Northern Football Conference (NFC) History

The Northern Football Conference (NFC) was formed in 1954 as the Northern Ontario Rugby Football Union (NORFU). Its purpose, then as it is now, is to provide an opportunity for athletes over the age of 19 to play football beyond the high school level.

The NFC plays by the rules contained in the current edition of the Canadian Rule Book for Amateur Football with the following exceptions:

Four downs are used
The one-yard restraining zone at the line of scrimmage is waived
A coin toss is used to determine the choice of kick, receiver, end or defer for all scheduled games
Overtime is played to a maximum of two possessions per team for regular season games and until there is a victor for playoff games.

The Sault Ste. Marie Steelers won the 2009 championship in a rubber match against the Tri-City Outlaws. They had beaten the Outlaws for it in 2007 but lost it to them in 2008. A list of recent champions is included below, as are highlights of a 2009 regular season game between eventual champions Sault Ste. Marie and the Tri-City Outlaws. Also, photographer Michael Parkinson has many quality pictures of Kingston Privateers games from the 2008 and 2009 that should be checked out.

The NFC has been involved in national competition in recent years. The first Quebec-Ontario Bowl was played this past August, pitting the Toronto MadDogs against the Beauce X-Men. Played at Sainte-Marie de Beauce Quebec, the home team scored the winning TD with less than a second left on the clock to take a 20-18 victory.

The 2010 Quebec-Ontario Bowl will be played in Ontario. The NFC representative will be the third place team in the regular season standings, or the team with the best record after the Ontario semifinals.

The ultimate goal of the Quebec-Ontario Bowl is a Canadian championship match within the frame of the Canadian Major Football League (CMFL). Presently, the Canadian championship opposes the Alberta Football League champion and the NFC champion. Following their 2009 NFC title victory, the Sault Ste. Marie Steelers defeated the Edmonton Stallions by an impressive 65-06 score to earn the National championship as well.

2009 Sault Ste. Marie Steelers def. Tri City Outlaws 31-18
2008 Tri City Outlaws def. Sault Ste. Marie Steelers 21-10
2007 Sault Ste. Marie Steelers def. Tri City Outlaws 23-10
2006 Oshawa Hawkeyes def. Milton Marauders 20-17
2005 Tri City Outlaws def. Milton Marauders 13-09
2004 Milton Marauders def. Oakville Longhorns 35-14
2003 Oakville Longhorns def. Sault Ste. Marie Steelers 51-00
2002 Oakville Longhorns def. Mississauga Wolverines 34-06
2001 Oakville Longhorns def. Mississauga Wolverines 36-34
2000 Oakville Longhorns def. Sault Ste. Marie Storm 38-03
1999 Oakville Longhorns def. Markham Raiders 15-13
1998 Oakville Longhorns def. Markham Raiders 23-16(OT)
1997 Oakville Longhorns def. Toronto Eagles 34-04
1996 Oakville Longhorns def. Sault Ste. Marie Storm 35-14
1995 Oakville Longhorns def. Hamilton Wildcats 13-03
1994 Oakville Longhorns def. Sudbury Spartans 35-14
1993 Oakville Longhorns def. Scarborough Crimson Tide 25-21
1992 Sudbury Spartans def. Oakville Longhorns 31-07
1991 Sudbury Spartans def. Brampton Bears 36-07
1990 Oakville Longhorns def. Sudbury Spartans 13-12

Source: NFC Website