The Portland Steelheads are an Australian Football Club that represent Portland, Oregon in the US Australian Football League. We play Australian Rules Football, or “footy” as it is colloquially called, at 2 different levels. During the footy season, which runs from spring to fall, the club occasionally plays games against other clubs from around the US and Canada (most often our rivals to the north, the Seattle Grizzlies), either in tournaments or single matches. At the same time, every year the club puts on the Portland Australian Football League. At the beginning of the season, Steelheads players are drafted into 3 separate teams, which then face off against each other throughout the year. The PAFL champion is decided by the Grand Final, which is held in mid-September. The season then culminates in the USAFL Nationals Tournament in October, where teams from around the country meet and compete against each other over the course of one weekend.

In addition to playing footy, the club holds events throughout the year, including viewings of Australian Football League games (the highest level of competition in the sport), activities celebrating Australian culture, and other general social events.

The club was founded in 2003 as the Portland Power, when club members acquired jerseys from the Port Adelaide Power of the AFL. While comprised of only a handful of footy enthusiasts at its founding, the club has steadily grown each year, leading to the team’s first year competing at the USAFL Nationals Tournament with a full team in 2010. At the beginning of the 2011 season, the club announced it was renaming itself the Portland Steelheads AFC to better establish its own identity and to better represent our home city of Portland.

Australian Rules Football is a fast, exciting, and fun sport to play. Every year sees new faces join the club, and we’re always excited to share our passion for the game and teach people how to play. Our club is comprised of Aussies and Americans alike, and we welcome new players regardless of experience level. Learn more about footy, or contact us to get more information about joining the club.