With 10 teams competing, the most the tournament has ever seen, and finals coverage via Sky Sport Next on the line, it was bound to be an interesting championship.
 
The Tamaki Lightning and Nelson Honey Badgers emerged from Pool A with the Metro Lions narrowly missing out. From Pool B, the Hawkes Bay Heat and AFC Spitfires progressed to the semi-finals.
 
In the first semi-final, the Tamaki Lightning swept aside the AFC Spitfires with a convincing 42-6 win. All the drama was saved for the semi-final between the Hawkes Bay Heat and Nelson Honey Badgers.
 
Ending 33 a piece, the finalist was decided on a count-back of points conceded, seeing the defending champions, the Heat, go through to the final.
 
It was the defending champions pipped against the Lightning looking to claim their first national championship, and it was the latter that struck first after a great catch from Shiraz Soysa.
 
However, the Heat swiftly answered back through the talents of Adam Blake to make the score 7-6.
 
The Lightning took the lead into the second half after some stellar play and a flurry of touchdowns.
 
Firstly, Anthony Stevens stepped over the endzone to add to the Lightning’s lead, 13-6. And then quickly turned over possession again to get another touchdown, this time through Dalton Coppins.
 
The Heat managed to weather the storm with some magic of their own, grabbing a late touchdown before the half time whistle reducing the deficit to six. Adam Blake caught a full field hail-mary that lead to a touchdown from Murray Orr. A great charge lead by Quarterback Jordan Cox.
 
The Lightning emerged from the break with energy and a point to prove, and once again were first on the board from a Dalton Coppins touchdown, thanks to some pinpoint passing from Quarterback Jim Hunter.
 
At 25-13, the Lightning looked strong favourites but the Heat’s Quarterback Jordan Cox again came calling, rushing home for the touchdown to bring the score back to 25-19.
 
The Lightning’s offense was proving too much for the Heat though, with Dalton Coppins completing his hattrick to make the score 31-19.
 
With two minutes left on the clock, they put the nail in the coffin, again through a Hunter-Coppins connection for Coppins’ fourth touchdown of the match.
 
The Heat’s Adam Blake had a nice defensive pick, going full field to add 2 points for the Heat, hoping to spark a late comeback.
 
And they did find another through Blake, his second of the game.
 
However they had left it too late. The scores closing at 37-27 to give the Tamaki Lightning their first national title, the 2020 Club Flag Football National Championships. 

NZAFF’s Club Flag Football National Championships are underway this weekend, with 10 teams contesting the 2020 national title.
 
After being postponed due to COVID-19, this year’s event will see a revamped competition at a different time of year and in a new city, with Auckland taking over hosting duties from Wellington.
 
It’s also the first time the national competition will be broadcast with Sunday’s finals matches available live and free to air on Sky Sport Next.
 
“Really, it’s just about getting the sport out there in front of everybody,” says Russell McConnochie, the NZAFF General Manager.
 
“American Football is a minor sport, and this showcases the non-contact version which can be played by anybody, anywhere.”
 
The competition will be comprised of two pools of five teams, with the top two from each pool progressing to the knockout stage.
 
With more teams than ever before, this year’s road to the championship will be hotly contested.
 
“Every year there’s an upset. There are several teams that have not played in national tournaments before. There are a couple of possible dark horses,” says McConnochie.
 
“The Hawke’s Bay Heat, Nelson Honey Badges, and Tamaki Lightening are always in there. The North Harbour Pride are also ones to watch. Christchurch's AGC Spitfire and Auckland’s Metro Lions are both newbies and unknown quantities, like any sport it depends which teams brought on the day. The South Auckland Raiders are going big with two teams entered and the Hamilton Hawks will be travelling to compete as well.
 
A tournament team will be selected from the championships, with selection also up for grabs to the New Zealand high-performance unit, where the Flag Football national team is selected from.
 
NZAFF are exploring the possibility of a Trans-Tasman battle for the Makos in the near future, dependent on the travel restrictions under COVID-19.
 
The draw is now up and available here. Live updates will be posted throughout the Club Flag Football National Championships on NZAFF’s web site, social media pages and on the NZAFF app.
 
For more information please go to www.nzaff.co.nz or follow the event on Facebook and Instagram.