Everyone in football has a pathway. This is yours.
A semi-professional league where players wear the name of their city, staff train to world standard, and every stat goes public.
Discovery got Africa this far. Development takes it the rest of the way.
Africa has been called the home of raw, unrefined talent for long enough. Trials, one-off competitions and a word from the right person have carried the continent this far — and no further.
AFDL is the next model: a real season, real coaching, real records, and a real route out.
Draft. State Conference. Regional Playoffs. Finals.
Draft day.
Every season starts with a pool. Every player in the pool gets a team, with the weight of a whole city on their shoulders.
Regular season.
State-based conferences, played on AFDL's own football grounds. Every minute counts. Every minute is logged.
Regional playoffs.
The top of each conference goes through. Neutral grounds. No home advantage.
National finals.
The last stage.
Eleven on the pitch. A whole ecosystem behind them.
Coaches. Physios and sports medics. Scouts. Agents. Analysts. Referees. Sporting directors, CEOs and secretaries. Journalists and creators. If it takes a career to do it properly in world football, AFDL has a pathway for it — assessed on entry, trained with partners around the world, and tracked on your profile.
Player
Active or free-agent footballer
Coach
Head, assistant, youth, fitness
Physiotherapist
Sports medicine professional
Scout
Independent or club-affiliated
Team executive
Sporting director, CEO, secretary
Agent
Licensed player agent
Analyst
Data or video, performance & opposition
Referee
Match official, any federation level
Media
Journalist or content creator
Every stat. Every standing. In your pocket.
- Conference tables and results, match by match
- Player and team stats, public to anyone
- Build your profile and upload your best footage
- Follow players, scouts and agents inside the league
- Scouts: save watchlists. Executives: run your club.
The pitch you grew up on becomes the pitch you train on.
AFDL develops popular local football fields in each locality, which then serve as the home training grounds of that area's AFDL team. The league leaves the ground better than it found it. Beyond that, a fixed share of merchandise proceeds goes to charity.
Want a team of your own?
AFDL teams are privately owned. Meet the requirements, pass verification, and take your seat at the governing table alongside the board.
Remuneration
Cash prize for participants based on league position
Monthly training bonuses for playing and non-playing staff
Biggest cash prize for National Champion