JAFL
Founded in 2000 by Andy McGrae, JAFL grew into a four-division senior and youth competition with cups, playoffs and a deep football economy.
JAFL historyAn ESMS league remembered
Just Another Football League.
JAFL began in 2000 and became home to generations of fantasy football managers. This archive remembers the clubs, competitions and people behind the league—and points today’s ESMS community towards the ESMS Hub.
2000Founded
31Recorded seasons
2015Final chapter
What was JAFL?
Football management by email.
Managers selected teams and tactics, emailed their teamsheets to the game runner and received detailed ESMS+ match reports in return.
JAFL offered much more than a weekly result. Managers traded players, developed youth squads, wrote newspaper articles, upgraded stadiums and training grounds, entered auctions and competed across senior, youth and inter-league tournaments.
It was free to play and powered by volunteers who kept the fixtures, transfers, finances and match running moving season after season.
A lasting legacy
From JAFL to SSL2001.
The 2015 migration
When JAFL folded in 2015, twelve clubs and their managers moved into SSL2001 at the start of SSL season 33 on 28 November 2015. The arrival helped strengthen a league that remains active today.
One connected community
JAFL, SSL2001 and UCFL shared managers and inter-league competition. That same community spirit continues through the ESMS Hub, a home for ESMS leagues, downloads, news and discussion.
The sister leagues
Three names from the ESMS era.
SSL2001
JAFL’s former sister league remains active, carrying forward clubs, managers and memories from JAFL after the 2015 migration.
Visit SSL2001 ↗
UCFL
The Ultimate Challenge Football League was another sister competition whose managers met JAFL and SSL sides in shared ESMS events. UCFL is now dissolved.
Visit UCFL archive ↗From the archive
JAFL through the years.
ESMS continues
Find leagues, engines, tools and the community.
ESMS Hub brings together information for players and league owners, including ESMS downloads, league listings, news, interviews and development of the ESMS Go engine.
Go to ESMS Hub ↗