American Football Association of Germany
Encyclopedia
The American Football Association of Germany is the governing body of the sport of American football
in Germany
.
Formed in 1982, the association oversees the German league system, the various German Bowls
and the national selections.
were formed as the first club to play the game in Germany.
In March 1979, the AFBD, the American Football Federation of Germany , was formed, the first of its kind in Europe
. This organistaion, in 1982, was replaced by the AFVD, the American Football Association of Germany.
A national league, originally the American Football Bundesliga, later to be renamed the German Football League, was formed in 1979, consisting of six clubs, the Frankfurter Löwen, Ansbach Grizzlies
, Düsseldorf Panther
, Munich Cowboys
, Berlin Bears and Bremerhaven Seahawks
. 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 first ever German Bowl
was held on 10 November 1979 and also ended in a victory for the Frankfurter Löwen.
In 1980 and 1981, the league and American football in Germany saw a split with Düsseldorf and Bremerhaven leaving the competition to take part in a separate, short-lived competition, the Nordwestdeutsche Football-Liga - NFL, but, by 1982, union was restored and the renegade teams returned.
In 1981, the German national team
was formed, winning its first-ever international, a game against Italy
, 12-6.
On 16 October 1982, the AFVD was officially formed and, in the following year, it was decided to form regional associations as well. The German national team, also from 1983 onwards, started to participate in the European Championships. In 1986, women's American football began to develop, with the first official game held in 1987.
American football started to boom in Germany from the early 1990s onwards, initiated through the Frankfurt Galaxy
, which attracted many younger fans to the sport and also provided some media attention.
As of 1 January 2010, the AFVD announced a new record membership of 40,051, and increase of 7.31 percent in comparison to the previous year. The associations growth since the year 2000, when it had 18,875 members, is mainly due to the improved youth programs of its clubs. While, in the early years, very few clubs had a youth team, it is now common place to have a number of junior teams in every club.
in American football in Germany operates as a pyramid, with clubs in every league being able to achieve promotion and relegation, subject to their final standings and the promotion and relegation games.
The top level of the league system, the GFL, is a national league with inter conference games between the two regional divisions. The second level, the GFL 2, is divided into two regional divisions without inter conference games. The third level is the Regionalliga (Regional League), divided into five separate leagues. Below this, the seven Oberligas (Premier League) are set, followed by the Verbandsligas (Association League), Landesligas (State League) and Aufbauligas (Development League):
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Formed in 1982, the association oversees the German league system, the various German Bowls
German Bowl
The German Bowl is the annual national championship game in the sport of American football in Germany. It is contested by the two best teams of the German Football League....
and the national selections.
History
The history of American football in Germany, outside the US Army bases in the country, began in 1977, when the Frankfurter LöwenFrankfurter Löwen
The Frankfurter Löwen were an American football team from Frankfurt, Germany.The Löwen were the first American football club to be formed in Germany. The club, a founding member of the American Football Bundesliga, was also the winner of the first two editions of the German Bowl...
were formed as the first club to play the game in Germany.
In March 1979, the AFBD, the American Football Federation of Germany , was formed, the first of its kind in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. This organistaion, in 1982, was replaced by the AFVD, the American Football Association of Germany.
A national league, originally the American Football Bundesliga, later to be renamed the German Football League, was formed in 1979, consisting of six clubs, the Frankfurter Löwen, Ansbach Grizzlies
Ansbach Grizzlies
The Ansbach Grizzlies are an American football team based in Ansbach, Germany. The club, together with the Düsseldorf Panther and the Munich Cowboys, is one of the oldest in Germany...
, Düsseldorf Panther
Düsseldorf Panther
The Düsseldorf Panther are an American football team from Düsseldorf, Germany. The club is the oldest still existing American football club in Europe, having been formed on 1 May 1978....
, Munich Cowboys
Munich Cowboys
The Munich Cowboys are an American football team based in Munich, Germany. The club, together with the Düsseldorf Panther and the Ansbach Grizzlies, is one of the oldest in Germany. The team refers to itself as The Grand Old Team of the South....
, Berlin Bears and Bremerhaven Seahawks
Bremerhaven Seahawks
The Bremerhaven Seahawks are an American football club from Bremerhaven, Germany.The club is one of the six founding members of the American Football Bundesliga, alongside the Düsseldorf Panther, Frankfurter Löwen, Ansbach Grizzlies, Munich Cowboys and Berlin Bears, but has not played at this level...
. 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 first ever German Bowl
German Bowl
The German Bowl is the annual national championship game in the sport of American football in Germany. It is contested by the two best teams of the German Football League....
was held on 10 November 1979 and also ended in a victory for the Frankfurter Löwen.
In 1980 and 1981, the league and American football in Germany saw a split with Düsseldorf and Bremerhaven leaving the competition to take part in a separate, short-lived competition, the Nordwestdeutsche Football-Liga - NFL, but, by 1982, union was restored and the renegade teams returned.
In 1981, the German national team
Germany National American Football Team
The Germany national American football team, nicknamed the Men in Black is the official American football senior national team of Germany. They are organized by the American Football Verband Deutschland...
was formed, winning its first-ever international, a game against Italy
Italy national American football team
The Italy national American football team, nicknamed the Blue Team is the national American football team for Italy. They have been mildly successful, having won the European championship twice, and been runner up three times. Currently, they are in the second tier of play in the European...
, 12-6.
On 16 October 1982, the AFVD was officially formed and, in the following year, it was decided to form regional associations as well. The German national team, also from 1983 onwards, started to participate in the European Championships. In 1986, women's American football began to develop, with the first official game held in 1987.
American football started to boom in Germany from the early 1990s onwards, initiated through the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
, which attracted many younger fans to the sport and also provided some media attention.
As of 1 January 2010, the AFVD announced a new record membership of 40,051, and increase of 7.31 percent in comparison to the previous year. The associations growth since the year 2000, when it had 18,875 members, is mainly due to the improved youth programs of its clubs. While, in the early years, very few clubs had a youth team, it is now common place to have a number of junior teams in every club.
League system
The league systemLeague system
A league system is a hierarchy of leagues in a sport, usually with a system of promotion and relegation between consecutive levels of the hierarchy. They are often called pyramids due to their tendency to split into an increasing number of regional divisions the further down the pyramid one descends...
in American football in Germany operates as a pyramid, with clubs in every league being able to achieve promotion and relegation, subject to their final standings and the promotion and relegation games.
Men
In 2010, the pyramid consisted of six levels, however, tier six leagues did only exist in some regions.The top level of the league system, the GFL, is a national league with inter conference games between the two regional divisions. The second level, the GFL 2, is divided into two regional divisions without inter conference games. The third level is the Regionalliga (Regional League), divided into five separate leagues. Below this, the seven Oberligas (Premier League) are set, followed by the Verbandsligas (Association League), Landesligas (State League) and Aufbauligas (Development League):
Level |
League |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I |
German Football League German Football League The German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA.... Northern Division 6 clubs Southern Division 6 clubs |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
II |
German Football League 2 German Football League 2 The German Football League 2 is the second tier of American football in Germany, below the German Football League. Until 2007, the league was known as the 2nd Bundesliga.-League structure:... Northern Division 8 clubs Southern Division 8 clubs |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
III |
Regionalliga North 8 clubs |
Regionalliga West 6 clubs |
Regionalliga East 6 clubs |
Regionalliga Central 8 clubs |
Regionalliga South 7 clubs |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IV |
Oberliga North-HH/SH 5 clubs |
Oberliga North-LS/B 4 clubs |
Oberliga NRW 6 clubs |
Oberliga East 6 clubs |
Oberliga HE/RP/SA/TH 7 clubs |
Oberliga Baden-Württemberg 7 clubs |
Bayernliga 6 clubs |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
V |
Verbandsliga North-HH/SH 4 clubs |
Verbandsliga North-LS/B North 4 clubs South 4 clubs |
Verbandsliga NRW 5 clubs |
Oberliga East 7 clubs |
Landesliga Central 6 clubs |
Verbandsliga Baden-Württemberg 8 clubs |
Verbandsliga Bavaria North 6 clubs South 5 clubs |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VI |
Landesliga NRW North 4 clubs South 4 clubs |
Landesliga Baden-Württemberg 6 clubs |
Aufbauliga Bavaria 5 clubs |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Legend
- HH/SH: HamburgHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
/Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig... - LS/B: Lower SaxonyLower SaxonyLower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
/BremenBremenThe City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is... - NRW: North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
- HE/RP/SA/TH: HesseHesseHesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
/Rhineland-PalatinateRhineland-PalatinateRhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
/SaarlandSaarlandSaarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
/ThuringiaThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....