In Season 11, the big change is the introduction of the Reserve Division. Sanctuary Reserves originally played in SJG's 2nd Division, but after that collapsed, they had nowhere to play. So the NAFL formalized the Sovereign and Yeoman Division player pools into actual reserve teams with a league of their own. All the top 25 reserve teams will play in the same division, one game against each team. They will mostly play before small crowds at university venues, occasionally at their parent club's stadium.
Sovereign Division Standings
Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Newfield FC 24 19 4 1 71 15 +56 61 champions
2 Bridgewall City FC 24 15 5 4 32 9 +23 50
3 Archbishop FC 24 13 8 3 45 20 +25 47
4 FC Portus 24 13 5 6 32 22 +10 44
5 Sanctuary FC 24 14 1 9 36 34 +2 43
6 Springs FC 24 11 8 5 36 22 +14 41
7 Heartwood FC 24 8 6 10 33 38 -5 30
8 Castellum FC 24 6 5 13 11 23 -12 23
9 Vinovium United FC 24 3 12 9 16 35 -19 21
10 Isca Town FC 24 5 6 13 21 43 -22 21
11 FC St. Martin 24 5 5 14 27 44 -17 20
12 Labrador United FC 24 3 6 15 19 37 -18 15
13 Lumberjacks FC 24 3 5 16 21 58 -37 14 relegated
Newfield is on cruise control, winning their fourth consecutive championship. And this time it's in dominating fashion, winning by eleven points and scoring the most goals in NAFL history. They scored seven goals on four separate occasions, showing a goal-scoring prowess that had not been present in prior seasons. The top half of the league clearly separated themselves from the bottom, with teams 1-6 averaging 48 points, and the bottom half averaging just 24 points. Going down this year is Lumberjacks, reverting to their yo-yo tendencies. They even got their clocks cleaned 7-0 twice(!) by Newfield, a truly dismal season. They nearly avoided relegation, as Labrador finished clear of them by just one point. Labrador finished 0-1-2, while Lumberjacks went 1-1-1, but even though Labrador took it on the chin 4-2 to Heartwood on the final day, they could only tie Castellum 1-1 and head back down.
Yeoman Division Standings
Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Artisans FC 22 16 1 5 41 23 +18 49 promoted
2 Olympique Sept-Iles 22 15 2 5 63 24 +39 47
3 Londinium County FC 22 15 1 6 34 15 +19 46
4 Shepherds FC 22 14 1 7 34 24 +10 43
5 FC Mineurs 22 9 4 9 26 19 +7 31
6 Comrades FC 22 7 8 7 31 27 +4 29
7 Eboracum City FC 22 7 4 11 40 44 -4 25
8 First Nations FC 22 7 3 12 25 47 -22 24
9 Maritimes FC 22 6 5 11 18 35 -17 23
10 Homesteaders FC 22 5 7 10 22 31 -9 22
11 Stephenville 22 6 4 12 17 40 -23 22
12 FC Acadia 22 3 4 15 21 43 -22 13
It's finally time for Artisans! They have never been promoted before, but finished second last year. This year, they finally made it. They even outplayed Olympique Sept-Iles, a team not accustomed to longer stays in the Yeoman Division. There was a strong top tier this year, with Artisans, Sept-Iles, County, and a resurgent Shepherds finishing top-four with 43 or more points. City and First Nations finish higher than usual, though 7th and 8th are nothing to brag about. The biggest surprise has to be Stephenville sticking around in the Yeoman Division, especially nine points clear of last-place Acadia. A 1-3-7 second half wasn't enough to sink them after a surprisingly well-played 5-1-5 first half. Fortunately for them, Acadia went 1-2-8 in the second half. FC Acadia will be slumming it in the Maritime League next year.
Maritime League Standings
Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Kingston Town 22 10 9 3 20 10 +10 39 promotion playoff
2 Sussex Town 22 9 8 5 18 9 +9 35
3 Miramichi Caledonians 22 10 5 7 32 28 +4 35
4 Saint Stephen 22 8 8 6 18 15 +3 32
5 Edmunston Rangers 22 7 11 4 17 12 +5 32
6 Rothesay Corinthians 22 7 9 6 22 22 +0 30
7 Spring Hill Harriers 22 6 9 7 25 23 +2 27
8 Acadia Caraquet 22 6 9 7 21 22 -1 27
9 Bathurst Athletic 22 7 5 10 28 25 +3 26
10 Riverview United 22 6 8 8 17 23 -6 26
11 Yarmouth United 22 5 6 11 13 23 -10 21
12 Dalhousie 22 5 5 12 17 36 -19 20
Eastern League Standings
Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Stellarton Rovers 22 13 5 4 38 21 +17 44* promotion playoff
2 Fishermans FC 22 14 2 6 26 13 +13 44
3 Marystown Rovers 22 9 5 8 16 17 -1 32
4 Port Hawkesbury 22 9 3 10 20 24 -4 30
5 Fall River 22 8 6 8 24 19 +5 30
6 St. Anthony 22 7 9 6 17 19 -2 30
7 Bay Roberts 22 7 8 7 18 16 +2 29
8 Clarenville XI 22 7 7 8 21 19 +2 28
9 Harbour Breton 22 6 7 9 24 27 -3 25
10 Glace Bay 22 6 6 10 17 24 -7 24
11 AFC Truro 22 6 4 12 18 33 -15 22
12 New Glasgow Casuals 22 4 10 8 13 20 -7 22
*Advances on H2H record: 1-1-0
The second year of Third Division promotion and relegation sees Kingston Town and Stellarton Rovers at the top, battling it out for a spot in the Yeoman Division. Unfortunately, Fishermans will have to stay in the Eastern League one more year. They won their final game to tie the Rovers, but their head-to-head record condemned them to another year in purgatory. Both Kingston and Stellarton finished third last year and are moving up.
Promotion Playoff
Stellarton Rovers 1–0 Kingston Town
Kingston Town 1–0 Stellarton Rovers (2-0 AET, 2-1 aggregate)
Kingston Town rallies in AET to take the promotion spot, which means we'll have two Third Division teams in the Yeoman Division.
Reserve Division Standings
Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Springs Reserves 24 17 2 5 51 24 +27 53
2 Lumberjacks Reserves 24 14 5 5 45 29 +16 47
3 Archbishop B 24 12 7 5 44 26 +18 43
4 Isca Town B 24 13 4 7 36 27 +9 43
5 Sanctuary Reserves 24 12 6 6 33 23 +10 42
6 Bridgewall City Reserves 24 12 4 8 33 18 +15 40
7 Heartwood Reserves 24 11 6 7 38 24 +14 39
8 Labrador United Reserves 24 9 10 5 18 16 +2 37
9 Comrades B 24 11 4 9 25 18 +7 37
10 Shepherds Reserves 24 10 6 8 39 27 +12 36
11 Eboracum City Reserves 24 10 5 9 41 48 -7 35
12 Newfield Reserves 24 10 5 9 31 24 +7 35
13 Londinium County Reserves 24 10 4 10 35 43 -8 34
14 Portus B 24 8 9 7 19 15 +4 33
15 Castellum B 24 9 5 10 14 15 -1 32
16 Vinovium United B 24 9 4 11 35 27 +8 31
17 St. Martin B 24 7 9 8 26 32 -6 30
18 Olympique Sept-Iles B 24 9 3 12 42 37 +5 30
19 Fishermans Reserves 24 8 4 12 19 27 -8 28
20 FC Mineurs B 24 6 7 11 17 30 -13 25
21 Homesteaders B 24 6 4 14 31 44 -13 22
22 First Nations B 24 5 6 13 27 52 -25 21
23 Artisans B 24 4 8 12 23 45 -22 20
24 FC Acadia B 24 4 7 13 26 59 -33 19
25 Maritimes Reserves 24 3 8 13 13 31 -18 17
To little fanfare, it's Springs who takes the Reserve Division crown. Maybe the biggest surprise is the 12th place finish of Newfield Reserves, or the 2nd place finish of Lumberjacks' second team. Maybe they need to swap out some players after their debacle of a Sovereign Division season.
Play-in Round
Dalhousie 3–4 Yarmouth United
Yarmouth United 1–3 Dalhousie (5-6 aggregate)
Two fun games from the dregs of the Third Division! Seven goals in the first game sees Yarmouth United come out on top, but Dalhousie rallies in the second leg to move on to the first round and a date with Shepherds.
First Round
Dalhousie 1–0 Shepherds FC
Shepherds FC 4–0 Dalhousie (4-1 aggregate)
New Glasgow Casuals 0–0 FC Mineurs
FC Mineurs 1–0 New Glasgow Casuals (1-0 aggregate)
AFC Truro 0–2 Comrades FC
Comrades FC 3–2 AFC Truro (5-2 aggregate)
Glace Bay 2–1 Eboracum City FC
Eboracum City FC 1–4 Glace Bay (2-6 aggregate)
Harbour Breton 1–5 First Nations FC
First Nations FC 3–1 Harbour Breton (8-2 aggregate)
Riverview United 1–0 Maritimes FC
Maritimes FC 0–1 Riverview United (0-2 aggregate)
Bathurst Athletic 0–2 Homesteaders FC
Homesteaders FC 0–3 Bathurst Athletic (2-3 aggregate)
Acadia Caraquet 1–0 Stephenville
Stephenville 1–1 Acadia Caraquet (1-2 aggregate)
Spring Hill Harriers 2–1 FC Acadia
FC Acadia 0–0 Spring Hill Harriers (1-2 aggregate)
Clarenville XI 0–1 Stellarton Rovers
Stellarton Rovers 1–0 Clarenville XI (2-0 aggregate)
Bay Roberts 0–1 Fishermans FC
Fishermans FC 1–0 Bay Roberts (2-0 aggregate)
St. Anthony 0–1 Kingston Town
Kingston Town 0–0 St. Anthony (1-0 aggregate)
Rothesay Corinthians 1–2 Sussex Town
Sussex Town 0–0 Rothesay Corinthians (2-1 aggregate)
Fall River 3–3 Miramichi Caledonians
Miramichi Caledonians 1–0 Fall River (4-3 aggregate)
Port Hawkesbury 0–0 Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen 1–0 Port Hawkesbury (1-0 aggregate)
Marystown Rovers 1–0 Edmundston Rangers
Edmundston Rangers 0–1 Marystown Rovers (0-2 aggregate)
Several upsets in the first round, as Glace Bay takes down City in both legs, as a recent pattern of underperformance in the Cup continues. First Nations doesn't fall victim, blasting Harbour Breton in both legs, but Maritimes succumbs, unable to find any offense in a pair of 1-0 losses to Riverview. Meanwhile, Bathurst rallies from a 2-0 deficit after the first leg against Homesteaders, shutting them out 3-0 to advance. FC Acadia falls to Spring Hill Harriers, perhaps not boding well for their next season in the Third Division.
Second Round
Shepherds FC 0–2 Londinium County FC
Londinium County FC 0–4 Shepherds FC (2-4 aggregate)
FC Mineurs 0–1 Olympique Sept-Iles
Olympique Sept-Iles 1–1 FC Mineurs (2-1 aggregate)
Comrades FC 0–1 Artisans FC
Artisans FC 4–1 Comrades FC (5-1 aggregate)
Glace Bay 1–1 Lumberjacks FC
Lumberjacks FC 0–1 Glace Bay (1-2 aggregate)
First Nations FC 1–1 Labrador United FC
Labrador United FC 2–0 First Nations FC (3-1 aggregate)
Riverview United 0–1 FC St. Martin
FC St. Martin 5–4 Riverview United (6-4 aggregate)
Bathurst Athletic 2–2 Isca Town FC
Isca Town FC 1–2 Bathurst Athletic (3-4 aggregate)
Acadia Caraquet 1–2 Vinovium United FC
Vinovium United FC 2–0 Acadia Caraquet (4-1 aggregate)
Spring Hill Harriers 1–3 Castellum FC
Castellum FC 3–1 Spring Hill Harriers (6-2 aggregate)
Stellarton Rovers 0–3 Heartwood FC
Heartwood FC 4–1 Stellarton Rovers (7-1 aggregate)
Fishermans FC 1–5 Springs FC
Springs FC 0–0 Fishermans FC (5-1 aggregate)
Kingston Town 0–2 Sanctuary FC
Sanctuary FC 1–0 Kingston Town (3-0 aggregate)
Sussex Town 0–1 FC Portus
FC Portus 1–0 Sussex Town (2-0 aggregate)
Miramichi Caledonians 0–4 Archbishop FC
Archbishop FC 5–0 Miramichi Caledonians (9-0 aggregate)
Saint Stephen 0–1 Bridgewall City FC
Bridgewall City FC 1–0 Saint Stephen (2-0 aggregate)
Marystown Rovers 0–2 Newfield FC
Newfield FC 2–0 Marystown Rovers (4-0 aggregate)
Two Third Division teams take down Sovereign Division sides, but neither of them are Springs, which must come as a relief to fans terrorized by memories of the past two years. In fact, Springs faces Fishermans who, while technically a Third Division side, are more at home in the Yeoman Division, and blast them in the first leg, so they can play subs in the second leg and move on. The two Sovereign Division teams that will not be moving on are Lumberjacks, capping off a disappointing season, and Isca Town, who succumb to Bathurst in another rally from the New Brunswick side. Elsewhere, St. Martin's subs have a surprisingly difficult time with Riverview, but the top teams' subs and reserve team have little trouble with their Third Division opponents.
Round of 16
Vinovium United FC 1–1 Castellum FC
Castellum FC 0–0 Vinovium United FC (1-1 aggregate, Castellum advances on away goals)
Bathurst Athletic 0–4 Heartwood FC
Heartwood FC 5–0 Bathurst Athletic (9-0 aggregate)
FC St. Martin 0–7 Springs FC
Springs FC 1–1 FC St. Martin (8-1 aggregate)
Labrador United FC 1–0 Sanctuary FC
Sanctuary FC 0–0 Labrador United FC (0-1 aggregate)
Glace Bay 1–2 FC Portus
FC Portus 1–0 Glace Bay (3-1 aggregate)
Artisans FC 1–2 Archbishop FC
Archbishop FC 3–1 Artisans FC (5-2 aggregate)
Olympique Sept-Iles 0–1 Bridgewall City FC
Bridgewall City FC 0–1 Olympique Sept-Iles (5-1 AET, 6-1 aggregate)
Shepherds FC 1–4 Newfield FC
Newfield FC 3–1 Shepherds FC (7-2 aggregate)
Castellum advances over Vinovium in a pair of rather dull games, while Heartwood puts an end to Bathurst's unlikely run in rather rude fashion (9-0). Springs puts the wood to a St. Martin team that looks totally out of sorts in the first leg, then holds off the Horsemen in the second leg. Labrador uses defense and a lucky bounce to score a surprising advancement over Sanctuary and Portus continues to play subs against another Third Division team. Archbishop's B+ team scores two wins over Artisans, and Bridgewall's tie with Sept-Iles is hard-fought until the Pons Aelius makes it look all to easy against a discombobulated Islanders team in extra time. Meanwhile, Newfield easily handles Shepherds.
Quarterfinals
Labrador United FC 1–0 FC Portus
FC Portus 1–0 Labrador United FC (1-0 AET, 0-1 PKs)
Springs FC 0–3 Archbishop FC
Archbishop FC 1–0 Springs FC (4-0 aggregate)
Heartwood FC 0–1 Bridgewall City FC
Bridgewall City FC 0–1 Heartwood FC (0-3 AET, 1-3 aggregate)
Castellum FC 0–0 Newfield FC
Newfield FC 0–0 Castellum FC (0-0 AET, 1-0 PKs)
In the only quarterfinal that doesn't require extra time, Archbishop smacks Springs in the mouth in Aquae Sulis, then comes home and plays a comfortable 1-0 game. Springs really rebounded from losing to Third Division sides in the last two Cups, but they can't overcome a talented, disciplined Archbishop squad and their run ends here. Heartwood and Bridgewall trade 1-0 away wins, but Heartwood breaks down the back line in AET in Pons Aelius, and they advance to the semifinals for the second straight season, and third time overall (Season Eight). The big story has to be Labrador knocking out Portus; Portus has often seemed as though they don't take the Cup seriously, playing reserves and second-teamers well into the competition, but still advancing. They were stopped dead in their tracks, failing to put a single penalty shot past the Labrador keeper. And Castellum came so close to knocking off Newfield and ending their run of four consecutive Cup titles. They defended for 210 minutes, holding off Newfield, shot after shot, possession after possession. But they could not score in PKs and the defending champions finally broke through. You gotta have some offense to win, something Castellum perpetually seems to lack.
Semifinals
Heartwood FC 1–2 Archbishop FC
Archbishop FC 1–2 Heartwood FC (3-3 AET, 4-5 aggregate)
Labrador United FC 0–2 Newfield FC
Newfield FC 2–1 Labrador United FC (4-1 aggregate)
Whoof. After struggling so mightily with Castellum, Newfield looked vulnerable. But Labrador just isn't able to put up a fight, succumbing in both legs and ending their Cinderella run. It's a great achievement for them, and it might even inspire them to put some more money into the team after seeing their potential. Meanwhile, Heartwood tries their best to make it to their first final, taking a 2-1 lead into extra time, but they cannot hold off Archbishop in the extra period, giving up two goals and finishing their run. They have made the semifinal in three of the past four seasons, an incredible leap from the underachieving that usually accompanies Heartwood runs in the Cup. We will see a Newfield-Archbishop final, a good old-fashioned clash between the top two teams in the league.
Nova Anglican Cup Final
Newfield FC 2–2 Archbishop FC (3–2 AET)
A thrilling final goes into AET! For Archbishop, it was a game of counterattack, as they conceded early, but equalized before the halftime whistle. Then they trailed for most of the second half before scoring in the 88th minute to tie the match. It took both periods of extra time, but Newfield broke through in the 115th minute to score the game-winning goal and take home their fifth consecutive Cup. It was an excellent game and bodes well for the quality of play next season.