Australian Football League of Germany
Encyclopedia
Australian rules football
in Germany
is currently played by six clubs, with the Australian Football League of Germany (AFLG) the governing body.
In 2004 the Düsseldorf Lions (formed in 2002) joined the AFLG, the league having a five-club structure for the following two seasons.
In 2006, a new French
side from Strasbourg
, the Kangaroos, entered the German league to experience regular league play. The Strasbourg club played under the nickname the "Black Devils" in the German league to avoid a name clash with Munich. At roughly the same time, the Düsseldorf club rebranded to become the Rheinland Lions to reflect a shared home between Düsseldorf
and nearby Köln
(Cologne).
In 2007 the French
team, Strasbourg Kangaroos withdrew from the league to regain strength, leaving five clubs and a 10-game league season plus additional tournaments.
In 2008 a sixth team was formed in Stuttgart
, nicknamed the Emus. They joined regular league play in division two in 2009.
During this season, the league's six clubs fielded eight teams in total across both divisions. Division 1 featured the Frankfurt Redbacks, Hamburg Dockers and the firsts from Munich Roos and Rheinland Lions. Division 2 featured the Berlin Crocodiles, Stuttgart Emus, and the seconds from Rheinland and Munich.
In 2010 the league decided to return to a one-division competition, however with Hamburg declining to field a side, just the five clubs competed in the home-and-away season. Hamburg returned to the main league in 2011, bringing it back to 6 clubs.
, the Bundesadler (federal eagle).
The first appearance of an all-German national team was in 2006, with the team competing in a tri-nations series against Denmark
and Sweden
, losing both of their first "test-level" matches.
In 2007 the German National Team competed in the Tri-Nations series for the second year running against Sweden and Denmark, claiming their first test-level victory over Sweden in Berlin
, on July 7, 2007.
The team is yet to make an appearance at the Australian Football International Cup
, as the AFLG has stated that the costs involved would be better spent in local development. Informal German national AFL teams have also at times competed under the names 'the Blitz' and 'the Eagles'.
The 2007 EU Cup
was also hosted by Germany and took place on on September 15 in Hamburg
with Germany losing the final game against Sweden.
On June 11 of 2011 the Black Eagles defeatet the French national team in a friendly game 83:19. The match was held in Paris.
by Malte Schudlich in 1995, the Redbacks are one of the two oldest Australian rules football clubs in Germany and were a founding member club of the AFLG. They originally wore black jumpers with a vertical red stripe on the front, this has now been changed to red jumpers with a stylised redback spider logo. Their homeground is the Frankfurt Ostpark.
by Australian expats in the mid-1990s, the only German club except Frankfurt formed before the year 2000.
The Roos made an early attempt to start a league based around Munich, named the German Australian Rules Football Association, beginning with two teams in Munich - the Bayern Blues and Munich Whites. This league did not eventuate, with the Roos and Redbacks coming together to form the AFLG in 1999. Munich have played in the AFLG premiership season since the true home and away setup began in 2003.
The Munich Roos wear blue and white, the traditional colours of both the AFL
North Melbourne Kangaroos and the state of Bavaria
(Bayern) of which Munich is the capital.
In the late 1990s/early 2000s, the Roos would also host the Oktoberfest Cup, which was held around Oktoberfest
time.
Bayern League
After the return of the AFLG to a one-league competition in 2010, the Munich Roos found themselves in the position of having a large player group but only limited playing opportunities, especially for players new to the game. Hence a new 9-a-side competition was conceived, dubbed the Bayern League. The league had three foundation clubs: the Passing Hawks, Schwabing Saints and Sendling Blues, who play home-and-away either on Thursday evenings or Saturday afteroons on non-AFLG game weeks.
Premierships
, although they are now at Schiller Park, where they hosted the 2004 and 2010 AFLG Grand Final tournament. In the 2011 season most homegames will be played at the Maifeld next to the Olympic Stadium.
club formed in 2003 by Fabian Cordts, joining the AFLG in that season. The club considered a number of names, including the Hamburg Foxes, but being located in Germany's largest port
city eventually settled on the name Hamburg Dockers. Ironically, they wore the jumpers of the Fremantle Dockers
' biggest traditional rivals, the West Coast Eagles
, for the first two years of existence, finally receiving a set of Fremantle's all-purple alternative jumpers for the 2005 season.
The Hamburg Football Club went through its first two seasons in the AFLG winless, but started their 2005 campaign in fine fashion with their first-ever win - a 155-23 away drubbing of the Düsseldorf Lions, becoming a strong footballing outfit over the course of their third season.
under the name Düsseldorf Lions. Previously, they had competed on an irregular basis, their first appearance being a tournament called the Rhein Cup on the 31st August 2002 against Berlin Crocodiles and Frankfurt Redbacks. They also hosted the 2004 CEAFL Championships
.
As of late 2005, the Lions changed their name to the Rheinland Lions – as a large proportion of their playing squad live in the nearby cities of Cologne
or Bonn
rather than Düsseldorf
. They have also for this reason started playing their home games in Cologne
. Cologne
and Düsseldorf
have a traditional rivalry and the name change to a neutral title may help avoid these rivalries in regional recruiting efforts.
For their first match they wore the black rugby jumpers from the Düsseldorf Dragons Rugby union
Club. Their current jerseys are red and white, featuring a black, encircled lions head.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
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...
is currently played by six clubs, with the Australian Football League of Germany (AFLG) the governing body.
History
The Frankfurt Redbacks and Munich Kangaroos were founded in 1995 and had been playing since 1996. The AFLG was officially created in 1999, but the two clubs only played occasional matches against each other for the first few years until the formation of the Berlin Crocodiles and the Hamburg Dockers made the possibility of a national league a reality. The German home and away season began in 2003 with these four clubs, Munich winning the premiership.In 2004 the Düsseldorf Lions (formed in 2002) joined the AFLG, the league having a five-club structure for the following two seasons.
In 2006, a new French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
side from Strasbourg
Strasbourg Kangaroos
The Strasbourg Kangaroos are a French Australian Football Club based in the north of France in Strasbourg. They are touted as being the biggest Aussie Rules club in France and have appeared in the French Championship twice....
, the Kangaroos, entered the German league to experience regular league play. The Strasbourg club played under the nickname the "Black Devils" in the German league to avoid a name clash with Munich. At roughly the same time, the Düsseldorf club rebranded to become the Rheinland Lions to reflect a shared home between Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
and nearby Köln
KOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
(Cologne).
In 2007 the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
team, Strasbourg Kangaroos withdrew from the league to regain strength, leaving five clubs and a 10-game league season plus additional tournaments.
In 2008 a sixth team was formed in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, nicknamed the Emus. They joined regular league play in division two in 2009.
Divisional Structure 2009
At the end of the 2008 season, the playing standard of the league had progressed to a stage where it was difficult for a new or developing club to compete against the established sides. This was particularly evident in the struggles of the Berlin Crocodiles to remain competitive. Conversely, the larger clubs were seeing an increase in players numbers and were in need of a venue for their reserve players. These factors, combined with the entrance of the Stuttgart Emus into the AFLG, saw the creation of a second division to the league in 2009.During this season, the league's six clubs fielded eight teams in total across both divisions. Division 1 featured the Frankfurt Redbacks, Hamburg Dockers and the firsts from Munich Roos and Rheinland Lions. Division 2 featured the Berlin Crocodiles, Stuttgart Emus, and the seconds from Rheinland and Munich.
In 2010 the league decided to return to a one-division competition, however with Hamburg declining to field a side, just the five clubs competed in the home-and-away season. Hamburg returned to the main league in 2011, bringing it back to 6 clubs.
Premierships and Grand Finals
- 2011 Rheinland Lions (- Berlin Crocodiles 75-24, Stuttgart)
- 2010 Munich Kangaroos (- Rheinland Lions 85-31, Berlin)
- 2009 Rheinland Lions (- Munich Kangaroos 87-51, Frankfurt)
- 2008 Rheinland Lions (- Munich Kangaroos 66-61, Munich)
- 2007 Rheinland Lions (- Munich Kangaroos 85-37, Cologne)
- 2006 Munich Kangaroos (- Rheinland Lions 55-48, Munich)
- 2005 Munich Kangaroos (- Frankfurt Redbacks 86-4, Frankfurt)
- 2004 Frankfurt Redbacks (- Munich Kangaroos 51-25, Berlin)
- 2003 Munich Kangaroos (no grand final)
National team
The German national Australian rules football team is nicknamed the Black Eagles, taking the name from the symbol of the Coat of arms of GermanyCoat of arms of Germany
The coat of arms of Germany displays a black eagle on a yellow shield ....
, the Bundesadler (federal eagle).
The first appearance of an all-German national team was in 2006, with the team competing in a tri-nations series against Denmark
Denmark Vikings (Australian rules football)
The Vikings are Denmark's national Australian rules football team.The team formed in 1992 to play the North London Lions from the British Australian Rules Football League in Denmark....
and Sweden
Swedish national Australian rules football team
Australian rules football in Sweden has been played since 1993, with the game currently played in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Karlstad, Falun, Uppsala and Scania...
, losing both of their first "test-level" matches.
In 2007 the German National Team competed in the Tri-Nations series for the second year running against Sweden and Denmark, claiming their first test-level victory over Sweden in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, on July 7, 2007.
The team is yet to make an appearance at the Australian Football International Cup
Australian Football International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup is an international sport competition in Australian rules football...
, as the AFLG has stated that the costs involved would be better spent in local development. Informal German national AFL teams have also at times competed under the names 'the Blitz' and 'the Eagles'.
The 2007 EU Cup
EU Cup
thumb|Logo of the 2007 EU CupThe EU Cup is an international Australian rules football tournament played between European national teams. Played under 9-a-side Footy rules, the tournament was first held at Chiswick Rugby Club in London, England in 2005 as an extension of the Central European...
was also hosted by Germany and took place on on September 15 in Hamburg
Hamburg
-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...
with Germany losing the final game against Sweden.
On June 11 of 2011 the Black Eagles defeatet the French national team in a friendly game 83:19. The match was held in Paris.
Clubs
All in all there are eight clubs in Germany that have a regularly training, a certain club structure and are participating or aiming to do so in a professional competition such as the AFLG.Frankfurt Redbacks
Formed in FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
by Malte Schudlich in 1995, the Redbacks are one of the two oldest Australian rules football clubs in Germany and were a founding member club of the AFLG. They originally wore black jumpers with a vertical red stripe on the front, this has now been changed to red jumpers with a stylised redback spider logo. Their homeground is the Frankfurt Ostpark.
Munich Kangaroos
The Munich Kangaroos were founded in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
by Australian expats in the mid-1990s, the only German club except Frankfurt formed before the year 2000.
The Roos made an early attempt to start a league based around Munich, named the German Australian Rules Football Association, beginning with two teams in Munich - the Bayern Blues and Munich Whites. This league did not eventuate, with the Roos and Redbacks coming together to form the AFLG in 1999. Munich have played in the AFLG premiership season since the true home and away setup began in 2003.
The Munich Roos wear blue and white, the traditional colours of both the AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
North Melbourne Kangaroos and the state of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
(Bayern) of which Munich is the capital.
In the late 1990s/early 2000s, the Roos would also host the Oktoberfest Cup, which was held around Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
time.
Bayern League
After the return of the AFLG to a one-league competition in 2010, the Munich Roos found themselves in the position of having a large player group but only limited playing opportunities, especially for players new to the game. Hence a new 9-a-side competition was conceived, dubbed the Bayern League. The league had three foundation clubs: the Passing Hawks, Schwabing Saints and Sendling Blues, who play home-and-away either on Thursday evenings or Saturday afteroons on non-AFLG game weeks.
Premierships
- 2011 Schwabing Saints (- Sendling Blues, 102-21)
- 2010 Sendling Blues (no Grand Final)
Berlin Crocodiles
The Crocodiles were formed in Berlin during 2002 as the third Aussie Rules club in Germany, and have played in the AFLG since its home and away seasons began in 2003. The Crocodiles wear green jumpers with a gold yoke and a gold crocodile logo. Their home games were originally played in the Treptower ParkTreptower Park
Treptower Park is a park along the river Spree in Alt-Treptow, in the district of Treptow-Köpenick, south of central Berlin. The park is a popular place for recreation of Berliners and a tourist attraction...
, although they are now at Schiller Park, where they hosted the 2004 and 2010 AFLG Grand Final tournament. In the 2011 season most homegames will be played at the Maifeld next to the Olympic Stadium.
Hamburg Dockers
The 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...
club formed in 2003 by Fabian Cordts, joining the AFLG in that season. The club considered a number of names, including the Hamburg Foxes, but being located in Germany's largest port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
city eventually settled on the name Hamburg Dockers. Ironically, they wore the jumpers of the Fremantle Dockers
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
' biggest traditional rivals, the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
, for the first two years of existence, finally receiving a set of Fremantle's all-purple alternative jumpers for the 2005 season.
The Hamburg Football Club went through its first two seasons in the AFLG winless, but started their 2005 campaign in fine fashion with their first-ever win - a 155-23 away drubbing of the Düsseldorf Lions, becoming a strong footballing outfit over the course of their third season.
Rheinland Lions
The Lions were formally established for AFLG league play in 2004 in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
under the name Düsseldorf Lions. Previously, they had competed on an irregular basis, their first appearance being a tournament called the Rhein Cup on the 31st August 2002 against Berlin Crocodiles and Frankfurt Redbacks. They also hosted the 2004 CEAFL Championships
Central European Australian Football League Championships
The CEAFL championships are an Australian rules football tournament held between European nations where the sport of Australian Rules football is in the early stages of development.-History:The first CEAFL Championships were held in Madrid in 2003....
.
As of late 2005, the Lions changed their name to the Rheinland Lions – as a large proportion of their playing squad live in the nearby cities of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
or Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
rather than Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. They have also for this reason started playing their home games in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
have a traditional rivalry and the name change to a neutral title may help avoid these rivalries in regional recruiting efforts.
For their first match they wore the black rugby jumpers from the Düsseldorf Dragons Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Club. Their current jerseys are red and white, featuring a black, encircled lions head.
Stuttgart Emus
The Emus, youngest club in the AFLG, were created in 2008, with players taking part in matches with other German teams. Their first appearance as a stand-alone club was in the 2008 AFLG finals tournament, where they played a match against the 5th-placed German side, Berlin. They established themselves in 2009's second division, coming in third place and showing some strong games, such as against later champion Berlin when they lost only by one goal. The consolidation continued again in season 2010, where they came in fourth place, beating the oldest German AFL team - Frankfurt - twice. The Emus wear the colors green and white.Further Clubs
At the moment there are two further clubs in formation, that yet do not participate in the AFLG but are aiming to do so as long term goals. Those two clubs are:- Ludwigsburg Taipans
- Leverkusen Wombats