2011 NFL lockout, Lockout, Court rulings
The stay was extended through at least June 3, when a full appeal was heard; the Eighth Circuit vacated Nelson's ruling on July 8, affirming the legitimacy of the lockout, but also suggested that Judge Nelson could impose an injunction of the lockout as it relates to players not under contract such as free agents and rookies.


2011 NFL lockout, Lockout, Contingency plans
A provision in the CBA ensured that the 2011 NFL Draft was allowed to take place despite the lockout. In addition, there was also some cushion in the 2011 schedule just in case the labor dispute lasted into September and the planned start of the regular season. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that Super Bowl XLVI could be moved a week later if needed, so that the entire season could be played in full.


2011 NFL lockout, Lockout, Contingency plans
In addition, every contest in Week 3 had teams that shared the same bye week later in the season, which would have allowed these games to be made up on what was originally the teams' byes. Weeks 2 and 4 were set up so that there are neither any divisional rivalry games nor teams on bye in those weeks, which would have kept the season as fair as possible if those games had to be canceled. The league could also eliminate the normal off week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl.


2011 NFL lockout, Lockout, Contingency plans
Up to six weeks of the season could have been lost (moving week 3 games into the bye weeks, canceling weeks 2, 4, and 17, and moving weeks 1 and 5 to the end of the season while postponing the playoffs one week) while still keeping a generally fair schedule with five division games and eight non-division games. The league also had a plan for a longer lockout, which included an abbreviated eight-game season beginning in late November. Goodell had also  stated that the league did not consider using replacement players.


2011 NFL lockout, Lockout, Other litigation
On March 28, 2011, four former NFL players, including Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller, sued the NFL in hopes of joining current players in their antitrust fight against the league. The 44-page complaint filed in federal court in Minneapolis sought class-action status on behalf of all former players. The retirees wanted the NFL lockout lifted to ensure their pensions and health benefits remain funded. According to the lawsuit, those benefits would end if a collective bargaining agreement was not renewed by next March 11, a year after the last one expired.


2011 NFL lockout, Lockout, Other litigation
On July 5, 2011, a group of retired NFL players led by Carl Eller, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen and Paul Krause filed its own class-action lawsuit against both the NFL and NFLPA, stating that the renunciation of CBA rights disqualified the NFLPA from bargaining on the former NFL players' behalf.


2011 NFL lockout, End of lockout
These NFL owners announced on July 21, 2011 that they had approved a settlement of the players' antitrust litigation by a 31–0–1 margin (the Oakland Raiders abstained), but the players decided not to vote on the settlement because they did not approve all of the terms outlined in the proposal. After continued negotiations, the ten players named as plaintiffs in the Brady case approved the settlement on July 25, and the agreement became effective after ratification by a majority of the players in the NFL on August 4, 2011. Although the settlement was approved on July 25, the NFL didn't officially recognize the NFLPA’s status as the players’ collective bargaining representative until July 30, 2011. When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith signed the agreement, the lockout officially ended.


2011 NFL lockout, End of lockout, New CBA
ESPN writer John Clayton notes that there were five major parts of the new CBA: free agency, salary cap, rookie compensation, minimum salaries, and franchise tags. First, free agency guidelines returned to the way they were from 1993 to 2011. This means that a player needs four years of experience to become an unrestricted free agent, and three years of experience for restricted free agency. Second, the salary cap is now $120.375 million, but unlike the previous CBA, the new one initially has no per-team salary minimum.


2011 NFL lockout, End of lockout, New CBA
Team salary floors would not return until the 2013 season, at which time they became 89% of the cap. For the 2011 season, teams had the ability to "borrow" $3 million in future salary cap space to use on a signed player. For the years following the 2011 season, teams have the option of "borrowing" $1.5 million each for up to three players. Third, the rookie compensation was altered. There is a limit to the amount of money given to rookies, with the maximum total in 2011 being $874 million.


2011 NFL lockout, End of lockout, New CBA
First round picks receive four-year deals, with a fifth year option. In the second through seventh rounds, there are slotted four-year deals. Fourth, the league minimum salary for players increased by 10–12 percent, based on tenure. Fifth, a team's ability to place a franchise or transition tag on top players to retain his rights did not change. Other major concerns included health and safety of players, as well as former player benefits and pensions. The new 10-year collective bargaining agreement runs through 2021, and has an estimated value of $12–$16 billion per year.


2011 NFL lockout, End of lockout, Players' takeaways
The players won $1 billion in additional benefits for retired players, an opportunity to stay in the players' medical plan for life, increased minimum salaries, the continuation of a 16-game regular season schedule, improvements in player safety, increased injury protection, unrestricted free agency after four years, a true salary floor, and increased roster size. Some of the major player safety improvements included five fewer weeks of organized off-season practice, limited on-field practice time, limited full-contact practices, elimination of two-a-day practices in pads, and an increase in the number of days off of work. The players also prevented the owners from knocking them down to 42 percent of league revenues, with a decreasing percentage each year. Starting in 2012, the players also won 55 percent of national media revenue, 45 percent of all NFL Ventures revenue, and 40 percent of local club revenue.


2011 NFL lockout, End of lockout, Owners' takeaways
The owners won franchise and transition tags, not having to pay $320 million in benefits for an uncapped year, no judicial oversight in disputes between players and owners, settlement of all pending litigation, a rookie wage system, full regular season game revenue, more equitable revenue sharing and supplemental revenue sharing, no opt out clause for players for 10 years (though the owners cannot opt out, either), and credit for stadium investments with up to 1.5 percent of revenue each year. The league also cited the new CBA as a key factor in being able to negotiate long-term extensions in their television contracts, which were renewed a few months after the CBA was finalized and include minimum 50% increases in rights fees across all television partners.


2011 NFL lockout, End of lockout, Owners' takeaways
The owners were unable to get an additional $1 billion off the top of all revenue, an 18-game season, and rights of first refusal for the 2011 unrestricted free agents.


2011 NFL lockout, End of lockout, Hall of Fame Game
The two teams (Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams) involved in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game had set a deadline of July 22, 2011, for both sides to ratify a deal in time for training camp to be opened and the game to be played (under normal circumstances, each team opens training camp 15 days before their first preseason game). When that day passed without both sides agreeing to a deal, the league canceled the game. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was the only on-field cancellation of the lockout.


2011 NFL season
The 2011 NFL season was the 92nd regular season of the National Football League and the 46th of the Super Bowl era. It began on Thursday, September 8, 2011, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and ended with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on February 5, 2012, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis where the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21–17.


2011 NFL season
Due to a labor dispute between league owners and players, a lockout began on March 11 and ended on July 25, lasting 130 days. Although it initially threatened to postpone or cancel the season, the only game that was canceled was the August 7 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.


2011 NFL season
The 2011 season saw an unprecedented amount of passing offense: Three of the nine highest passing yardage totals of all time were established: No. 2 Drew Brees (5,476), No. 3 Tom Brady (5,235), and No. 9 Matthew Stafford (5,038); Eli Manning threw for 4,933 yards, which places him 14th all time. It also saw Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers establish the all-time single-season best quarterback rating of 122.5.


2011 NFL season
Further cementing the modern NFL's reputation as a "passing league" was the fact that, for the second consecutive year, the league overall set a record for most average passing yards per team per game, with 229.7, breaking 2010's record by more than eight yards per game. (For comparison, the league-wide average rushing yards total finished the 2011 season at 57th all-time.)


2011 NFL season
A subplot of the 2011 season was determining who would have the worst record, and therefore "earn" the right to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft. Stanford senior quarterback Andrew Luck was seen as the best quarterback prospect in years. Fans of some teams that started the season with numerous losses (notably the Indianapolis Colts) were openly rooting for their teams to "Suck for Luck."


2011 NFL season, Labor dispute
In May 2008 the owners decided to opt out of the 1993 arrangement and play the 2010 season without an agreement in place. Some of the major points of contention included openness of owners' financial books, the rookie pay scale, a proposed 18 percent reduction in the players' share of revenues, forfeiture on bonus payments for players who fail to perform, players' health and retirement benefits, details of free agency, the cost and benefit of new stadiums, players' salaries, extending the regular season to 18 games, and the revenue-sharing structure.


2011 NFL season, Labor dispute
By March 2011, the NFLPA and the NFL had not yet come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, thus failing to resolve the labor dispute. Accordingly, the NFLPA informed the league and the clubs that the players had voted to have the NFLPA renounce its bargaining rights. After the renunciation of collective bargaining rights, quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees joined seven other NFL players and filed an antitrust suit to enjoin the lockout.


2011 NFL season, Labor dispute
Following the settlement of the Brady et al. v. NFL antitrust suit on July 25, 2011, a majority of players signed union authorization cards approving the NFL Players Association to act as their exclusive collective bargaining representative. The NFL officially recognized the NFLPA’s status as the players’ collective bargaining representative on July 30. The NFL and NFLPA proceeded to negotiate terms for a new collective bargaining agreement, and the agreement became effective after ratification by the players on August 4. The new collective bargaining agreement ran through 2021.


2011 NFL season, NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was held from April 28 to 30, 2011 at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. With the first pick, the Carolina Panthers selected quarterback Cam Newton from Auburn.


2011 NFL season, Player movement
Free agency began on July 25 2011 following the end of the 2011 NFL lockout.


2011 NFL season, Player movement, Trades
The following notable trades were made during the 2011 league year:


2011 NFL season, Rule changes
The following are rule changes that were passed at the league's annual owners meeting in March. All changes went into effect once the labor dispute was resolved.


2011 NFL season, Rule changes
The following rule changes were adopted at the NFL Owners' Meeting on May 24, 2011:


2011 NFL season, Rule changes
The league has instructed game officials to "err on the side of caution" when calling such personal foul penalties, and that they will not be downgraded if they make a mistake so that they will not hesitate on making these kinds of calls.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
The preseason schedule was released April 12, 2011. The Hall of Fame Game, had it been played, would have featured the Chicago Bears against the St. Louis Rams in only the second time since 1971 that the game would have featured two teams from the same conference. Instead, the preseason began with the San Diego Chargers hosting the Seattle Seahawks on August 11; the remainder of the preseason and all other games was played as originally scheduled (with the exception of the preseason Jets-Giants game, which was postponed two days due to Hurricane Irene).


2011 NFL season, Schedule
The 2011 season began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at Lambeau Field, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers hosting the New Orleans Saints in the kickoff game; the last regular season games were held on Sunday, January 1, 2012. The playoffs started on Saturday, January 7, 2012, and ended with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
Under the NFL's scheduling formula, intraconference and interconference matchups were:


2011 NFL season, Schedule
When the league was arranging the schedule in spring 2011, it added some cushion in case the labor dispute lasted into September and the planned start of the regular season. For example, every contest in Week 3 had teams which shared the same bye week later in the season, which would have allowed these games to be made up on what were originally the teams' byes.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
Weeks 2 and 4 were set up so that there were neither any divisional rivalry games nor teams on bye in those weeks, and every team with a home game in Week 2 was on the road in Week 4 and vice versa. This would have kept the season as fair as possible if those games had to be canceled. These scheduling changes, along with eliminating the week off before the Super Bowl and moving the Super Bowl back a week, would have allowed the NFL to play a 14-game schedule beginning in mid-October while still having the Super Bowl in mid-February.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
This season's International Series game featured the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in London on October 23, with the Buccaneers serving as the home team. The Bears won 24–18. It marked the Bears' second game played outside the United States in as many years, as they were a part of the Bills Toronto Series in 2010. The Buccaneers previously appeared in the International Series in 2009. One week later on October 30, the Buffalo Bills defeated the Washington Redskins in the Bills' annual game at Rogers Centre in Toronto by a score of 23–0. Although this was within the bounds of the 2011 CFL season, neither of the two Southern Ontario CFL teams was playing on the same day, and both played away games that weekend. The 2011–12 season also marked the 20th anniversary of the Bills and Redskins meeting in Super Bowl XXVI.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
The Detroit Lions hosted their first Monday Night Football game since 2001, when they faced the Bears on Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving (the Detroit-Windsor market straddles the U.S.–Canada border). Detroit defeated Chicago 24–13 for the team's fifth straight win, the most Lions wins to start a season since the team's glory years in the 1950s, continuing a streak that has been seen as a pleasant surprise for Lions fans, after over a decade of mediocrity.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
The 2011 Thanksgiving Day slate featured the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers winning 27–15 on the road against Detroit and the Cowboys coming back to defeat the Miami Dolphins 20–19 at home. The Thanksgiving nightcap on the NFL Network showed the Baltimore Ravens defeating the San Francisco 49ers 16–6 at home; this was the first Thanksgiving game for the 49ers since 1972, the first ever for the Ravens, and a game that put first-year 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh against his brother, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
Christmas Day fell on Sunday. The TV contracts state that the majority of afternoon games are played on Christmas Eve (Saturday) and only one game is held over for Sunday night. The Packers defeated the Bears, 35–21, on Christmas evening on NBC.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
New Year's Day 2012 consequently also fell on a Sunday, and the NFL played its entire Week 17 schedule that day. The major college bowl games usually played on New Year's Day, as well as the NHL Winter Classic, were instead played on Monday, January 2. For the second straight year, Week 17 only featured divisional match-ups.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
The New York Giants visited the Washington Redskins on September 11, 2011, the first Sunday of the regular season, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in which Washington, D.C. and New York City were both targeted, as well as the first such anniversary since the killing of Osama bin Laden in May. Due to the proximity of Baltimore with Washington as well as the proximity of Pittsburgh with the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed, the Pittsburgh Steelers visited the archrival Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.


2011 NFL season, Schedule
It marked the first time the two teams played in a season-opening game since 2003, as their heated rivalry usually prompts their games to be scheduled later in the season. There had been some speculation that the Giants and their same-city rival, the New York Jets, could have played each other that day since the two were scheduled to play each other in 2011; the Jets were the designated home team at MetLife Stadium in the matchup which had been predetermined due to the NFL's scheduling formula. However, the Jets instead hosted the Dallas Cowboys.


2011 NFL season, Schedule, Scheduling changes
The following regular-season games were moved by way of flexible scheduling, severe weather, or for other reasons:


2011 NFL season, Awards, Players of the Week/Month
The following were named the top performers during the 2011 season:


2011 NFL season, Awards, Regular Season Awards
For the first time, the league held the NFL Honors, an awards show to salute the best players and plays for the season. The 1st Annual NFL Honors was held at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana on February 4, 2012.


2011 NFL season, Coaching changes, Pre-season
The uncertain labor issues and the possibility of a lockout were speculated to have a minimizing effect on coaching changes prior to the 2011 season, with owners predicted to be more hesitant than usual to hire a high-price, high-profile head coach. Nevertheless, eight coaches were fired either during or immediately after the 2010 NFL season, compared to three in the year prior; only one of the new hires (John Fox) had ever been a head coach in the NFL prior to their hirings or promotions. However, Leslie Frazier, and Jason Garrett did get some experience as interim coaches during the 2010 season, with Garrett being successful in his debut season, going 5–3 in his tenure, improving the 1–7 Cowboys to a 6–10 season.


2011 NFL season, Coaching changes, Pre-season
Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback, came from the Stanford Cardinal football team, where he led the Cardinal to a 12–1 record in 2010 behind the arm of top quarterback prospect Andrew Luck, culminating in a victory in the Orange Bowl. (Luck was expected to declare for the 2011 NFL Draft if Harbaugh left, but decided to stay at Stanford.)


2011 NFL season, Coaching changes, Pre-season
Rivera had spent the previous three seasons as defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers.


2011 NFL season, Stadiums, Naming rights agreements
In addition, the San Diego Chargers' home field, Qualcomm Stadium, was temporarily renamed "Snapdragon Stadium" for a ten-day period from December 16–25, which included the team's Week 15 home game vs. the Baltimore Ravens, as a marketing tie in for Qualcomm's Snapdragon brand.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
The first Sunday of the season fell on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. To commemorate that event players, coaches, game officials and sideline personnel all wore a special stars and stripes ribbon bearing the dates "9/11/01" and "9/11/11" as a patch or pin. Players were also allowed to wear special red, white and blue gloves and shoes.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
The Buffalo Bills introduced redesigned uniforms on June 24, 2011. Early rumors fueled by a Madden NFL 12 trailer featuring a Bills throwback uniform had indicated the team would be adopting the uniforms the team wore between 1975 and 1983; the final product indeed resembled those uniforms, with some minor adjustments. The new uniforms (which marked the first redesign since 2002) were unveiled at a fan appreciation event at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills wore their white "away" uniforms in their week nine home game against the New York Jets as part of a whiteout promotion; the last time the team had worn their white uniforms at home was in 1986.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
The New England Patriots' uniforms bore a patch bearing the initials "MHK" in honor of team owner Robert Kraft's wife Myra Kraft who died of cancer in July. The Patriots wore their red throwback uniforms in their week five game against the New York Jets. They wore their white jerseys at home against the Dallas Cowboys in week six, thus forcing the Cowboys to use their navy jerseys for the only time all season and the first time since 2009. As per tradition, the Cowboys wore their throwbacks on Thanksgiving Day (November 24) at home against the Miami Dolphins.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
The St. Louis Rams wore their throwback uniforms in week 8 against the New Orleans Saints; the date was determined by fan voting.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
The Baltimore Ravens wore their black alternative jerseys twice in 2011: with black pants against the Jets and with white pants against the 49ers.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wore their orange throwback uniforms during week 13 against Carolina.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
The Oakland Raiders wore stickers featuring "AL" on their helmets after owner Al Davis died on October 8, 2011.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
This season was the last in which the Denver Broncos wore their navy blue jerseys as their primary jersey, as the team has designated their orange jerseys—the team's alternate home jersey since 2002—as their new primary home jersey color, beginning with the 2012 season. The move was made due to overwhelming fan support to return to using orange as the team's primary home jersey color, which harkens back to the days of the Orange Crush Defense, as well as John Elway's return to the organization as the team's executive vice president of football operations.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
The team had considered making the switch for the 2011 season, but were too late to notify the NFL of the changes. The team's navy blue jerseys, which had been their primary home jersey since they were first introduced in 1997, will become the alternate jerseys which will be worn in one or two home games each year.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms
This season was the last in which the Seattle Seahawks wore their pacific blue (or "Seahawks blue") jerseys as the team's home jersey, as the team changed their home jersey color to dark navy for the 2012 season.


2011 NFL season, Uniforms, End of the Reebok Era
This was the last season that Reebok exclusively supplied uniforms and sideline caps along with performance and fan apparel for all 32 teams in the league, as Nike and New Era now have the 40-year rights to manufacture on-field uniforms and fan apparel, with Nike handling uniforms and performance apparel, and New Era with on-field caps. For Reebok, this ends a 10-year exclusivity association that began in 2001.


2011 NFL season, Media
This was the sixth season under the current television contracts with the league's television partners: CBS (all AFC afternoon away games), Fox (all NFC afternoon away games), NBC (17 Sunday Night Football games and the kickoff game), ESPN (17 Monday Night Football games over sixteen weeks), NFL Network (eight late-season games on Thursday night and Saturday nights), and DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package. These contracts run through at least 2013. ESPN extended its contract for Monday Night Football on September 8, during the opening week of the season.


2011 NFL season, Media
The new contract extended the rights for eight seasons, giving the network rights until 2021. The new deal, valued between $14.2 billion and $15.2 billion, also gave them rights to expanded highlights, international and digital rights, the Pro Bowl beginning with the 2015 installment, and possibly a Wildcard playoff game. Also, the league announced a nine-year extension with CBS, Fox and NBC on their current contracts starting with the 2014 season.


2011 NFL season, Media
The 2011 NFL season version of "musical chairs" brought some changes. At CBS, Dick Enberg officially retired (he broadcast San Diego Padres games for Fox Sports San Diego and its predecessor, 4SD until he retired in 2016; he died in 2017), and Marv Albert replaced him, coming over from Westwood One radio. Gus Johnson has also departed CBS and will begin calling play-by-play for Fox, mostly college games as well on FX.


2011 NFL season, Media
ESPN lost both of their sideline reporters from 2010: Michele Tafoya to NBC, where she replaced the departing Andrea Kremer, and Suzy Kolber reduced the number of games she covers to work on ESPN2's new NFL32 show, which she is hosting. ESPN, who had reduced the roles of its sideline reporters in recent years in response to NFL rule changes, used only one sideline reporter for each game of the 2011 season; among the rotating reporters include Kolber, Wendi Nix, Ed Werder, Sal Paolantonio, and Rachel Nichols.


2011 NFL season, Media
On December 22, 2010, the league announced that its national radio contract with Westwood One, which was acquired by Dial Global in the 2011 offseason, had been extended through 2014. The league also extended its contract with Sirius XM Radio through 2015. In addition to these contracts, and in a first for an NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys signed a deal to allow for nationwide broadcasts of all of its home and away games broadcast on Compass Media Networks, in addition to its existing local radio network. Compass also acquired exclusive national broadcast rights to both the International Series and Toronto Series contests.


2011 NFL season, Media
The league did not announce plans to compensate their media partners had the season been shortened or canceled as a result of the work stoppage.


2011 NFL season, Media
NBC had ordered several low-cost reality television shows for the 2011–12 TV season in the event that Sunday Night Football could not be played, but other networks had not made public any contingency plans in the event NFL games could not be televised (in the case of CBS and Fox, the Sunday afternoon time slots could have been left unfilled and turned over to the affiliates, likely to be used for time buys by minor and extreme sports organizations, or locally programmed infomercials or movies as they are during the offseason).


2011 NFL season, Media
A work stoppage could have potentially cost these networks billions of dollars in ad revenue and other entertainment platforms that depend on the games being played. (Under the NFL's television contracts, the networks must still pay the league a rights fee regardless of whether or not the league plays any games; a March 2 ruling states that this money must be put into escrow and not be spent.)


2011 NFL season, Media
Meanwhile, the United Football League had set aside a portion of their television contract for their 2011 UFL season, as a potential package of replacement programs for the networks; while CBS and Fox briefly negotiated with the UFL regarding the package, neither network committed to carrying the games, forcing the UFL to postpone its season by a month.


2011 NHK Trophy
The 2011 NHK Trophy was the fourth event of six in the 2011–12 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Makomanai Sekisui Heim Ice Arena in Sapporo from November 10–13. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2011–12 Grand Prix Final.


2011 NHK Trophy, Eligibility
Skaters who reached the age of 14 by July 1, 2011 were eligible to compete on the senior Grand Prix circuit.


2011 NHK Trophy, Eligibility
In July 2011, minimum score requirements were added to the Grand Prix series and were set at two-thirds of the top scores at the 2011 World Championships. Prior to competing in a Grand Prix event, skaters were required to earn the following:


2011 NHK Trophy, Results, Men
On November 12, Brandon Mroz of the United States became the first skater to land the quad lutz in an international competition when he landed it in the short program at NHK. Japan's Daisuke Takahashi won the short program by 10.66 points over Takahiko Kozuka. Takahashi fell on an under-rotated quad flip in the free skating. He stated, "For the first time in my life, I could nail a quad flip in the six-minute warm-up. But in the real competition I overstrained myself in landing and crashed. It still feels great now that I know how I could do it." Mroz attempted a quad lutz in the free but under-rotated and fell. A screw in Menshov's boot became damaged just before he skated his free skating.


2011 NHK Trophy, Results, Ladies
Japan's Akiko Suzuki won the short program while Mao Asada was first in the free skating. Suzuki took the gold medal, Asada the silver, and Alena Leonova the bronze.


2011 NHK Trophy, Results, Pairs
Having first attempted a rare throw triple axel at 2011 Skate America, Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy again attempted the element at NHK but again took a hard fall. They recovered to win the short program. Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov pulled up from fifth in the short to take the gold medal, while Takahashi and Tran won silver and Savchenko and Szolkowy the bronze.


2011 NHK Trophy, Results, Ice dancing
Russia's Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov placed first in the short dance, followed by Canada's Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje in second and Maia and Alex Shibutani of the United States in third. There were several accidents before the free dance. Canada's Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam withdrew after Paul suffered a cut to the back of the thigh in a collision with Italy's Lorenza Alessandrini and Simone Vaturi during the morning practice on November 12.


2011 NHK Trophy, Results, Ice dancing
There was also a collision in the warm-up just before the free dance involving Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt of the United States and Cathy Reed and Chris Reed of Japan; Chris Reed injured his right leg but both teams were able to compete in the free dance. Elena Ilinykh injured her knee when she crashed into the boards in the warm-up before the free dance; she and her partner finished the competition, winning the bronze, but withdrew from the exhibitions. The Shibutanis took the gold, edging out by 0.09 points Weaver and Poje, who had a one point deduction due to a lift held too long.


2011 NHL Entry Draft
The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hosted the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. The top three picks consisted of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins going to the Edmonton Oilers, Gabriel Landeskog going to the Colorado Avalanche, and Jonathan Huberdeau going to the Florida Panthers.


2011 NHL Entry Draft
The draft was also noteworthy as the venue at which the recently relocated Atlanta Thrashers franchise announced that they would be known as the Winnipeg Jets, making the announcement as they drafted Mark Scheifele with their first pick.


2011 NHL Entry Draft, Eligibility
Ice hockey players born between January 1, 1991, and September 15, 1993, were eligible for selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Additionally, un-drafted, non-North American players over the age of 20 were eligible for the draft; and those players who were drafted in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 24, 1991, were also eligible to re-enter the draft.


2011 NHL Entry Draft, Draft lottery
The draft lottery was held on April 12, 2011, and was won by the New Jersey Devils, who moved up four spots to the fourth-overall pick. The Edmonton Oilers retained the first-overall pick. This was the first time since the 2007 draft lottery that a team other than the team with the worst regular season record won the draft lottery. New Jersey were also tied with the 1999 Chicago Blackhawks for the lowest ranked team to win the lottery as the eighth seed.


2011 NHL Premiere
The 2011 NHL Premiere was the National Hockey League's fifth European multi-game event to open the regular season, featuring the Anaheim Ducks, the Buffalo Sabres, the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers. It took place on October 7–8, 2011, to open the 2011–12 NHL season. Preceding this, as with previous Premiere events, the NHL teams participated in a series of exhibition games with European teams as part of the 2011 NHL Premiere Challenge, between September 29 and October 4, 2011.


2011 NHL Premiere
Later on in the season, a contingent of Adler Mannheim fans would embark on their own tour of hockey games in Buffalo and Toronto, with the backing of the Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs.


2011 NHL Winter Classic
The 2011 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Winter Classic series, played on January 1, 2011, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The visiting Washington Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–1. The game, rescheduled from its original 1:00 p.m. ET  start time to 8:00 p.m. due to weather concerns, was telecast on NBC in the United States, and CBC (English) and RDS (French) in Canada. Pittsburgh native Jackie Evancho performed the Star Spangled Banner and Pittsburgh sports legends Mario Lemieux, Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis presided over the ceremonial dropping of the puck, and during the second intermission Harris and Bettis hosted a fan event at the outside rink.


2011 NHL Winter Classic
The 2011 Winter Classic was the second time the Penguins participated in an outdoor NHL game; the team previously visited the Buffalo Sabres for the inaugural Winter Classic in 2008. Most notably, the Classic pitted two recent number-one draft picks against each other: Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin (2004) and Penguins center Sidney Crosby (2005); both players entered the league in the same year, 2005, due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout and contributed to a rivalry between the two teams that has been growing since the early 1990s.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Uniforms
At the event, the teams wore vintage uniforms based on Reebok's "Edge" template. The visiting Capitals wore a replica of their inaugural 1974–75 white uniform which they wore through the 1994–95 season, with red helmets. The uniforms would remain the Capitals alternate until 2015, when they were replaced by their red counterpart.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Uniforms
The Penguins wore new uniforms, based on those of their inaugural 1967–68 season; the navy and baby blue colors were reversed, and the jerseys featured a crest of their original skating penguin logo, in place of the diagonal letters. The jerseys would replace the team's previous throwbacks from the 2008 Winter Classic as their alternate uniforms, but would subsequently be dubbed the "Blue Jerseys of Doom" after Sidney Crosby suffering a career-altering concussion in the Winter Classic, which ended Crosby's season at the half-way mark.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Uniforms
The bad luck with the jersey continued, as Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal all suffered injuries in other games wearing the uniforms. Three days after Crosby sustained a broken jaw wearing the blue jerseys in 2013, the uniform was permanently mothballed and the Penguins opted to wear their standard black uniforms in their remaining games they were scheduled to wear the blue jerseys.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Delayed start time
The game had originally been scheduled for 1:00 p.m., but due to concerns about rain, on December 31 the game was shifted to an 8:00 p.m. start. A few weeks prior, the possibility was raised that the Winter Classic might be postponed or canceled altogether. All major weather outlets forecast unseasonably warm temperatures for the day of the game, with the possibility of rain. Heavy or constant rain was the greater concern for the NHL, as it could eventually make the ice surface unplayable.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Delayed start time
Light rain would have frozen on contact and made the surface uneven, while hard rain could have possibly flooded the rink. Early on the NHL had contingency plans to push the game back to January 2 if necessary, but preferred not to do so since this would have conflicted with telecasts of NFL games. If neither date had reasonable weather, the game would have been postponed and the matchup rescheduled indoors at Consol Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena) later in the season.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Delayed start time
New Year's Weekend was the only time the Steelers would have allowed Heinz Field to be available, since they needed time to get it ready for any postseason home game (which could have been as early as January 8); subsequent future outdoor games in Pittsburgh now would have to either be a Stadium Series game at Heinz Field or either a Stadium Series or Winter Classic game at PNC Park to avoid future scheduling conflicts with the Steelers.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Delayed start time
As New Year's Day approached weather forecasts solidified that by late afternoon the Pittsburgh region would be cooling to the 40s and eventually 30s, and major precipitation would be over by early evening for the duration of the weekend. As it turned out, the few fast-moving bands of light rain in the area had no effect on the surface, and no problems were reported.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Pre-game
Canadian singer and former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page performed the Canadian national anthem and Pittsburgh native Jackie Evancho sang the American national anthem. Following their performances, Pittsburgh sports legends Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis and Mario Lemieux joined U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Bradley T. Tinstman for the ceremonial puck drop.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Rule changes
As with the 2008 and 2009 games in Ralph Wilson Stadium and Wrigley Field, the NHL announced a rule change to account for any adverse weather conditions that could give either team an unfair advantage. Due to high winds, the teams changed sides an additional time, at the first whistle after the halfway point of the third period. This was done at exactly the halfway point of the third period in 2008 because of falling snow and again in 2009 due to high winds.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
Capitals goalie Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves in the win. After a scoreless first period, the Penguins scored first early in the second period with Evgeni Malkin's goal. Washington then scored three unanswered goals, one by Mike Knuble and two by Eric Fehr, to win the game.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Broadcasting
The 2011 Winter Classic was televised in the United States by NBC, and in Canada by CBC Television (English) and Réseau des sports (French). The game garnered the highest ratings in Classic history on American television and a 22 percent increase in viewership compared to the previous year, capturing a 2.3 rating and 4.5 million viewers. Overall, the game was the most watched NHL contest in the United States since 1996, and the most watched regular season NHL game since 1975. Its overall ratings boost also helped NBC win the evening as the most watched network for January 1, 2011.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Broadcasting
These marks were achieved despite the seven-hour postponement of the game, which prevented network promotion of the new ad hoc 8 p.m. start time; many program guides still listed the timeslot as featuring a rerun of Law & Order: Los Angeles. Pittsburgh and Washington led the ratings, with Baltimore, which is part of the Capitals' territory, in third. Buffalo, New York, was the highest-rated outside market, despite a Buffalo Sabres game playing opposite the Winter Classic.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Broadcasting
Due to the delay, CBC's regularly-scheduled Hockey Night in Canada game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators was only shown in its entirety for viewers in Ontario, with the remainder of the country breaking away for the Winter Classic at 8:00 p.m ET. CBC stations in Alberta subsequently broke away from the Winter Classic at 10:00 p.m. ET to begin coverage of the Calgary Flames/Edmonton Oilers game. CBC Sports live streamed all three games on its website.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Legends Game
The NHL Legends Game was played on December 31 in the morning. The game, which featured notable alumni from both the Penguins and the Capitals, was played in two 20-minute periods and ended in 5–5 tie. Penguins goals were scored by Rob Brown, Rod Buskas, Craig Simpson, Jay Caufield and Ron Francis. Mario Lemieux had two assists, Paul Mulvey of the Capitals had two goals, while Alan May, Mark Lofthouse and Peter Bondra scored one each. Bondra's goal tied the game with 45 seconds remaining and the game ended in a tie, as it did not have overtime or a shootout.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Legends Game
The Penguins alumni wore the 1968–72 styled powder blue jerseys, Pittsburgh's former third jersey that was introduced in the 2008 Winter Classic. The Capitals alumni wore Washington's current home red jerseys.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Legends Game
Several complaints were made by the fans in attendance. Prior to the game starting, there were complaints regarding the sale of the tickets to game, which went on sale at 10:00 a.m. on December 17, 2010 for $25 a piece. Only 10,000 tickets were available for sale by the NHL, while Heinz Field has a capacity of over 68,111 seats for hockey. Many fans who tried to obtain tickets from Ticketmaster at exactly 10:00 a.m., either via the internet or by telephone could not get access to the company.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Legends Game
Many of the locked-out fans complained that most of the people who got tickets were ticket scalpers or people trying to sell them online. By 10:14 a.m., the first two tickets showed up for sale on the Pittsburgh craigslist website for $250 a piece. Throughout the day, there were several entries on eBay and craigslist seeking as much as $699.99 for two tickets and $1,380 for a set of four.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Legends Game
The most vocal complaints were reserved for the time it took for many fans to get inside the stadium. Well into the first period of the two-period game, people reportedly still were entering Heinz Field. This was due to the stadium having only one open gate that morning, Gate B. Several fans further stated that not all the turnstiles were being used, a claim disputed by the Steelers, who spoke on behalf of stadium operations. Some confused fans also waited for other gates to open, which never happened.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Legends Game
Some spectators also complained that the game ended in a 5–5 tie with no overtime or shootout. Penguins alumnus Phil Bourque said after the game that "I think everybody's a little disappointed that we didn't get to the shootout, because it would have been great to see Mario. Pittsburgh would have gone with all Hall of Famers, of course, in our shootout group." Penguins alumni coach Eddie Johnston later stated that his shootout plan consisted of having Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Larry Murphy, Paul Coffey and Bryan Trottier participating in that order.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Documentary
HBO aired a four-part documentary chronicling the preparation of the two teams for the game as part of its award-winning sports series 24/7. The first episode aired on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 10 p.m. ET, with three additional episodes following each subsequent Wednesday. The series chronicled each team's seasons leading up to the Winter Classic, and emphasized the rivalry between Crosby and Ovechkin and between the Penguins and Capitals.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Associated games
The week leading up to the Winter Classic featured a number of hockey-related events. On Thursday, December 30, 2010, the Robert Morris Colonials and the RIT Tigers men's varsity hockey teams met at the Consol Energy Center in downtown Pittsburgh for an Atlantic Hockey league match. The college game was followed that evening by an American Hockey League matchup between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hershey Bears, the top minor-league affiliates of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals, respectively.


2011 NHL Winter Classic, Entertainment
During the first intermission, The Clarks performed near the ice. Jimmy Fallon introduced the band prior to their performance.


2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season
The 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Season began on 24 February 2011 and concluded on 13 November. This race season marked the 60th anniversary of NHRA as an official motorsports sanctioning body.


2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season
There were 22 Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock car events, and 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events.


2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, Schedule
1 The rules for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 4 Wide Nationals differ from other races:


2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, Notable events
Veteran Pro Stock driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. announced he is "stepping away" from the Pro Stock class for the 2011 season, electing to race instead in Sportsman classes. "We took most of 2006 off just to kind of have a break from it all," he said in his press release. "We did a lot of high-dollar bracket races and select Lucas Oil Sportsman Series events here and there with no particular schedule in mind. We kind of  just raced when we wanted to and it was a lot of fun. That is the direction I am heading now." Coughlin expects to spend more time with his school-age son Jeg Coughlin III at golf tournaments.


2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, Notable events
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (#22 Dodge Charger) obtained an NHRA Pro Stock license and debuted in competition at the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in March, held during the NASCAR winter off-week.


2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, Notable events
Ashley Force Hood sat out the 2011 season, as she and husband Dan Hood were expecting their first child. John Force Racing mechanic Mike Neff, who raced from late 2007 after replacing the late Eric Medlen after his fatal crash until 2009, returned to drive the Ford Mustang. Neff won the 2009 Auto Club Finals in his last start before returning to tuning John Force's car.


2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, Notable events
At the Fram/Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, CA, John Force qualified at the top of the Funny Car ladder. This gave Force 139 No. 1 qualifications for major events, besting the previous record holder, Pro Stock driver Warren Johnson, who holds 138 No. 1 qualifications as of 31 June 2011.


2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, Notable events
Two days after the 2011 season ended, six-time champion Kenny Bernstein announced his retirement from drag racing. Just six days later, 2011 Top Fuel champion Del Worsham also retired, although he did win 8 races.


2011 NLL season
The 2011 National Lacrosse League season, the 25th in the history of the NLL, began January 8, 2011, and ended with the Championship game, won by the Toronto Rock 8-7.


2011 NLL season, Team movement
The Orlando Titans announced in July 2010 that they would not participate in the 2011 season, due to financial troubles. Some players were granted free agency while others were involved in a dispersal draft.


2011 NLL season, Final standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2011 NLL season, Awards, Weekly awards
The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best overall player, best offensive player, best transition player, best defensive player, and best rookie.


2011 NLL season, Awards, Monthly awards
Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.


2011 NLL season, Statistics leaders
Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.


2011 NPF Draft
The 2011 NPF Draft is the eighth annual NPF Draft. It was held March 18, 2011 8:00 PM EST in Orlando, FL at the Amway Center for the 2011 season. It was streamed live on the Major League Baseball's website MLB.com. The first selection was Alabama's Kelsi Dunne, picked by the NPF Diamonds. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended.


2011 NPF Draft, 2011 NPF Draft
Position key: C = Catcher; UT = Utility infielder; INF = Infielder; 1B = First base; 2B =Second base SS = Shortstop; 3B = Third base; OF = Outfielder; RF = Right field; CF = Center field; LF = Left field;  P = Pitcher; RHP = right-handed Pitcher; LHP = left-handed Pitcher; DP =Designated playerPositions are listed as combined for those who can play multiple positions.


2011 NPSL season
The 2011 National Premier Soccer League season was the 9th season of the NPSL. The regular season began on April 1, 2011, and ended on July 17. The playoffs concluded with the NPSL Championship Game, which was held at the home of Rocket City United in Madison, Alabama on July 30.


2011 NPSL season
Jacksonville United ended the season as national champions, beating the Hollywood United Hitmen 3-2 in the 2011 NPSL Championship game. Jacksonville were the lowest seeded-team in the playoffs, having finished champions of the Southeast Division with a 6-0-4 record after starting their campaign with four straight losses, and beat number one seed and Northeast Division champions Erie Admirals on their way to the final. Both Jacksonville and Hollywood were first-year NPSL teams, although Hollywood had previously spent two seasons playing in the USL Premier Development League.


2011 NPSL season
The Erie Admirals had the best regular season record, with a points-per-game average of 2.583, just ahead of the Hollywood United Hitmen (2.429) and FC Sonic Lehigh Valley (2.417), who were in such a strong division they did not even qualify for the post-season.


2011 NPSL season
Jacksonville striker Tommy Krizanovic scored a hat trick in the NPSL final, and was named MVP of the championship tournament.


2011 NPSL season, Standings, Southeast Division
*Note: Jacksonville finished ahead of Georgia as NPSL rules state that the second tiebreaker after total points is number of victories. FC Tulsa chose not to compete in league play in 2011, and only played in the US Open Cup qualification tournament.


2011 NPSL season, Award Winners and Conference Teams, NPSL All-Star Team
F: Jumol Harewood (GEO), Jose Miranda (HOL), Justin Picou (SDB), Afrim Latifi (ERI), Chris Tsonis (SEA)M: Cody Antonini (SLV), Carlington Lamont (REA), Carlos McCrary (MAD), Kingsley Morgan (ATL), Anthony Santaga (MAD), Billy Sweatra (ACC), Tyler Williams (JAC)D: Peassio Denev (ECA), Adrian Kawuba (MAS), Marcos Mendez (GEO), Joseph Omondi (RCU), Corey Phillips (BUF), Dan Sauerhoff (MCC), Andy Stewart (CFC)G: Zach Brunner (LAN), Thomas Hunter (CFC)


2011 NPSL season, Award Winners and Conference Teams, 2011 National Championship Best 11
F: Tommy Krizanovic (JAC), Brent Whitfield (HOL)M: Arturo Albarrán (HOL), Gavin Falconer (ERI), Amilcar Herrera (MIL), Shane Howard (ERI), Ramak Safi (JAC)D: Jacobi Goodfellow (JAC), Garrett Teague (JAC), Marcus Watson (HOL)G: Stuart McCrory (JAC)


2011 NPSL season, U.S. Open Cup Qualifying
Four NPSL clubs gained berths to the 2011 U.S. Open Cup, one each from the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and West divisions.


2011 NPSL season, U.S. Open Cup Qualifying, Midwest Division
Madison 56ers were granted the automatic berth for the Midwest Division by virtue of their 2010 division championship. The Midwest was the only NPSL division granting its 2011 U.S. Open Cup berth based on performance in the 2010 season.


2011 NPSL season, U.S. Open Cup Qualifying, West Division
The Hollywood United Hitmen were given the berth for the West Division as a result of being the team with the best record over the first seven games of the 2011 regular season.


2011 NRL Grand Final
The 2011 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the NRL's 2011 Telstra Premiership season. It was played between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors on the afternoon of Sunday, 2 October, and it was the first time the two sides have met in a grand final. Manly won the match, 24–10, for the club's eighth premiership.


2011 NRL Grand Final
The grand final breakfast, an annual function attended by both teams and hundreds of guests, was held the Thursday prior to Sunday's match at Sydney's Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour and was screened live on Australian television.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background
2011's NRL season was the 104th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fourteenth and last run by the National Rugby League's partnership committee of the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. The NRL's main championship, called the 2011 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, was contested by sixteen teams for the fifth consecutive year. Of these sixteen, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors finished 2nd and 6th on the competition ladder respectively.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background
It was the first time the sides had faced each other in a season decider and the last time they played in a finals match was a preliminary match in 2008 where the Sea Eagles won 28–6. It was the third time in five years the Sea Eagles featured in a grand final, with their previous being their record 40–0 victory over the Melbourne Storm in 2008. It was the second time in the Warriors' 16-year history that they played for their maiden premiership title, with their first attempt losing to the Sydney Roosters in 2002. The sides played each other once in round 6 during the regular season where the Sea Eagles won 20–10 at Brookvale Oval.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles finished second on the competition ladder behind the Melbourne Storm accumulating 40 competition points, winning 18 of 24 matches and being undefeated at their traditional home ground Brookvale Oval. However, their run into the finals series threatened to be disrupted by suspensions arising from a wild brawl in a clash with Melbourne in the penultimate round of the season. Four Manly players received suspensions, including a three-match ban for key forward Glenn Stewart.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Despite the suspensions, Manly qualified for the Grand Final with ease, defeating Queensland teams the North Queensland Cowboys 42–8 in the qualifying final and the Brisbane Broncos 26–14 in the preliminary after earning a weeks break. Steve Matai and Tony Williams were reported to the NRL's match review committee for incidents during the win over the Broncos, raising the prospect that they may be suspended for the Grand Final. However, the committee refused to charge Matai, while Williams' clean record enabled him to avoid a suspension by pleading guilty to a charge of effecting an unlawful high tackle. However, Manly would play the Grand Final without their co-captain Jason King, who suffered a pectoral injury in Round 22 of the season, and winger David Williams with a neck injury.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
It would be Manly's 18th Grand Final appearance, a record seventh consecutive decade in which the club had achieved the feat, and a chance for the club to win its eighth premiership. Coach Des Hasler made his third Grand Final in the position after appearing in three others as a Manly player.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, New Zealand Warriors
For only the second time in the club's entire history the New Zealand Warriors will search for their first premiership title up against the second-placed Sea Eagles. Having finished sixth on the competition ladder with 32 points, they lost their first match of the finals series to the Brisbane Broncos in their heaviest defeat of the season losing 40–10 but however earned a second chance, only due to the two lower-ranking teams also losing.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, New Zealand Warriors
They then upset the Wests Tigers in the semi finals after many gave them a slim chance of winning and they were down 18–6 at half time before mounting a comeback to be down just 20–18 with a few minutes remaining before Kristian Inu scored the match winner for the Warriors as they won 22–20.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, New Zealand Warriors
The Warriors then went on to post a major upset over the 2011 minor premiers the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park in their Grand Final qualifier. The Warriors were down 6-0 after 5 minutes due to some poor defence that Gareth Widdop took advantage of to put Sika Manu through a gap to score; the try was converted by Cameron Smith. the Warriors would hit back in the following dozen minutes through Bill Tupou and James Maloney scoring in the 12th and 16th minutes for the Warriors to lead 12–6.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, New Zealand Warriors
The Storm would hit back through a Beau Champion try in 36th minute which Cameron Smith would convert to level the scores at 12-12. Before half time the Warriors were given a penalty which they opted to kick a penalty goal which James Maloney successfully converted for the Warriors to lead 14–12 at half time. The second half was a heated battle with the Warriors starving the Storm of the ball and any good field position throughout the entire 40 minutes as the Warriors defence superbly defending anything the Melbourne Storm threw at them.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, New Zealand Warriors
The Warriors were believed to have scored in the 72nd minute through Lewis Brown only for the try to be disallowed due to an earlier knock on from Kevin Locke but the Lewis Brown would then go on to score in the 77th minute after some nifty footwork from Warriors young gun Shaun Johnson. James Maloney would beautifully convert a sideline conversion to put any hope of a Storm comeback impossible. This win would then qualify the Warriors for their second ever Grand Final.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, New Zealand Warriors
The Grand Final was Ivan Cleary's last match as coach of the club, having signed to take over the Penrith Panthers the following season. Coincidentally, his last match as a player was when he was the fullback in the Warriors side that lost the 2002 Grand Final to the Sydney Roosters, another club Cleary played for in the NRL. Cleary grew up on Sydney's northern beaches, and started his professional career with Manly playing alongside Des Hasler, now his opposing coach.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Background, New Zealand Warriors
The Warriors also fielded teams in the NSW Cup and Toyota Cup Grand Finals, thus becoming the first team since the Sydney Roosters in 2004 to field sides in three different-grade Grand Finals; at the time, the other two grades were the Jersey Flegg Cup and the Premier League Cup. The Warriors' Toyota Cup successfully defended its 2010 title defeating the North Queensland Cowboys in golden point extra time by the scoreline of 31–30.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Match day, Pre-match
Two other matches were played before the NRL Grand Final. At 12.00pm, the New South Wales Cup Grand Final was held between the Auckland Vulcans and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs with the Bulldogs winning 30–28.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Match day, Pre-match
The Toyota Cup Grand Final, featuring the youth teams of New Zealand Warriors and the North Queensland Cowboys, was played at 2.00pm, with the Warriors winning in extra time after Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt (who in the top-grade 2015 NRL Grand Final would score a try in the final seconds to force extra time) missed the opportunity to win the side's first premiership by missing a relatively simple conversion right on full-time.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Match day, Pre-match
Entertainment included performances by American singer Kelly Clarkson and Australian band Eskimo Joe, marking Clarkson's first appearance at the event since the 2003 NRL grand final. Clarkson performed her song "Mr. Know It All", accompanied by 300 dancers.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Match day, Match details
For the third year in a row, grand final day was a rainy one. Russell Packer, Lance Hohaia and Elijah Taylor swapped places with Sam Rapira, Aaron Heremaia and Feleti Mateo respectively from their interchange spots before the match.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Match day, Match details
After a tight opening 28 minutes, Manly prop George Rose struck Aaron Heremaia's cheek with an elbow on the ground. However he was only penalised and put on report and was not sent off and James Maloney kicked a penalty goal to give the Warriors a 2–0 lead.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Match day, Match details
However, Manly broke clear with two tries before half-time, the first just two minutes later to Brett Stewart, and the second just on half-time (which attracted controversy due to a possible obstruction in the lead-up) to Daly Cherry-Evans, one play after an audacious grubber kick from lock forward Glenn Stewart on his own 20 metre line which was gathered in by winger Michael Robertson who broke free despite a desperate attempt by Manu Vatuvei to tackle him.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Match day, Match details
Manly stretched its lead to 16 points after half-time following a try to Glenn Stewart, set up by a blind flick pass from William Hopoate just before he was pushed into touch. The Warriors then scored two unconverted tries in the final fifteen minutes to Vatuvei (which attracted controversy due to the blatantly forward pass from Johnson to Vatuvei) and Elijah Taylor to narrow the deficit to eight points; however, Manly held onto its lead and celebrated victory with a try to captain Jamie Lyon in the final minute of play. Regular goal kicker Lyon then handed the ball to winger Robertson (who had played his last game for the club) for the conversion. Robertson calmly kicked the goal from out wide after the siren to bring the curtain down on both the game and his successful NRL career.


2011 NRL Grand Final, Match day, Post-match
Manly lock forward Glenn Stewart was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the player of the match. It was also the 10th time that brothers Brett and Glenn Stewart had each scored a try in the same game for Manly, with the club winning all 10 games. It was also the first time since the 1929 Premiership final when Alf and Frank O'Connor scored for South Sydney that two brothers had each scored a try in the premiership decider.


2011 NRL Under-20s season
The 2011 NRL Under-20s season was the fourth season of the National Rugby League's Under-20s competition. The competition, known commercially as the 2011 Toyota Cup due to sponsorship from Toyota, was solely for under-20s players. The draw and structure of the competition mirrored that of the 2011 NRL Telstra Premiership season.


2011 NRL Under-20s season, Club statistics, Team of the Year
On 30 August 2011, the 2011 Toyota Cup Team of the Year was announced. The team included 15 first time winners including coach John Ackland, while Dane Gagai and Dale Finucane had previously been named in the 2010 Team of the Year. Kenneath Bromwich and Jesse Bromwich, a member of the 2009 Team of the Year, became the first brothers to be selected in a Team of the Year.


2011 NRL Under-20s season results
This article details scores and results from the 2011 NRL Under-20s season.


2011 NRL Under-20s season results, Regular season
Times for Rounds 1 - 4 are Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time. Times for Round 5 and the remainder of the season are Australian Eastern Standard Time.


2011 NRL season
The 2011 NRL season was the 104th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fourteenth and last run by the National Rugby League's partnership committee of the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. The NRL's main championship, called the 2011 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, was contested by sixteen teams for the fifth consecutive year. Alongside was the fourth season of the Toyota Cup taking place.


2011 NRL season
The season's Premiership title was awarded to the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles who took out their 8th title, only three years after their previous title, defeating the New Zealand Warriors in the Grand Final.


2011 NRL season, Season summary
The 2011 competition draw was announced on Thursday, 7 October 2010, with the season's first match between NRL teams to be played on Friday, 11 March. The first round of the premiership season became the highest attended round in NRL history, with 201,212 fans attending. However, the first NRL match of the year was the second annual NRL All Stars vs Indigenous All Stars game played at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast on 12 February.


2011 NRL season, Season summary
The annual ANZAC Test was also held at Skilled Park, on 6 May, with City vs Country Origin held on the same night at the Lavington Sports Ground in Albury. The Test match was to have been held at Christchurch in New Zealand, but was moved due to the destruction wrought on that city by the earthquake in February 2011. Byes began on 6 May, being the day of those representative matches, and continued throughout the 2011 State of Origin series, covering in total rounds 9 to 18. Themed rounds included the Heritage Round (round 5), Women in League Round (round 16), and Rivalry Round (round 19).


2011 NRL season, Season summary
The regular 26 round season finished with the Melbourne Storm winning the J. J. Giltinan Shield for being the minor premiers. However the grand final match-up ended up between the second placed Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the sixth placed New Zealand Warriors in which the Sea Eagles sought victory and claimed their 8th premiership title.


2011 NRL season, Season summary
The coveted Dally M Medal award for player of the year in 2011 was awarded to Melbourne Storm fullback Billy Slater, who becomes the second Storm player to be given the award. (see 2011 Dally M Awards for full award listing)


2011 NRL season, Teams
The number of teams in the NRL remained unchanged for the fourth consecutive season, with sixteen participating in the regular season: ten from New South Wales, three from Queensland and one from each of Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. Of the ten from New South Wales, eight are from Sydney's metropolitan area, with St. George-Illawarra being a Sydney and Wollongong joint venture. Just two foundation clubs from New South Wales Rugby League season 1908 played in the competition: the Sydney Roosters (formerly known as Eastern Suburbs) and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.


2011 NRL season, Finals series
To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, the NRL adopts the McIntyre Final Eight System. The 2011 finals series sees the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra Dragons and the New Zealand Warriors all return from last year. The Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos both return after last year's absence whilst the North Queensland Cowboys and the Newcastle Knights appear in this year's finals for the first time since 2007 and 2009, respectively.


2011 NRL season, Club and player records
The following statistics are correct as of the conclusion of Round 26.


2011 NRL season, Club and player records
Paul Gallen ran 3,670 metres with the ball in 2011, more than any other player in the competition.


2011 NRL season, Attendances
The regular season attendances for the 2011 season aggregated to a total of 3,123,055 (average 16,267), becoming the second highest attended NRL season (after 2010).


2011 NRL season results
The 2011 NRL season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, which began on 11 March and ended on 4 September, followed by four weeks of the finals series culminating in the grand final on 2 October.


2011 NRL season results, Regular season, Round 9
No club games were played on 6 May due to the Test Match and City vs Country Origin representative matches being played on that day.


2011 NRL season results, Regular season, Round 9
BYE: 8 teams – Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Newcastle Knights, Wests Tigers. Source:


2011 NRL season results, Regular season, Round 11
BYE: 6 teams – St George Illawarra Dragons, Brisbane Broncos, Melbourne Storm, North Queensland Cowboys, Manly Sea Eagles, Gold Coast Titans. Source:


2011 NRL season results, Regular season, Round 14
BYE: 6 teams – Cronulla Sharks, Canterbury Bulldogs, Newcastle Knights, Parramatta Eels, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Penrith Panthers.


2011 NRL season results, Regular season, Round 17
BYE: 6 teams – New Zealand Warriors, Wests Tigers, Melbourne Storm, North Queensland Cowboys, Manly Sea Eagles, Gold Coast Titans. Source


2011 NRL season results, Regular season, Round 18
BYE: 2 teams – St George Illawarra Dragons, Brisbane BroncosSource:


2011 NRW Trophy
The 2011 NRW Trophy was an international figure skating competition during the 2011–2012 season. An annual event organized by the Skating Union of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), it has been sanctioned by the Deutsche Eislauf Union and the International Skating Union since 2007.


2011 NRW Trophy
Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The competition was held in Dortmund, Germany in two parts. The Ice Dance Trophy, in which ice dancers competed at the senior, junior, and novice levels, was held from 4–6 November 2011. The singles and pairs portion, also with senior, junior, and novice levels, was held from 29 November to 4 December 2011.


2011 NRW Trophy
The NRW Trophy was designated as one of the events at which ice dancers could try to achieve a minimum score.


2011 NSC Minnesota Stars season
The 2011 NSC Minnesota Stars season was the club's first season in the North American Soccer League, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid, and second season of existence.


2011 NSC Minnesota Stars season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011 NSC Minnesota Stars season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011 NSC Minnesota Stars season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011 NSC Minnesota Stars season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011 NSC Minnesota Stars season, Competitions, U.S. Open Cup
The Minnesota Stars were denied entry in to the 2011 U.S. Open Cup.


2011 NSW Premier League season
The 2011 NSW Premier League season was the 11th season of the revamped NSW Premier League.


2011 NSW Premier League season, Teams
West Sydney Berries were relegated at the end of the 2010 season after finishing at the bottom of the table. They were replaced by Super League champions Parramatta Eagles.


2011 NSW Premier League season, Fixtures
† Bonnyrigg v Sydney United (originally scheduled for Saturday, 16 April) was washed out due to heavy rain and postponed to a later date.


2011 NSW Premier League season, Fixtures
† Rockdale v Marconi (originally scheduled for Saturday, 16 April) was washed out due to heavy rain and postponed to Wednesday 4 May.


2011 NSW Premier League season, Fixtures
† Parramatta v Manly (originally scheduled for Sunday, 1 May) was washed out due to heavy rain. and postponed to Wednesday 18 May


2011 NSW Premier League season, Fixtures
† Due to South Coast's home ground John Crehan Park being washed out due to inclement weather, an agreement between South Coast and Sutherland Sharks allowed the game to be played at Sutherland's home ground of Seymour Shaw Park, with South Coast being allotted the home team.


2011 NSW Premier League season, Fixtures
† APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Rockdale City Suns, along with Manly United v Sydney United matches, both scheduled for Sunday, 12 June 2011 were postponed due to inclement weather. The APIA v Rockdale game, was rescheduled for 9 July 2011. The Manly v Sydney United game was played on Wednesday, 27 July 2011.


2011 NSW Premier League season, Fixtures
†Parramatta Eagles v South Coast, scheduled for Saturday, 18 June, was postponed due to inclement weather. The game was rescheduled for Wednesday, 3 August.


2011 NSW Premier League season, Fixtures
† Round 17 was originally scheduled to be played on the weekend of 23/24 July 2011, but all matches were washed out due to the extreme weather conditions and rescheduled for 4 September 2011


2011 NSW Premier League season, Finals
At the end of the regular season, the top 5 teams play off in a finals series to determine the champion for the season. The finals format used is the Final Five system used in other sports throughout Australia. This system gives the 1st place getter the first week off and allows the top 3 teams a "2nd chance" to make the grand final.


2011 NSW Premier League season, Leading Goal Scorers
† Alex Smith left Sydney Olympic, and the NSW Premier League to join Gold Coast United in the A-League.


2011 NWT/Yukon Scotties Tournament of Hearts
The 2011 NWT/Yukon Scotties Tournament of Hearts was held January 27–30 at the Whitehorse Curling Club in Whitehorse, Yukon. The winning team of Kerry Galusha represented Yukon/NWT at the 2011 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where they finished round robin play with a record of 3-8.


2011 NZIHL season
The 2011 NZIHL season was the seventh season of the New Zealand Ice Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in New Zealand. Five teams participated in the league, and the Botany Swarm won the championship by defeating the Southern Stampede in the final.


2011 Nabro eruption
The 2011 Nabro eruption was an eruption of the Nabro stratovolcano in the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea, which began on 12 June 2011 after a series of earthquakes. The eruption killed seven and possibly a further 31 people and is estimated to be the highest altitude injection of sulfur dioxide (SO2) ever observed by satellite. The Mount Pinatubo eruption 20 years earlier emitted ten times more SO2. The ash cloud from the eruption reached altitudes which disrupted airline traffic in the region. Until the eruption began, the volcano had no records of historical eruptions.


2011 Nabro eruption, Gallery
Satellite image of Ethiopia/ Eritrea showing the ash plume from Nabro on 13 June 2011.


2011 Nabro eruption, Gallery
False color image from 19 June 2011 showing extent of lava flow on that date.


2011 Nabro eruption, Gallery
True color image from 19 June 2011 showing area affected by tephra deposition, and international boundaries.


2011 Nabro eruption, Gallery
Natural color satellite view of the volcano on 29 June 2011.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
On 12 June 2011, satellite images showed a large volcanic eruption shortly after 22.00 UTC 12 June (close to 01.00 13 June local time), in the Southern Red Sea Region. It was first thought to have originated at Dubbi Volcano, but has been confirmed to be from the Nabro stratovolcano in Eritrea, near the Ethiopian border.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
Five days later, on 17 June 2011, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) reported that the eruption had ceased.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
Then, on 18 June 2011 (at noon, local time) NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead providing MODIS images which showed an ash plume heading in west-north-westerly direction.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
On 19 June 2011, the volcano produced the highest level of sulfur dioxide emissions in the earth's atmosphere ever detected from space. Satellite images showed a 15km long lava flow.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
The next day, on 20 June 2011: VAAC reported that the SO2 eruption was continuing.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
Between the 22 and 27 June 2011, the eruption of sulfur dioxide, water vapour, and ash was confirmed to be still active by MODIS pictures taken from the TERRA satellite.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
On 24 June 2011, NASA Earth Observatory provided this false-color image (below) using the Advanced Land imager on the EO-1 satellite, showing that the lava flow from the 19th had not progressed significantly further, but that the eruption was ongoing.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
On 30 June 2011, at least some of the people who have been evacuated are reported to be in Hawra and Wadien.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
That same day, eruption satellite images seem to show the volcano has stopped producing the ash cloud.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
By 1 July 2011, eruption satellite images show a fresh ash cloud eruption, diminishing until 4 July, when the ash eruption still appears to be ongoing.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption
Under a week later, on 6 July 2011, the ash cloud seems to have again stopped being produced. On 7 July 2011, SO2 emissions were much reduced. But on 12 July 2011, the eruption was still ongoing.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption, Other eruptions
Small eruptions were also reported in the Afambo and Sireru areas.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption, Other eruptions
On 22 June 2011, the Eritrean government reported that a lava flow up to 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) wide and up to 15 metres (49 ft) high had surfaced in Seriru, southern Denkalia, and destroyed vegetation for about 20 kilometres (12 mi).


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption, Other eruptions
By 27 June 2011, a thick emission of smoke from new lava eruptions were also reported in South Denkalia, Husele and Gagun.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption, Other eruptions
Then on 30 June 2011 the Eritrean government reported that the lava flow in Seriru had slowed to 20 metres (66 ft) per day. They also reported that in some places the flow was 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) wide and 20 metres (66 ft) high.


2011 Nabro eruption, Eruption, Other eruptions
Note: It is still uncertain whether the information regarding the lava flow in "Seriru" refers to the main flow, as seen from the satellite images, though it seems likely.


2011 Nabro eruption, Ash cloud
The eruption has ejected a large ash cloud near the Eritrea–Ethiopia border region, extending over 1,000 km (620 mi) into neighboring Sudan.


2011 Nabro eruption, Ash cloud
The height of the ash cloud peaked at 14,000 m, implying a VEI of 4.


2011 Nabro eruption, Ash cloud
Forecasters predicted correctly that the ash plume might reach Israel, but no flights were cancelled at Ben-Gurion Airport on 14 June. Elsewhere, however, the ash cloud began disrupting air traffic on 14 June with UAE-based Emirates flights being cancelled; flights disruptions extended to other companies the following day. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State for the United States, shortened her state visit to Ethiopia. Djibouti Airport was closed, and several airlines suspended flights to Ethiopia.


2011 Nabro eruption, Effects
On 16 June, the inhabitants of Afambo, Nebro, and Sireru were evacuated.


2011 Nabro eruption, Effects
By 19 June, ash had been deposited at least 60 km (37 mi) beyond the Ethiopian border in a WNW–to–SSW direction.


2011 Nabro eruption, Effects
By 20 June, eight villages in the Biddu district of Ethiopia were covered by volcanic ash, affecting at least 5,000 people and polluting springs and streams. One entire community has not been heard from. Save the Children reports many community members, especially children, are sick and in desperate need of medical attention. Vomiting and retching were reported as being common effects.


2011 Nabro eruption, Effects
On 21 June, an Eritrean government statement reported seven people have been killed and three injured. It was also reported that the Lake Afrera salt deposits now contain sulfuric acid, making the salt inedible.


2011 Nabro eruption, Effects
On 6 July, reports suggest 48,000 people in the Bidu, Afdera, Erebti, Elidar, Teru and Kori woredas were in need of aid (with ash affecting food and water sources), and that the casualty total had reached 31 dead in the Bidu woreda.


2011 Nabro eruption, Effects
Another 167,153 people, in the Elidar and Kori woredas, were reported as requiring monitoring according to the Afar regional government. However a spokesman for the Ethiopean Government Agriculture Ministry is reported to have said "We have looked at the document and I would like to make it clear that it is not a national document and that we have not endorsed it, the ministry has no record of casualties, it is still too early to say how many people had been affected and needed help."


2011 Nabro eruption, Geology
The erupting volcano is in the Afar Triangle, in the larger Danakil Depression that holds many other active volcanoes. However, neither volcano thought potentially responsible for the eruption had been active in the past century, with Dubbi last erupting in 1861 and Nabro remaining quiet for thousands of years. No eruption of Nabro occurred before in recorded history. Basalt, trachyte and rhyolite are among the rock types which Nabro has produced as lava flows and pyroclastics.


2011 Nabro eruption, Earthquakes
A series of moderate earthquakes occurred near a sparsely populated part of the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, starting at 15:37 UTC on Sunday, 12 June 2011. By 21:37 UTC, at least 19 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater had occurred. The tremors were associated with this eruption. The initial quake registered a magnitude of 5.1 Mw with a focal depth of 10 km (6.2 mi), and was succeeded by multiple lighter tremors. Hours later, two consecutive magnitude 5.7 Mw earthquakes struck the region at 20:32 and 21:03 UTC, occurring at very similar depths. The latter tremors resulted in localized strong shaking, registering at VII (very strong) on the Mercalli scale near the epicenters.


2011 Nadeshiko League
Statistics of Nadeshiko.League in the 2011 season. INAC Kobe Leonessa won the championship.


2011 Nadeshiko League
Nadeshiko League Cup was cancelled due to the devastating damage from 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March. Season opener became Week 5 (29 April) as the earthquake made Week 1 to 4 rescheduled chaotically after 11 June. The 4 games of Week 1 scheduled on 7/30, 7/31, 7/24, 6/11, and Week 2 on 7/24, 8/6, 6/12, 6/12. Such disorder continued until Week 4.


2011 Nagoya Grampus season
The 2011 Nagoya Grampus season is Nagoya Grampus's 19th season in the J.League Division 1 and 30th overall in the Japanese top flight. They are the defending J.League champions. It also includes the 2011 J.League Cup, 2011 Emperor's Cup, and the 2011 AFC Champions League.


2011 Nagoya Grampus season, Players, Current squad
As of July 19, 2010Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011 Nagoya Grampus season, Players, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011 Nagoya Grampus season, Players, 2011 season transfers
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011 Nagoya Grampus season, Players, 2011 season transfers
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire
Coordinates: The 2011 Nairobi pipeline fire was caused by an explosion secondary to a fuel spill in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on 12 September 2011. Approximately 100 people were killed in the fire and at least 116 others were hospitalized with varying degrees of burns. The incident was not the first such pipeline accident in Kenya, with the Molo fire of 2009 resulting in at least 133 fatalities and hundreds more injured.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Causes
A fuel tank, located in the industrial Lunga Lunga area of Nairobi and part of a pipeline system operated by the state owned Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), had sprung a leak. People in the adjacent densely populated shanty town of Sinai had started to collect leaking fuel when at about 10 a.m. a massive explosion occurred at the scene. Fire spread to the Sinai area.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Causes
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined but some reports indicate that the fire might have started from a discarded cigarette or when the wind changed, bringing embers from nearby garbage fires.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Causes
Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi is reported as saying that the disaster began when a pipeline valve failed under pressure allowing the oil to leak into the sewer. Selest Kilinda, the managing director of KPC, is reported to have said the spill occurred from two pipelines, and that engineers had already depressurised the Sinai pipeline but not in time to prevent fuel leaking into the sewer.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Casualties
Early police estimates have the number of fatalities to be above one hundred; in addition, at least 116 other people were hospitalized with burn injuries. The exact death toll remains uncertain due to some bodies being badly charred or lost in the murky waters of a nearby river. Kenya's Red Cross Disaster Risk Reduction Officer said that the Red Cross would counsel the victims and also would attempt to reconcile the casualty figures with those reported missing. He also reported that most bodies taken to the mortuary were burnt beyond recognition and would require DNA tests to confirm their identities.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Casualties
In November 2011, The Kenya Pipeline Company funded the delivery to the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation a computer and software system to facilitate forensic DNA identification of victims. The system, called M-FISys (pronounced like "emphasis," an acronym for the Mass-Fatality Identification System), was developed to identify victims of the World Trade Center Disaster of September 11, 2001.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Casualties
City hospitals were hard pressed by the surge of the need for care provisions, food and a strained medicare staff complement. The Kenyatta National Hospital has only 22 burn unit beds and considers any more than 60 casualties as a 'disaster', requiring them to put disaster plans into action. At least 112 people were admitted with burns, many critical or severe. The long-term treatment required for burns patients means that extra tents have been erected for blood donations. The nearer Mater Hospital admitted three casualties with less than 30% burns into the normal ward and one other casualty with 80–90% burns into the intensive care unit.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Responsibility
Neither the managing director of the KPC, which operates the pipeline, nor the energy minister Kiraitu Murungi have given any indication of accepting responsibility. Kiraitu Murungi initially said that the KPC would compensate the victims, but later the KPC stated it would not do so as it was "not responsible".


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Responsibility
In 2008 the KPC had issued an eviction order to nearby residents, but they refused to leave. In response to protests by students, an inter-ministerial committee was tasked with gathering names to arrange relocation when funds became available. KPC sent representatives to inform the residents of the danger and to make sure holes were not dug.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Political impact
Prime minister Raila Odinga and vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka have visited the scene and various hospitals to console injured victims and to condole bereaved families. President Mwai Kibaki visited the main Kenyatta National Hospital to empathize with the injured. The secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, expressed sorrow and sympathy for the victims, wishing a full and speedy recovery to the survivors, while the United States ambassador to Kenya, Scott Gration, lauded the rescue workers and the personal heroism of the locals. Amnesty International-Kenya said that the failure to relocate people puts the majority of the blame on government officials.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Enforcement after the event
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) said it will act against the KPC for failing to enforce EMCA 1999—and suggests that if the required spill containment measures were in place at the facility the oil would not have run off into the drains. NEMA dismissed KPC claims that they had acted sufficiently, saying they had not received the Environmental audit that is obligatory under the 2003 Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Audit Regulations. The slum has been in that place for approximately 20 years despite the requirement for KPC to keep those areas clear of settlement. NEMA said it would also require KPC to deal with the pollution in the environment, particularly regarding the flora and fauna along the Ngong River into which the storm drain flows.


2011 Nairobi pipeline fire, Warnings before the event
In 2009 journalist John Ngirachu wrote for the local newspaper Daily Nation and reported that the slums in Sinai being located so near to the pipeline were a disaster waiting to happen. The permanent secretary to the Ministry of Energy, Patrick Nyoike, had asked the KPC to refurbish the pipelines but it was reported that the Ministry of Finance declined.


2011 Nakba Day
Nakba Day in 2011 was the annual day of commemoration for the Palestinian people marking the Nakba—the displacement that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948. Generally held on May 15, commemorative events in 2011 began on May 10, in the form of march by Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel on Israel's Independence Day. On May 13, clashes between stone-throwing youths and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem resulted in one Palestinian fatality, and clashes continued there and in parts of the West Bank in the days following.


2011 Nakba Day
In an unprecedented development on May 15, thousands of people, mostly Palestinian refugees from Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Syria, marched towards the ceasefire borders with Israel. Fifteen Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded, most by live ammunition as the Israeli Defense Forces tried to hold them back across the line. Dozens of Israelis were also injured. More than a hundred protestors from Syria managed to breach the fence and enter the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and at least one made it all the way to Tel Aviv.


2011 Nakba Day
Attempts by march organizers in Egypt and Jordan to reach their countries' borders with Gaza and Israel, respectively, were largely thwarted by domestic security forces. At a mass demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, the Egyptian Army used tear gas and live fire to disperse the crowd, wounding 353. In other events in Tel Aviv, an Israeli man was killed and others wounded by an Arab truck driver who claimed he lost control of his vehicle, but is suspected by Israeli police of having purposefully carried out a "terrorist attack".


2011 Nakba Day
Organized by calls put out by Palestinians on Facebook, the border marches were given impetus by the revolutions and uprisings taking place in the Arab world. The American and Israeli governments said the marches were coordinated by the Iranian and the Syrian governments to shift public attention from domestic unrest.


2011 Nakba Day, Background
Al-Nakba is the Arabic word for "the catastrophe" or "the disaster" and is used by Palestinians to refer to the loss of Palestine, the displacement and dispersal that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948. More than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled over the course of the 1948 Palestine War and they and their descendants number several million today, divided between Jordan (2 million), Lebanon (427,057), Syria (477,700), the West Bank (788,108) and the Gaza Strip (1.1 million), with another quarter of a million internally displaced Palestinians in Israel.


2011 Nakba Day, Background
Nakba Day is commemorated annually, generally on May 15. Commemorations among Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel are often held on Israeli Independence Day which falls on the Hebrew calendar date of 5 Iyar (in 2011, May 10). On that day, several thousand internally displaced Palestinians and their supporters held their 14th annual "March of Return" between al-Damun and al-Ruways, two Palestinian villages depopulated during the 1948 Palestinian exodus. At least 1,000 Arabs and Jews held the first public commemoration of the Nakba in Jaffa on May 14 to protest the "Nakba Law" passed by the Israeli Knesset in March. Organized by members of youth movements in Jaffa and Lod, Arab Members of Knesset did not attend the protest, where demonstrators chanted pro-Palestinian, pan-Arab, and anti-Israel slogans, and blocked traffic along Jaffa's main street.


2011 Nakba Day, Background
In anticipation of Nakba Day events, the Israeli military sealed off the West Bank for 24 hours and deployed IDF regiments and Border Police gendarmes. Inside Israel, police prepared for Arab protests and possible violence, and security forces were deployed in the predominantly Arab Wadi Ara region. A heavy police presence was reported in many of Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods, and included both regular police officers and Border Police gendarmes.


2011 Nakba Day, Background
Israeli forces were provided with riot and crowd-control gear, and were ordered to use live fire only under extreme circumstances. Israel's political leadership instructed the IDF not to take risks and assume major precautions. Soldiers were ordered not to intervene in peaceful demonstrations that did not target soldiers, settlers, or infrastructure. The IDF said that it wanted "zero funerals" during the demonstrations. Senior field officers were deployed in every sector of operations to monitor the situation and assist in the decision-making process. Israeli commanders also monitored internet chatter and social media websites to get a clear sense of the Palestinian street's mood. IDF Brigades were also trained to deal with clashes between Palestinians and settlers.


2011 Nakba Day, Border demonstrations
Inspired by the uprisings and revolutions taking place in the Arab world, Palestinians used Facebook to call for mass protests throughout the region on May 15, 2011, Nakba Day. A page calling for a "Third Palestinian Intifada" to begin on May 15 garnered more than 350,000 "likes" before being taken down by Facebook managers at the end of March after complaints from the Israeli government as well as a counter group which repeatedly requested Facebook to block the page on the grounds that it incited violence. The page called for mass marches to Palestine from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan to commemorate the Nakba and demand the right of return for all Palestinian refugees.


2011 Nakba Day, Border demonstrations, Egypt
Organizers in Egypt had been preparing for weeks to implement the plans for a mass march to the border. In addition to demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees, several demands specific to Egypt were added by Cairo organizers, including the opening of the Rafah border on a permanent basis, the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Egyptian jails, and an end to the export of Egyptian gas to Israel and all other "humiliating agreements with the Zionist state".


2011 Nakba Day, Border demonstrations, Egypt
On the Friday (May 13) before Nakba Day, thousands demonstrated in Cairo's Tahrir Square in solidarity with Palestinians (and Copts). On Saturday, thousands were planning to make their way toward the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip in convoys set to depart from Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Damietta, North Sinai. Gharbiya, Beni Suef, Assiut, Qena and Sohag. However, an order from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces to tourism companies not to send buses to the convoy organizers left them without sufficient transportation and the few buses they did manage to procure were stopped by the army. The blockage of access by Egyptian forces to the Sinai Peninsula, meant that only about 80 activists managed to reach the border with Rafah.