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Roughly four months ago, nearly two million people converged upon the city of Philadelphia to celebrate the Super Bowl Champion Eagles.
Mixed in amongst those who spent hours lining the streets and tucked into the crowds were members of another football team – the Philadelphia Hawks. This weekend, under much warmer and possibly wetter conditions, those footballers will try and bring home a championship of their own.
It’s not a World Championship, but the USAFL Northeastern Regional Championship still comes with bragging rights and a big old trophy. The Hawks men will be amongst four teams vying for the crown along with the DC Eagles, Baltimore Dockers and the New York Magpies.
The carnival kicks off the 2025 USAFL Regional Championship Series, which makes the first of its four stops in Oaks, Pennsylvania. Lower Perkiomen Valley Park sits not terribly far from the great battlefield at Valley Forge, and is nestled between the Perkiomen Creek and US Route 422. It’s the fourth time it’s hosted a USAFL regional tournament, having hosted the 2018 and 2022 Eastern Regionals, and the 2021 Summer Series.
TOURNAMENT INFO: 2025 USAFL NorthEastern Regionals
Saturday, June 7th, 2025
Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, Oaks, PA
First Game starts at 10am EDT
Full Fixture | Coverage on YouTube
All eight matches on the day look to be hard fought; for the men, the Hawks, D.C. Eagles, and Baltimore Dockers have gotten off to flying starts this year and the New York Magpies are consistently strong at all aspects of the game. For the women, the DC/NY rivalry between two talent-laden clubs is always a fun watch.
Here’s a look at the divisions. The men will play a round robin with the best record being crowned champions, while the women will play one game for the title and a second where the teams will be mixed up.
MEN’S DIVISION
#1 Seed: New York Magpies (0-0)
#2 Seed: D.C. Eagles (6-0) w/ North Carolina
#3 Seed: Philadelphia Hawks (2-0) w/ Cleveland, Columbus, & Virginia
#4 Seed: Baltimore Dockers (2-3)
There was a time when the New York Magpies ruled over the USAFL’s eastern region like the Manhattan skyscrapers dwarfed the streets below. From the old EAFL through the Nationals and two men’s D1 titles, the Gothams were always a dominant club. When it’s come to the Regional Championships, however, it’s taken a while for them to get a stronghold. They took out the ERC in 2016, but it wasn’t until the 2021 Summer series and the 2022 ERC that they tasted success again.
There’s a little bit of fire in the bellies of the ‘Pies coming into this weekend and to 2025, however. Finishing sixth of six teams in National’s D1 didn’t sit well. Most of the core of the team is back this season, with cagey veterans like Adam “Buddy” Franklin and Spencer Riesbeck among them. Gabe Casillas brings his quickless and field awareness to a team that already has a lot of it, and the addition of former Austin Crow Sam Nix makes New York a good choice to hoist another trophy.
But if there was one team that hasn’t been afraid of the Magpies, or anyone else for that matter, it’s the self styled “Kings of the Beltway”. And they are arguably the hottest team in the whole of the USAFL right now. Six wins from six games, including the Mid-Atlantic Cup and two victories over arch-nemesis Baltimore. For DC, it’ll be a shot at a third straight regional crown, having taken out D2 in each of the last two Super Regionals.
Though there are Aussie vets on this team, the strength comes through it’s US National team prospects. Luke “Kansas” Myer was a last minute addition to the Trans Atlantic Cup team last year and did a sparkling job defensively for the Revolution. Tom Mathew, Alex Foster, and Bernie Berges show deftness in their positions. And, the five North Carolina Tigers who complete the side add even more depth, which Revolution players Keith Phillips and Erik Hanson, part of last year’s Super Regionals team, hope to be a part of another winner.
This is the eleventh season at the ground affectionately called the “Hawks Nest,” and Philadelphia’s seen its most successful stretch as a club while playing there. Three D3 National champs and two regional wins, including at home in 2018, have brought Jon Loring and company much respect around the league. This year, they’ll try and top the table with help from the Cleveland Cannons and members of the Columbus Cats and Virginia Lions.
John Hinchen’s arrival at the Hawks was part of the above renescience. Loring’s unmistakable presence with the hooped jumper and his field general commands keystone things across the back line. This is a strong squad, with Alex Coren coming back into the fold, and Cleveland’s Dayne Plemmons patrolling the forward line alongside Greg Glasgow. Columbus’ Dean Panik and Jay Ziegler are national-team caliber, and should mesh well with the rest of the side The Hawks are 2-0 after wins against the Lions and Dockers, and are optimistic about their chances.
Baltimore always plays a lot of football and so far they’ve etched a 2-3 record onto their 2025 ledger. They travelled out to Ohio for the Super Regional last year and went toe-to-toe with Division 1 competition, coming away 1-2. They’ll be itching to get revenge over the Hawks and Eagles, whom they have a combined 0-3 record against this season. The Dock Show is always fun to watch, and the NERC carnival will be no exception.
With a roster that still boasts many of the players who have been around since the beginning of their existence in 2018, the boys from the Charm City are better than their 4th seed designation. They have an emerging group of younger players, led by Isley Autrey, who was amongst the Dockers’ best players at Nationals. Val Kafexholli always is amongst the game highs in possessions, and John O’Connor is poised for another fantastic carnival.
WOMEN’S DIVISION:
New York Magpies (w/ North Carolina) vs
DC Eagles (w/ Virginia & Philadelphia)
The east coast’s two flagship women’s sides have had some spirited and close matches over the years. The most memorable was when the Eagles teamed up with the Dockers and Boston in 2018 and beat the Magpies to earn their first regional championship. The ‘Pies pipped them back the following season. And after splitting the four games they played last year, the teams kick off their Aussie Rules Club campaigns on neutral ground.
New York paired with Denver in women’s Division 1 at Nationals last year, and though they left Austin with just one win from three games, that win was a come-from-behind effort to best the seven time National Champion Golden Gate Iron Maidens. The ‘Pies are hoping to bring another strong contingent to Nationals; the one they bring to Philly is a delightful mix of stalwarts and new recruits that are off to try and win their first regionals since 2019.
Drea Casillas, aka the Secretary of Defense, kicks off her 21st season in the league keystoning the New York halfback line. Andi Hargrave and Lucy Mcleod will be important tall figures in the ruck and defense, respectively, and Danielle Gallagher is back in the side as well. The Magpies’ recruiting class will try and make an impression too, with Diana Lizmi, Yolanda Newson, Grace Hinchen and Jospehine Hawley all keen to impact the play. They’ll also have a debutant from North Carolina as Shannon Parker becomes the first woman to represent the Tigers since Magpie alum Kim Hemenway.
Down in DC, the Eagles are still building their women’s program and that industry has led to a robust program that is poised to take the competition by storm. They finished in 3rd at the 2021 USAFL Nationals, but have brought full teams to the last three Nationals and are hoping to do the same in Tucson. First thing is first for Amy Wilson and company; getting through New York, and that’s something they have done during the regular season before.
Something that the Eagles lacked in their formative years was a consistent group of players. They have one now, and it improves with every game. Veteran Clare Conley shows the way with her hustle and tenacity, as does Kathleen Verey. Ash Malabanan is developing into a key role player, and Kate Speer’s one-percenters have been very timely. Watch out as well for the sisterly trio of Immi, Milli, and Izzi Gardiner, who come over from the Queanbeyan Tigers in the AFL Canberra competition. Add in the toughness of Virginia Lion Deann “Tex” Hall and the experience of Perthite-turned-Philadelphian Caitlin Tilsed, the the Eagles come flight up north with strength.
