History of American football
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Japan
The Japan American Football Association was founded in 1934 with three collegiate teams: Rikkyo, Meiji and Waseda. By 1937, an allstar game involving teams representing eastern and western Japan, attracted over 25,000 spectators.
Europe
American football in Europe first began as a four-team tournament between NATO allies on the west coast of Italy. The game began to take hold in Italy, with the first game between two European teams occurring between teams from Piacenza and Legnano. The German Football League was formed in 1979. By 1981, the first international games between European nations occurred, as a two game series between German and Italian teams.
The first European governing body, the American European Football Federation (AEFF) was formed in 1982 by representatives from Finland, Italy, Germany, Austria, and France. The league expanded in 1985 to include Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Great Britain and changed its name to the European Football League. Now known as the European Federation of American Football, it now is made up of 14 member nations. Today, there are approximately 800 American football clubs throughout Europe, with Germany's American Football Verband Deutschland (AFVD) overseeing more than 230 clubs.
Similar codes of football
Other codes of football share a common history with American football. Canadian football is a form of the game that evolved parallel to American football. While both games share a common history, there are some important differences between the two. A more modern sport that derives from American football is Arena football, designed to be played indoors inside of hockey or basketball arenas. The game was invented in 1981 by Jim Foster and the Arena Football League was founded in 1987 as the first major professional league to play the sport. Several other indoor football leagues have since been founded and continue to play today.
American football's parent sport of rugby continued to evolve. Today, two distinct codes of rugby, known as rugby union and rugby league are played. Since the two codes split in 1895, the rugby league and the history of rugby union have evolved separately.