Inside Sport Japan, ISJ, has been covering American football in Japan for several years and as a partner with American Football International, has en eye on developments in Europe as well.
The team at ISJ has assembled a list of what they consider to be the Top 20 club, or semi-professional football teams outside of North America and Mexico.
The ranking has sparked tons of interest in Japan and will definitely trigger a hot debate in Europe as well.
Football has been played in Japan since the 1930s with the XLeague being the top league in the country. Football is played in Japan starting in elementary school and continues through high school and university with the top college leagues maintaining a high standard.
The ranking is by no means exact and not an AFI list but it is still interesting. The last time a Japanese club team played a European team, it was the Obic Seagulls who took on the Dusseldorf Panther in Dusseldorf. Obic won 34-3.
Anyway, read and leave your comments. We know there will be plenty. Let the debate begin…
