The Raiders Tirol (for the AFL-Teams SWARCO Raiders Tirol , formerly Papa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders ) are an American football team based in Innsbruck , Austria . Founded in 1992, the Raiders since have become one of Austria 's and Europe 's most dominant American football teams, winning the Eurobowl title three times (2008, 2009, and 2011) and the CEFL also three times (2017–2019). Competing in the Austrian Football League (AFL), the team has won the league championship eight times, most recently in 2021. In 2022 , the Raiders joined the European League of Football (ELF).
34-762: In 2019, the Swarco Raiders Tirol completed their first perfect season with a record of 16–0 and won Austrian Bowl XXV, as well as the CEFL and ECTC Bowls. The Raiders employ the most full-time coaches and staff out of all European teams, combined with their special cooperation with the Las Vegas Raiders , many teams, coaches and players regard the Raiders as one of the most well-run organizations in Europe. In 2021 they announced their intention to join
68-567: A final score of 24–10. For 2017, the Raiders played against the Benedictine Ravens (NAIA) from Kansas losing to in the final seconds. In 2018 the Raiders hosted Division III Central College from Iowa. The Swarco Raiders won in a hard-fought game. The Raiders' main sponsor and namesake is the SWARCO corporation, a leading manufacturer of traffic lights, signals and road surface markings. Further sponsors include Uniqa Insurance Group ,
102-581: A greater emphasis on trans-atlantic competition and thus have begun scheduling college football teams as future opponents. The long-term plan includes establishing a bowl game for USA College football teams to be played against the SWARCO Raiders in Innsbruck. Previously in 2001 the Raiders won a game 33–6 against Division III Centre College from Kentucky. In 2016, the Raiders played and won against Division III Elmhurst College "Bluejays" with
136-705: A lopsided one, as the Raiders took an early lead over the Graz Giants and coasted to a comfortable 51–7 victory. After another back-to-back championship season, the Raiders again had to stomach an exodus of veteran players, however they were able to retain QB Sean Shelton and their successful coaching staff led by Shuan Fatah. In a thrilling game against the Vikings, the Swarco Raiders claimed its first Eurobowl -title, as it won 28–24 in 2008. Three of
170-421: A perfect season in 2013. Many of the Raiders' veterans retired after the "double" season of 2011 and the Raiders had trouble replacing some of the most distinguished players in club history, despite the Raiders having more imports on their roster, the Vikings prevailed by running a well-versed spread offense and a hard-hitting defense in those years. On 11 July 2015, the Raiders shut out the Vikings 38–0 and capped
204-582: A premier European competition. The AFL Graz Giants own the first known European victory against a US college team in 1991. The Giants won the exhibition game 32–23 against Albany State University . The game was played in the United States on August 31, 1991. European Football League The European Football League ( EFL ) established in 1986, was a tournament for the best European American football teams affiliated to IFAF (International Federation of American Football - Europe), which replaced
238-516: A record of 2–14 in 1994 and 1995. The next two seasons, the Raiders reached the playoffs but lost their semifinals. Due to a league expansion they were promoted to Austria's top division, the AFL , in 1998. The first two-season on the top level the Raiders lost most of their games. In the 2000 season they made it to the playoffs and played its first championship game, losing to the then Chrysler Vikings Vienna . A year later they repeated their appearance in
272-629: A spot for the national champions of their respective countries. In quarterfinals these teams faced the four winners of the divisional round. In semi-finals teams were paired by the Eurobowl seeding system, with the best-seeded team facing the worst and the second-best facing the second-worst. Winners then advanced to the Eurobowl. With the start of the Big6 in 2014, the format of the EFL changed again. Six teams played in two divisions of three teams. The winners of
306-608: A week after winning their third Eurobowl title, the Raiders beat the Vikings 23–13 in Vienna and won Austrian Bowl XXVII, winning the national title as well as an international trophy, this is commonly called "the double" and the ultimate goal in American Football in Europe. In 2012, 2013, 2014 the Raiders came in second against the Vienna Vikings, who at that time had one of their best runs in history, including
340-723: Is a new record attendance for American Football in Austria. In 2014, the club took part in a new European competition, the BIG6 European Football League , which consisted of three teams from Germany, two from Austria and one from Switzerland, the clubs being Berlin Adler , New Yorker Lions , Dresden Monarchs , Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna , Swarco Raiders Tirol and the Calanda Broncos . The two best teams of this competition advanced to Eurobowl XXVIII, where
374-487: Is a tier pyramid system consisting of teams playing in divisions I through division IV. Winners of each division move up to the next level of play. The Tyrol Raiders and Vienna Vikings which had dominated the league for much of the preceding decade announced their intention to leave for the European League of Football for the upcoming 2022 season. However, unlike teams in other countries that have made this move,
SECTION 10
#1732783405479408-1029: The 2022 European League of Football season the now named Raiders Tirol compete with 11 other European teams for the ELF trophy. They start in the central conference together with long-term rival Vienna Vikings , 2021 season champion Frankfurt Galaxy and Stuttgart Surge . The Raiders finished the 2022 ELF season with an 8–4 record and reached the semi-finals of the playoffs. Reference Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends Defensive linemen Defensive backs Special teams Rookies in italics Roster updated 17 June 2023 4 A-import , 6 E-import, 36 homegrown 46 active From Frankfurt Galaxy : Ja'Len Embry From Vienna Vikings : Sebastian Huber Front office Head coach Offensive coaches Defensive coaches Special teams coaches Assistant coaches Strength and conditioning Staff updated 23 March 2023 The SWARCO Raiders board has stated that they will place
442-589: The European Federation of American Football (EFAF) in 2014. Until 2013, the final game of the EFL was the Eurobowl , which has been held annually since 1986. In 2014, the EFL was replaced as Europe's top-tier club competition by the new BIG6 European Football League and the EFL Bowl was introduced as the new final game of the EFL. The 2018 EFL season was the last edition of the tournament. Under
476-818: The European Football League final game the Eurobowl , was won seven out of eight times by an Austrian league AFL team. In 2010, the Prague Panthers from the Czech Republic joined the league as the first team from outside of Austria. The Panthers were a member of the AFL until the 2016 season. In 2016, the Ljubljana Silverhawks from Slovenia joined, and in 2018, the Bratislava Monarchs from Slovakia entered
510-431: The European League of Football for the upcoming 2022 season together with their league rival Vienna Vikings . The Swarco Raiders were founded by a small number of American Football fans and volunteers back in 1992. Starting in Austria's 3rd division in the 1993 season, the team went unbeaten with an overall score of 158–11. After being promoted to the 2nd division, the team failed to continue its run of 1993, and posted
544-610: The Tiroler Tageszeitung newspaper, electric utility provider Tiroler Wasserkraft (TIWAG) and others. Austrian Bowl The Austrian Football League ( AFL ) is the highest level of American football in Austria founded in 1982. The AFL has always been considered among the best and strongest leagues in Europe. The league plays by rules based on those of the NCAA . The AFL is the highest tier level and below that
578-607: The reserve team of both will remain a participant in the Austrian Football League. The AFL was founded in 1982 by the teams such as the Salzburg Lions, Graz Giants , Vienna Ducks and Vienna Ramblocks. The first Austrian Bowl was held in 1984 in Salzburg. The AFL is commonly considered as one of the best American football leagues in Europe. This was especially so in the period from 2004 to 2011, when
612-551: The AFL (with a few also playing in the German Football League ), won the final 28-0 over team Finland 2023 European Championship of American football to win the championship title. The National team also has placed third at the 1995 European Championship of American football (hosted in Austria), third place at the 2010 European Championship , second at the 2014 European Championship (hosted in Austria), losing
646-488: The EFL. Teams from 'weaker' leagues could take part in the EFAF Cup . The final game of the EFL was the Eurobowl , which has been held annually since 1986. In 2014, the BIG6 European Football League was introduced as the new top-tier competition of American football in Europe. The EFL continued to be played as a second-tier competition, with its teams playing for the newly created EFL Bowl trophy. The inaugural EFL Bowl
680-714: The Lions were beat by the Adler. The next season Tirol again took part in the Big 6, once more failing to advance to the final, which was won by Braunschweig against the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns . In the 2016 the fortunes of the Raiders improved as they beat the Berlin Adler and Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, not conceding a single point to advance to Eurobowl XXX against the New Yorker Lions. The final
714-531: The P.A Farnham Knights of Great Britain 45–0. After losing to the Vikings 43–14 in the bowl game of 2005, the two teams faced each other again in the final of 2006, but this time the team from Innsbruck beat its rival from Austria's capital in a lopsided game with an overall score of 43–19. Again the game was played on neutral ground, as it was held in Maria Enzersdorf , Lower Austria . In one of their most successful seasons of club history and just
SECTION 20
#1732783405479748-593: The final in double overtime to Germany in front of 27000 spectators at Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion and placed second again in 2018 . The Vienna Vikings have won the Eurobowl five times and reached the final ten times overall while the Tyrol Raiders have won it three times in five appearances in the final. Furthermore the Central European Football League has been won five times by Austrian teams both before and after it became
782-472: The final, but again lost to the Vikings. After losing both regular season games against its rival the Vienna Vikings, the team fared much better in post season, beating the Vikings 28–20 in a thrilling game, hosted in Salzburg , Austria and it clinched the club's first national championship. Also in 2004, the team won the EFAF Cup becoming the first Tyrolean team to win an international title, shutting out
816-571: The first time in 1984 in Salzburg, Austria . In 2024, the AFL will consist of: ^ 1: Formerly known as Klosterneuburg Mercenaries (criteria= won major (AFL) award or NFL experience) Despite the relatively small size of Austria, both the Austrian national American Football team and individual club teams of the AFL have enjoyed remarkable success in European competitions. The Austrian national team, whose players mostly play in
850-654: The game 22–21 to the Raiffeisen Vienna Vikings. One week later, the team redeemed itself, by winning its second EFL title, beating the French top club Flash de la Courneuve in front of 6500 spectators (at that time a record attendance for an American Football game in Austria ) in the Tivoli Neu stadium of Innsbruck . In 2011, the Raiders won their third Eurobowl Championship at the Tivoli Neu stadium of Innsbruck in front of 8600 spectators, which
884-442: The governance of EFAF, the best American Football teams in Europe participate in annual competitions. Until 2013, the EFL was the first-tier competition for American football clubs in Europe. EFAF determined the relative strength of each of its 17 affiliate leagues and allocated teams to the 4 divisions accordingly, thus not all nations took part. National league champions, runners-up or teams with international success were eligible for
918-472: The last four teams in the EFL contest were Austrian, underlining the country's dominance in European football. Ironically, neither of the teams who faced in the final was able to claim the Austrian title, as the bowl went to the Graz Giants. After the Raiders went unbeaten in the 2009 regular season, it let the semi-final game of the AFL slip away, after they gave away a comfortable 21–0 halftime lead and lost
952-403: The league. In the mid to late 1980's with the increase in talent and professionalism throughout the league, a more formalized mechanism was put in place to recruit and fly in former college and free agent football players to play in Austria for pay (salary) as well as room and board. Because homegrown players are one of the main focus points of the league, there are specific rule limitations for
986-407: The numbers of foreigners. The rule has changed several times over the years. Currently, each roster can have a maximum of 6 American, Canadian, Mexican or Japanese professional import players, with two allowed on the field at the same time. The regular season currently consists of ten games and starts in mid-March; the playoffs continue through July. The final game, the (Austrian Bowl), was held for
1020-473: The other opponent. In a division of 2 teams, each team played each other home and away. The division winners then advanced to the play-offs. The play-off format was changed for the 2008 season. The tournament was expanded to an eight-team competition. The two finalists from the 2007 season, Vienna Vikings and Marburg Mercenaries, earned automatic berths for the next season and the two semi-finalists, Eidsvoll 1814's from Norway and Tirol Raiders from Austria, earned
1054-414: The successful rebuild started in previous years with the highest win over their rivals from Vienna. Good coaching of their young local stars and with the help of import players from the United States, the Raiders regained their position as the number one American Football Club in Austria. In 2016, the Raiders once again advanced to the final for the 7th year in a row. The Austrian Bowl XXXII turned out to be
Raiders Tirol - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-416: The teams have to nominate an EFAF active game day roster, which is limited to 45 players with a maximum of 3 active Americans as defined USA, Canadian, Mexican or Japanese passport holders. These three players may all be on the field at the same time. Until 2013, EFL teams were split into 4 divisions of 3 or 2 teams. In a division of 3, teams played 2 matches; once at home to one opponent and the other away to
1122-484: Was played in front of home crowd and after a highly entertaining game, the Raiders suffered two late touchdowns in the 4th quarter and had to succumb to the Lions 21–35. For the 2017 season, the Raiders withdrew from the "BIG 6" competition due to growing concerns over the high number of import players and the lack of sustainability of this practice. They signed on to compete in the lower-level Central European Football League (CEFL) which they won unbeaten. Beginning from
1156-619: Was won by the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes of Germany against Spain's Badalona Dracs on 20 July 2014. From 2017 on, the EFL Bowl winners may play a relegation game against the last placed team of the BIG6, and be promoted to the BIG6 if they win. This relegation game never happened. Every team in the European Football League had to publish its 60-man roster. After that no player can be added. Every game day
#478521