arucian Football Association
| Most recent season or competition: 2022 Arucian Football Association Season | |
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| Formerly | National Football Association (1940-1944) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Arucian football |
| Founded | May 11, 1940 |
| Commissioner | Henri Richard |
| No. of teams | 28 |
| Countries | Sainte-Chloé Bonaventure Île d'Émeraude Carucere Imagua and the Assimas Aucuria Satucin Eldmark |
The Association Arucien de Football (Arucian Football Association), commonly abbreviated as the AAF and popularly known as the Coconut League, is the preeminent international professional men's competition of Arucian football. Through the AAF Commission, the AAF also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the game. Founded in 1940 as the National Football Association, after five Arucian football clubs from Sainte-Chloé and Carucere jointly founded the organization in order to codify the rules of the game and organize professional competitions. The association's inaugural season began the following year. Under the United Provinces, in 1945 the association adopted its current name and added two teams from Bonaventure and Imagua and the Assimas the following season. Teams from Aucuria's, Eldmark, Satucin's Arucian islands joined during the 1980s. Other teams from the rest of the Arucian, from the countries of Île d'Émeraude and TBD in particular, would be added after 1978.
The Association currently consists of 28 teams spread over eight countries, with matches taking place in all participating countries. During each AAF season, each team plays 12 games know as the regular series, which runs during the dry season (January to June). The team with the best record after the regular series is awarded the "minor premiership". The top twelve teams then play off in a four-round series known as the Coupe Arucian, culminating in the Final. The grand final winner is awarded the Champions Trophy. Since the league's founding in 1940, there has been a total of 81 seasons and 40 Coupe Arucians. Of these games, FC Sainte-Chloé has won a record seven Finals. The most recent champion is the FC Cuanstad Dockworkers, who defeated the Canicule Suns in the 2021 Final.
The Arucian Football Association is one of the two main sport leagues in the Arucian, the other being the Arucian Baseball League. Although the league, along with the sport, is confined to the Arucian and the surrounding countries, it is widely popular across the region. It is considered to be one of the region's defining cultural institutions. It is the most popular sport in Carucere and Île d'Émeraude and has a significant presence in Sainte-Chloé, Bonaventure, and Imagua and the Assimas. In addition the league also has a presence in the Arucian islands of Aucuria, Satucin, and Eldmark. The Association is governed by the AAF Commission, which is responsible for the administration of AAF competitions and for controlling the rules of Arucian football. The Association is officially a publicly held nonprofit corporation, whose shares are held by over three million people.
Organisation
The AAF is comprised of 28 teams: 9 from Sainte-Chloé, 7 from Bonaventure, 5 from Île d'Émeraude, 2 from both Carucere and Imagua and the Assimas, and 1 from Aucuria, Satucin, and Eldmark. The league has no system of promotion and relegation. The teams are divided into 4 divisions of 7 teams each, and matches are played in a round robin system, where all teams play against all twice in a season. The divisions are the National, Western, Central, and East. After 12 rounds of regular season games every week, the best 4 standing teams in each division will qualify to the AAF Championship, a knock-out stage that goes from round-of-16 to the Final; a third-place match is also played prior to the final.
Teams
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