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87-491: The club's greatest successes were winning the southern division title in the German Football League in 2009 and in every season played since 2011 (as of 2021), and participated in every German Bowl held between 2011 and 2022 – except for 2013 and the 2020 season which was cancelled due to COVID-19, winning the title five times: in 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018 and in 2022. The club also made five losing appearances in

174-596: A German TV interview with Alexander Sperber, son of a U.S. Army soldier and German mother, which created enough interest to form a number of teams and the league, referred to as German-American Football League. In March 1979, the AFBD , the American Football Federation of Germany ( German : American-Football-Bund Deutschland ), was formed, the first of its kind in Europe. This organisation, in 1982,

261-619: A license, leaving an extra spot in the league which was awarded to the Lübeck Cougars . The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns repeated their 2011 success and once more defeated the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes in the German Bowl, becoming the first team from the south to win back-to-back championships since the 1982 Ansbach Grizzlies. The 2013 season saw a return to northern dominance with all four southern teams knocked out in

348-402: A much different roster than they would've had, had a "normal" 2020 season been played, it is impossible to gauge the "actual" competitive strength of any given 2020 GFL team, even if they did play. The 2021 season was heavily influenced both by the lingering effects of COVID-19 – many teams were only allowed full contact team training much later in their preseason than usual – and the founding of

435-778: A new record, winning four German Bowls straight, beating four different teams in the finals. In 2005, the Blue Devils were once more the opposition, followed by two southern teams, the Marburg Mercenaries in 2006 and the Stuttgart Scorpions in 2007, in an unbeaten season for the Lions. The seventh title for the Lions came in 2008, against the new force of the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes . However, after 2008 Braunschweig's dominance would end and

522-590: A possible 32 seasons at the highest level of the game in Germany, more than any other club. The history of American football in Germany, outside the US Army bases in the country, began in 1977, when the Frankfurter Löwen were formed as the first club to play the game in Germany. At first, this team was only able to play US Army teams, lacking German opposition. The formation of the league dates back to

609-458: A reduced schedule of only ten games instead of the usual 14. Beating their German Bowl rival Braunschweig in the quarterfinal in a game that opened in a sack by the Unicorns defense and saw an interception carried to a pick six in the opening drive by Italian-American Unicorns defender Cody Pastorino Hall defeated Braunschweig by 38–13 taking five turnovers from the Lions. The semifinal against

696-598: A significant number of their top players including national team quarterback Marco Ehrenfried have started playing with the Unicorns for one of their youth teams. The Unicorns also founded the first American Football only Sportinternat (sport focused boarding school ) in Germany dubbed the "Unicorns Academy" in cooperation with the Evangelisches Schulzentrum Michelbach in Michelbach an der Bilz near Schwäbisch Hall. Recent seasons of

783-526: A system still in place as of 2022. The league, which had peaked at 26 clubs in four regional divisions in 1990, was reduced to the two-divisional format, with eight teams per division. The Panther earned their fourth title in 1992, defeating the Munich Cowboys, which, in the following year, won the championship themselves, against Cologne Crocodiles, who suffered their fourth defeat in their fourth German Bowl. Munich's title in an undefeated 1993 season

870-519: A team at any given time. In November 2010, a new Bundesspielordnung , the rule book of American football in Germany, was published. One major change was that the sport now placed citizens of European Union countries on equal footing with German nationals, meaning, restrictions on the number of these players per team on the field were now not in place anymore. However, the restrictions on non-EU nationals remained in place, unless those players could prove that they had spent at least three years playing for

957-528: A youth team in the sport in Germany. This was an update in part mandated by the Bosman ruling (which established a precedent for association football but applies to all professional sports) and the rules on Freedom of movement for workers in the European Union . For the 2011 season, a club can sign up up to ten non-EU players, have six of those on the line-up for any given game but only two of those on

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1044-570: Is an American football league in Germany and was formed in 1979. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA . In 1999, the league switched its name from American-Football-Bundesliga to German Football League . In terms of attendance figures, cumulative salaries paid by teams, performance in international exhibition games and competitions and ability to draw foreign talent, the GFL

1131-426: Is arguably the strongest national league in Europe. The GFL is partitioned into north and south conferences, each with eight teams. In each conference, every team plays against every other team of its own conference, both at home and away. Until 2011, each team also played home and away interconference games against the team from the opposing conference that finished the previous season on the same rank. However, this

1218-613: The Nordwestdeutsche Football Liga – NFL . By 1981, the Bundesliga was expanded to two regional divisions of seven clubs each. The early years of the league were dominated by two teams, Frankfurt and Ansbach, who met each other in the first three editions of the German Bowl. Of those, Frankfurt won the first two, remaining unbeaten in 1979, and Ansbach the last. The era of the Frankfurter Löwen

1305-575: The 2020 season indicates that the team would have qualified for a season if one had been held, but due to Covid-19 no games of the planned 2020 season were actually played. This is a list of the winners of the regional divisions of the GFL. A record 15 divisional titles were won by the New Yorker Lions, while the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns hold record for division titles in the south, 14. The Ansbach Grizzlies still have won

1392-770: The COVID-19 pandemic despite other European football leagues as well as other sports in Germany playing some form of 2020 season. The delays and ultimate cancellation caused some teams significant financial and organisational hardship as many costs – including salaries, transportation, and room & board expense for import players – were incurred despite no games being played. Furthermore many players decided to – temporarily or permanently – leave their clubs (sometimes without ever actually playing for them) to play in those European leagues which did hold play. A very limited number of exhibition matches involving German teams were nonetheless held, but as they sometimes involved German teams with

1479-599: The Cologne Crocodiles , saw an increase of clubs to fifteen, including the two break-away clubs Düsseldorf and Bremerhaven. After that, the era of the Düsseldorf Panther versus Ansbach Grizzlies rivalry began, with the two teams meeting in the next four finals. Of those, the team from Düsseldorf won the 1983, 1984 and 1986 editions, while the Grizzlies earned their third championship in 1985. With

1566-612: The German Football League 2 . At this level, the club quickly acclimatised, winning its division in 1986 and 1987. In 1986, the Stuttgart Scorpions were still the stronger side in the promotion round, winning both games and baring the Unicorns from moving one level up, but the year after the club managed to take up the Scorpions place in the American Football Bundesliga . The team played at this level for

1653-549: The Potsdam Royals proved closer at 28–18 but its main importance was in the injuries to key players the Unicorns suffered - starting Quarterback Alexander Haupert (also the quarterback of the Germany national American football team ) was out with a knee injury and questionable for the final while starting running back John Santiago tore his ACL and was out for the rest of the season. In German Bowl XLII Hall would face another "familiar face" in their semifinal opponents from

1740-544: The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns later that same year. German Bowl participants since 1979: No German Bowl was held in 2020 due to the Covid-19 -related cancellation of the 2020 season . German Bowl XLII which had originally been scheduled for 2020 was held in 2021 instead. The placings in the league since the renaming of the league to GFL before the 1999 season: An asterisk in the column for

1827-561: The 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019 seasons, the Dresden Monarchs. Haupert, playing despite his injury, was knocked out of the game with a broken clavicle early in the second quarter, requiring Reilly Hennessey, who had just led Parma Panthers to an Italian Bowl win that July, to step in under center in his first ever game in the German Football League. While the Unicorns led at the half 12–7 and once again had

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1914-498: The 2017 season after the retirement of Schwäbisch Hall icon Siggi Gehrke who had coached the team for most of its existence and is mostly credited with the enduring success of the team. The final score in German Bowl XLI was Braunschweig 10, Schwäbisch Hall 7 making Braunschweig champions for the twelfth time in their history – more than any other team. The 2020 season was delayed multiple times and ultimately cancelled due to

2001-598: The Covid-truncated 2021 German Football League they also reached the German Bowl after posting a perfect regular season record (10–0) but lost again in the final, this time to the Dresden Monarchs. In 2021 the Unicorns also won their first ever European title, beating the Tyrol Raiders in the CEFL Bowl by a score of 22–16. Previously, the only appearance in a national championship game the club has made

2088-549: The Dresden Monarchs surprisingly lost to the Cologne Crocodiles despite the latter having lost a substantial number of players to the crosstown ELF Centurions . This, however, would prove the only loss of Dresden on the way to their first division title and the second German Bowl participation after 2013 as well as their first ever championship. Braunschweig meanwhile struggled and never achieved full team cohesion, in part due to relatively strict anti COVID-19 measures in

2175-644: The Dresden field goal that had made it a close contest at 28–26. Thus Hall achieved the fifth bowl appearance in six years. As of 2016, former Unicorn wide receiver Moritz Böhringer is the first and only European player to be drafted into the National Football League directly out of a European league. In 2021 the Unicorns met the Tirol Raiders again. Since the BIG6 didn't exist anymore

2262-473: The Düsseldorf Panther in the final, while, from 1989 onwards, the Berlin Adler became the first team to win three championships in a row, all against teams from Cologne . The Adler also managed to remain unbeaten in 1989 and 1990 and only suffered one defeat in 1991, at home against the Cologne Crocodiles. After the 1990 season, the play-offs were reduced to eight teams again, dropping the wild card round,

2349-689: The Eurobowl. The participations of German clubs at the European Football League and, since 2014, in the BIG6 European Football League : Hamburg Huskies The Hamburg Huskies are an American football team in Hamburg , Germany . The club's greatest success came in 2014 when it won the northern division of the German Football League 2 and earned promotion to the German Football League . The club

2436-595: The GFL and the country's more popular association football leagues. The most dominant era of any team in German football begun in 1997, when the Braunschweig Lions reached and won the German Bowl for the first time. The Lions would play in every one of the next twelve German Bowls, up until 2008, and win seven of those. Their first title, in 1997, was won against the Cologne Crocodiles, who were now five for five in German Bowl defeats. The following six seasons,

2523-664: The GFL due to Covid and the competition by the ELF before ever having played a single GFL match. In the end, the GFL once more started "understrength" with a six team division in the North and an eight team division in the South rounded out by the utterly non-competitive Stuttgart Scorpions and Frankfurt Universe. As can perhaps be expected, the season was full of upsets and surprises despite top teams in Dresden, Schwäbisch Hall and Braunschweig largely keeping their roster intact. In their opening game,

2610-400: The GFL has been divided into a northern and southern division. Only in 1979 was it played in single division format, while, from 1986 to 1990, it was divided into four regional divisions. As of 2010, the Munich Cowboys have played more GFL games than any other team, 335, followed by the Berlin Adler with 312, the only other team with more than 300 league games. The Cowboys have played 29 out of

2697-474: The German Bowl but this time the team from the South finally overcame their northern rival winning their third championship in a 14–13 nail biter that was decided by a blocked field goal attempt by Braunschweig late in the game. Despite losing the game, Braunschweig great David McCants was honored as the German Bowl MVP that year. While Schwäbisch Hall and Braunschweig again won their divisions in 2018,

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2784-542: The German Bowl, suffering defeat by record champion Braunschweig Lions in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019 and falling to the Dresden Monarchs in German Bowl XLII in 2021. Their 2011, 2017 and 2018 seasons also saw them post flawless perfect season records in the GFL on their way to championship rings. In 2016 and 2019 their only GFL losses came in the respective German Bowl at the hands of Braunschweig. In

2871-575: The German Bowl, with the second title won against a new force in the game in Germany, the Hamburg Blue Devils . In 1996, the Blue Devils then reversed the fortunes and defeated the Panthers in the final. In 1999 the competition adopted its present name and initials. The unusual decision to operate solely under an English language name and initials in its own country was made to try to prevent confusion among native German speakers between

2958-464: The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 50–24 in the quarter-finals and the Dresden Monarchs 33–27 in the semi-finals of the play-offs to reach the 2014 German Bowl where it lost to the New Yorker Lions in a lopsided 47–9 where they only managed to score a field goal until well into the fourth quarter. The team won the southern division for a fifth consecutive time in 2015 and defeated the Hamburg Huskies in

3045-409: The Lions from Braunschweig managed to avenge their semifinal defeat the year prior beating Frankfurt at home on their way from yet another division title to yet another German Bowl triumph against the Unicorns, in the process thwarting Schwäbisch Hall's attempt at their own "championship three-peat" and dealing the first defeat in the tenure of Head Coach Jordan Neumann who had taken over the job ahead of

3132-533: The Panthers in 1983 and 1986 and the Grizzlies in 1985, both teams were able to win the title without a loss all season. With the 1986 final, the golden era of the Ansbach Grizzlies ended and the club disappeared out of the top level altogether by 1991. From 1986, a wild card round was introduced in the play-offs, taking the number of teams in the play-offs to twelve. The league had now expanded to 24 teams, divided into four divisions. Two of those were in

3219-711: The Wild Huskies were renamed Eagles in November 2003. Under this name the club won the northern division of the GFL2 for the first time in 2007. In the following promotion round to the GFL the Eagles lost both games to the Dresden Monarchs and missed out on promotion. Also in the 2007 season the team switched from its mother club SC Victoria Hamburg to the Harvesterhuder Tennis und Hockey Club (HTHC). In 2009

3306-487: The allowed number of foreigners on the field for a team at any given time, in this case specifically, Americans, was reduced to five. In the early years American players would simply be recruited from the (then plentiful) American military installations in Germany which in part helps explain the early dominance of Frankfurt (near Rhein-Main Air Base ) and Ansbach (site of several US armed forces facilities). However, with

3393-577: The citizenship of an EU country when they are eligible through ius sanguinis or residence. In other European leagues similar limits are implemented by other means. For example, the Austrian Football League limits the number of players who can receive financial compensation for playing while the Italian Football League limits the number of players who have played college football (regardless of citizenship). As such,

3480-468: The club switched its name to the current Hamburg Huskies but also suffered relegation to the third division Regionalliga. After two seasons at this level the Huskies returned to the GFL2 from 2012 onwards. After winning the northern division title of the GFL2 in 2014 the club qualified for the first time in its 20-year history for the GFL. It finished fourth in the northern division of the GFL and lost to

3567-460: The club: The team is notable for the long bonds between (former) players and the team with import players such as Nick Alfieri (who also runs a YouTube channel about his experiences in Germany) returning year after year and many members of the coaching staff - including head coach Jordan Neuman being former Unicorns players. German Football League The German Football League ( GFL )

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3654-513: The division championship with the Unicorns compiling a perfect season in the process under the direction of new head coach Jordan Neuman . However, the division title and home field advantages throughout the playoffs could only be clinched in the last game with a 35–28 win at Frankfurt against Universe . On the European stage, Hall saw their BIG6 campaign stopped at the hands of the Austrian Football League power Tirol Raiders that beat them in

3741-486: The divisions to nominal strength if possible. The league had been expanded from 12 to 14 teams for the 2011 season. It further increased the number of teams to 16 in 2012. Below the GFL sits the GFL2 , formerly the 2nd Bundesliga , which was formed in 1982. It is also divided into a northern and southern division, with eight teams in each. For the 2011 season, both the northern and the southern champions are promoted, while

3828-412: The drawdown of US forces in the mid-1980s and the increase in talent and professionalism throughout the league, a more formalized mechanism was put in place to recruit and fly in former college football players to play in Germany for pay (salary) as well as room and board . In 1982, the number of American "imports" was reduced to four, in 1983 to three and, by 1986 only two were allowed on the field for

3915-509: The end of an 18-year title drought for the south, when the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns defeated Kiel 48–44 to take out the national championship for the first time. The Unicorns would miss only one out of the remaining German Bowls of the decade, when they were upset in the 2013 quarter finals by the Berlin Adler. For the 2012 season, the Mönchengladbach Mavericks , runners-up in the northern division in 2011, were refused

4002-531: The end of the golden era of the Ansbach Grizzlies in 1986 and the rise of the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (who first reached the German Bowl in 2011), southern clubs have only made five appearances in the championship game of which only one was successful (the Munich Cowboys in 1993). From 1993 to 2006 no southern team reached the German Bowl, with twelve consecutive finals played without southern participation. On five occasions no southern team progressed beyond

4089-425: The field at any given time. Players are marked with an "A" on their jersey and helmet to allow referees to determine at a glance whether the limit is obeyed on the field. These restrictions are specifically in place for US, Canadian, Mexican and Japanese citizens and, on request, exemptions can be made for players from countries without established structures in the sport. This rule is designed to prevent an advantage to

4176-454: The final was contested by the Lions and the Blue Devils on five occasions, with the Lions winning in 1998 and 1999, while the Blue Devils won 2001, 2002, and 2003. Only in 2000 did neither of those two win the Bowl; instead, the Cologne Crocodiles finally reversed their fortunes and won a championship in their sixth attempt. In 1999, the Bundesliga was renamed to German Football League. In 2002,

4263-438: The final where Braunschweig prevailed once more, this time by a more narrow 41–31 margin. 2016 again saw Braunschweig and Hall win their divisions and meet in the German Bowl with Braunschweig achieving a "championship three-peat" beating the Unicorns 31–20 under Head Coach Troy Tomlin, one of the coaches to have won the German Bowl most often with his team. In 2017 Hall and Braunschweig once more won their divisions and reached

4350-587: The first ever title of a team from the New states of Germany in GFL history as the Dresden Monarchs defeated the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns 28–19. In German Bowl XLIII the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns defeated the Potsdam Royals 44 to 27 to win their fifth championship. Success in American football in Germany and at the German Bowl differs hugely between the clubs from the northern and the southern division, with

4437-669: The first one not at the hands of Braunschweig. The Head Coach who led Dresden to their victory, Ulrich "Ulz" Däuber, was a Unicorns alumn himself, having played for them in the eighties and nineties and having been a coach in their youth system in the 1990s before an extended stint in the US. The Unicorns won the German Bowl XLIII against the Potsdam Royals. The club's appearances in the German Bowl: The Unicorns are well known for their superb youth programmes and

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4524-497: The first time and missing out on a first-ever German Bowl appearance by a point, losing 21–22 to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes . In 2010, the club came second in its division but lost to the Dresden Monarchs in the quarterfinals of the play-offs. The team played a flawless regular season in 2011, winning every game, followed by beating the Berlin Adler in the quarter-finals and the Mönchengladbach Mavericks in

4611-546: The group phase after an easy win over the Berlin Adler . The (GFL) post season began with an easy win over the Berlin Rebels (24–14) and continued – as the two years before – with a close fought match against the Dresden Monarchs . Despite a 21–7 lead going into halftime, the Unicorns only managed to put the game out of reach near the end ultimately prevailing 35–26 on a 100-yard kickoff return immediately following

4698-482: The league also lost its longest-serving founding member, the Munich Cowboys suffering relegation for the first time, alongside another one of the "original six", the Düsseldorf Panther, who had however missed the 1980 and 1981 seasons because of the league split. Braunschweig lost a fifth final in a row in 2004, when the Berlin Adler won their first title in 13 years. After this, the Braunschweig Lions set

4785-467: The league that season and earning promotion to the third tier. After another title, now in the Regionalliga Mitte , the team returned to the 2nd Bundesliga once more for the 1997 season. In four seasons at this level, the team finished in the top four each year, culminating in a second place in 2000, which allowed the side to move up again because of two clubs withdrawing from the GFL. For

4872-428: The league, from 1995, the division strength was reduced to six. For the next 16 seasons, six teams per division was the set number, with occasional seasons going underway in reduced strength because of late withdrawals. Also, an inter conference round was introduced in 1994, with teams from different divisions now meeting for the first time during the regular season. In 1994 and 1995, the Düsseldorf Panther once more won

4959-543: The new European League of Football ( ELF ) which "plundered" the roster of GFL teams in Frankfurt and Stuttgart (sending the erstwhile playoff or even championship contenders to the bottom of their division) and led to the withdrawal of teams in Ingolstadt and Hildesheim after the attempts to move those teams to the new ELF fell through. The Elmshorn Fighting Pirates earned the questionable distinction of retiring from

5046-413: The next seven seasons, the Unicorns reached the play-offs each year, with a semi final appearance in 2005, where it lost to the Braunschweig Lions , as its best result. The 2008 season was a disappointment to the club, finishing fifth in its division and missing the postseason, but also staying well clear of relegation trouble. In 2009, the Unicorns were much improved, winning the southern division for

5133-422: The next three seasons, without ever qualifying for the postseason, before losing its league place in 1990 when the league was reduced from 26 to 16 clubs. The Unicorns found themselves back in the 2nd Bundesliga for the next three seasons, before suffering further relegation. The side's absolute low came in 1995, when it had dropped to the tier-four Oberliga Baden Württemberg , but it quickly recovered, winning

5220-576: The north, one in the south and the fourth one in Central Germany. The 1987 German Bowl saw two teams compete against each other that had thus far never reached the final, the Badener Greifs making their only appearance in the championship game to date, while the Berlin Adler won their first of, as of 2021, six national championships. Both teams went into the German Bowl without a defeat all season. In 1988, Red Barons Cologne defeated

5307-467: The northern and southern divisions. Of the 190 games played in this era, the north won 140, almost 75 percent, the south only 48 while two were drawn: As a sign of the strong influence of Americans in the game in Germany, upon formation of the Bundesliga in 1979, there was no restriction on how many foreigners a team could field. The only stipulation was, that every team had to field a minimum of three German nationals at any time. Soon, this changed, and

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5394-635: The playoffs saw Braunschweig fall at home to the Frankfurt Universe in the semifinal by a score of 20–17 marking the first German Bowl contested by teams from the same division since 2013 and the first all southern German Bowl since 1981 (incidentally then also including a team representing Frankfurt, in that case the Frankfurter Löwen). In the end, the regular season division champ beat the runner up, just as had happened in 2013. Thus making German Bowl XL Hall's third triumph. In 2019

5481-422: The quarter and semi finals of the play-offs. In a repeat of 2011 the club once more defeated the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes in the German Bowl. The 2013 season saw the club win a third consecutive division title but the team was unable to defend their national championship, being knocked out in the quarter-finals by the Berlin Adler. The club took out the southern division title of the GFL once more in 2014 and defeated

5568-519: The quarter-finals and the Dresden Monarchs in the semi-finals of the play-offs, facing the New Yorker Lions once more in the German Bowl, which the Unicorns lost 31–41 in a much more closely fought contest than the previous year. 2015 also saw their first appearance in the BIG6 European Football League , where they advanced to the final before losing 24–14 in Eurobowl XXIX to host New Yorker Lions . The 2016 season saw an unthreatened defense of

5655-422: The quarter-finals and the German Bowl contested by the revived Braunschweig Lions, now as the New Yorker Lions, and the Dresden Monarchs who made their first appearance in the championship final, with the Lions winning their eighth German Bowl in a close 35–34 game with the only turnover coming with the last play when Dresden was driving down the field for a potentially game winning score. The 2014 season began with

5742-412: The quarter-finals. In 1989, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2013 all four semi-finalists came from the northern division. 2013 was perhaps the most drastic of these instances as the defending champion Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns were upset by the fourth seed in the North Berlin Adler on Hall's own turf in the quarter-final. The disparity is also documented by the inter conference games held from 1994 to 2011 between

5829-425: The runners-up of the two divisions will play the last placed team in the GFL division above for another spot in the league in 2012. There are various regional leagues below the GFL2 with eight tiers in total in some areas. A newly founded team must start out at the bottom of the league pyramid, just as in soccer, even though there have been rare exceptions, including the Hamburg Blue Devils . For most of its history,

5916-454: The same player playing in two different leagues in the same year may be considered an "import" in one league and equivalent to a national player in another. Reilly Hennessey, who has dual Italian and US citizenship, had to wear an "A" on his jersey in the 2021 season of the Italian Football League due to having played college football at Central Washington University but was not subject to this limitation in German Bowl XLII when he played for

6003-404: The same rank in their division can only meet in the (neutral site) final. The final is called the German Bowl . The lowest ranked team of each conference plays a home and away series against the winner of the second division, and may be relegated if they lose. In case one or several teams withdraw from the GFL, relegation is forgone, more teams are promoted or other measures are taken to "fill up"

6090-416: The season) met in the quarter-finals in Saarland with Saarland advancing to the semifinals losing 37–0 in Dresden in Dresden's last game at Heinz Steyer Stadion until at least 2023. The German Bowl thus sees the division champions meeting once more, but for the first time since 2012 that champion in the North is not Braunschweig. German Bowl XLII was played in Frankfurt am Main at the Waldstadion and saw

6177-404: The secondmost titles in the south, seven, despite not having competed in the league since 1990: Since the inception of the Eurobowl in 1986, German clubs have taken part in the competition in most seasons. In most cases, the German Bowl winner of the previous season was qualified. In some seasons more than one German club took part in the competition. On ten occasions clubs from Germany have won

6264-490: The semifinals of the play-offs and advancing to the German Bowl for the first time, where they met the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes . The 33rd edition was the highest scoring German Bowl of all time, ending with a 48–44 victory for the Unicorns, which thereby ended an 18-year title drought for the south. In 2012, the club once more won its division, reaching the German Bowl after victories over the Düsseldorf Panther and Berlin Adler in

6351-430: The south, as of 2021, only winning ten German Bowls (four of them won by the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns ) and the north the remaining 32 (12 of them won by the Braunschweig Lions ). Similarly, southern clubs have only made 26 appearances in the Bowl, while northern clubs have appeared 58 times. After the first three German Bowls, the final was never again contested by two southern clubs until German Bowl XL in 2018. Between

6438-560: The state of Lower Saxony preventing them from training together for much of the preseason and forcing them to hold their home opener in front of empty ranks. Ultimately placing fourth in the North, the Lions were eliminated in the quarter-final on the road in Schwäbisch Hall in a game in which the Unicorns defense won the ball off of Braunschweig turnovers five times. The great surprises of the season, Cologne Crocodiles and Saarland Hurricanes (the latter having been promoted ahead of

6525-399: The team would struggle to even post winning records, let alone come anywhere near championship contention until 2013. Kiel also played in the 2009 final, losing to the Berlin Adler, before finally being successful in 2010 and winning their first title against the same team. In 2011, the season was expanded from 72 to 98 games because of the enlargement of the league to 14 teams. It also saw

6612-406: The top two teams would contest the first ever German Bowl on 10 November 1979. The first-ever league game was held on 4 August 1979, played between the Frankfurter Löwen and the Düsseldorf Panther, and ended in a victory for Frankfurt. The league saw a split in its second and third season, with Düsseldorf and Bremerhaven leaving the competition to take part in a separate, short-lived competition,

6699-504: The turnover differential in their favor 2–1 their score early in the third quarter to make it 19–7 should prove their last and in the end Dresden won 28–19 with Hall failing to convert on a Field Goal attempt late in the game. Dresden thus celebrated their first playoff victory over the Unicorns since 2010, the first Championship for a team from the New States of Germany and dealt Hall their fifth German Bowl defeat in nine appearances and

6786-423: The two division champions with Braunschweig taking out their ninth title with Schwäbisch Hall only scoring a Field Goal until the fourth quarter. The Lions won their ninth German Bowl victory with the highest-ever winning margin, defeating the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns 47–9. The 2015 season played out similar to the previous edition with both Schwäbisch Hall and Braunschweig winning their division before advancing to

6873-543: The two teams participated in the Central European Football League the new European top tournament and both teams made it to the bowl game. This time, the Unicorns managed to beat the Raiders and won their first European title. In the GFL, the team posted their fifth straight perfect regular season with a 10–0 record (the 2020 German Football League was not played due to Covid) in a season with

6960-400: The wealthier clubs, who could otherwise recruit a large number of players from the traditional American football countries. However, the aforementioned inevitable exception for EU citizens provides a strong incentive to sign players with dual nationality who have played college football but do not count as "Americans". In some cases the clubs have even encouraged or helped their players to get

7047-537: The withdrawal of the Hamburg Blue Devils before the start of the season, leaving the northern division with only seven clubs. In the north Braunschweig won another division title with a perfect season while the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns won the southern division for a fourth consecutive time (who then went on to beat Kiel and Dresden in the Playoffs to reach the final). The 2014 German Bowl was contested by

7134-446: Was abandoned with the league expansion to 16 teams. After the end of the regular season, four teams from both conferences enter the playoffs, to determine the German championship. The winner of a conference plays against the 4th place team of the other group, second against third of the other conference. Better placed teams enjoy home field advantage in the playoffs (regardless of record) – the seeding ensures that two teams that finished on

7221-611: Was formed in 1994 as the Hamburg Wild Huskies. The club entered competitive football in 1995, won the tier four Oberliga and earned promotion to the Regionalliga . In 1998 the club earned promotion to the 2. Bundesliga, a league later renamed to GFL2. In reference to the Hamburg Silver Eagles , a club that went defunct shortly after the formation of the Huskies and provided many of its future players,

7308-481: Was hereby ended and the club went defunct in the mid-1980s, while the Ansbach Grizzlies continued to be an outstanding team, playing in all of the first eight German Bowls. Unlike the first season, play-off semi finals were played in 1980 and 1981 to determine the two German Bowl contestants. From 1982, the play-offs were enlarged to include a quarter final round as well. The 1982 season, which saw Ansbach repeat its title, remaining unbeaten all season, this time against

7395-585: Was in 1997, when it lost the Junior Bowl to the youth team of the Berlin Adler . The club was founded on 9 November 1983, as the American football department of the TSG Schwäbisch Hall , which is still, as of 2014, the mother club of the Unicorns . In the following year, the team entered in the central division of the 2nd Bundesliga , the second tier of American football in Germany, now

7482-624: Was replaced by the AFVD , the American Football Association of Germany ( German : American-Football-Verband Deutschland ). In 1979 , the American-Football-Bundesliga , later to be renamed the German Football League, was formed, consisting of six clubs, the Frankfurter Löwen, Ansbach Grizzlies , Düsseldorf Panther , Munich Cowboys , Berliner Bären , and Bremerhaven Seahawks . Of those six,

7569-428: Was to be the last occasion for the next twelve years that a team from the South would reach the final, and the last time until 2011, that a team from the South would win the championship. The Bundesliga and the German Bowl were from now on dominated by the North. After the 1993 season, still contested with 16 clubs, the number of clubs was gradually reduced further. In 1994, 14 clubs in two divisions of seven competed in

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