German Football League 2
Encyclopedia
The German Football League 2 (GFL) is the second tier of American football
in Germany, below the German Football League
. Until 2007, the league was known as the 2nd Bundesliga.
For the 2011 season, both the northern and the southern champions are promoted, while 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.
Below the GFL 2, five Regionalligas, Regional Leagues, are set, North, South, West, Central and East.
In 1995, the league was reduced to two divisions with seven clubs each. The strength was increased to eight teams per division in 1998 but continued to fluctuate because of teams withdrawing.
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, below the 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....
. Until 2007, the league was known as the 2nd Bundesliga.
League structure
The GFL 2, formerly the 2nd Bundesliga, which was formed in 1982, is divided into a northern and southern division, which eight teams in each division. Unlike the GFL, there are no inter conference games and no GFL 2 champion is determined.For the 2011 season, both the northern and the southern champions are promoted, while 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.
Below the GFL 2, five Regionalligas, Regional Leagues, are set, North, South, West, Central and East.
League history
The league was formed as the 2nd American Football Bundesliga in 1982, consisting of 16 clubs in three regional divisions. League strength varied from season to season after this, but the three division format was retained until 1986, when a fourth regional group was added.In 1995, the league was reduced to two divisions with seven clubs each. The strength was increased to eight teams per division in 1998 but continued to fluctuate because of teams withdrawing.
GFL 2 North
| Team | City | State |
| Berlin Rebels | 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... |
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... |
| Cologne Falcons | 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... |
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia North 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... |
| Hamburg Blue Devils Hamburg Blue Devils The Hamburg Blue Devils are an American football team in Hamburg, Germany. The Blue Devils are one of the most successful American football clubs in Germany, having won four German Bowls as well as three Eurobowls... |
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... |
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... |
| Lübeck Cougars | Lübeck Lübeck The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World... |
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-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... |
| Magdeburg Virgin Guards | Magdeburg Magdeburg Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe.... |
Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of... |
| Troisdorf Jets | Troisdorf Troisdorf Troisdorf is a town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Troisdorf is located approx. 22 kilometers south of Cologne and 13 kilometers north east of Bonn.-Division of the town:... |
North Rhine-Westphalia |
GFL 2 South
| Team | City | State |
| Badener Greifs Badener Greifs The Badener Greifs are an American football club from Karlsruhe, Germany.The clubs greatest success came in 1987, when it reached the German Bowl but lost to the Berlin Adler.-History:The club was formed in 1982 by a group of motor cycle enthusiasts.... |
Karlsruhe Karlsruhe The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states... |
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants... |
| Darmstadt Diamonds | Darmstadt Darmstadt Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat... |
Hesse Hesse Hesse 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... |
| Franken Knights | Rothenburg ob der Tauber Rothenburg ob der Tauber Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken , the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City... |
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... |
| Frankfurt Pirates | Frankfurt Frankfurt 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... |
Hesse |
| Kirchdorf Wildcats | Kirchdorf am Inn Kirchdorf am Inn Kirchdorf am Inn is a municipality in the district of Rottal-Inn in Bavaria in Germany.... |
Bavaria |
| Holzgerlingen Twister | Holzgerlingen Holzgerlingen Holzgerlingen is a municipality in the German Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. It is located in district of Böblingen.-Geography:Holzgerlingen, with its population of 12,700, lies in a clearing in the Schönbuch, a large forest in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is south of the city of... |
Baden-Württemberg |
| Rhein Neckar Bandits | Mannheim Mannheim Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart.... |
Baden-Württemberg |
| Weinheim Longhorns | Weinheim Weinheim Weinheim is a town in the north west of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany with 43 000 inhabitants, approximately 15 km north of Heidelberg and 10 km northeast of Mannheim. Together with these cities, it makes up the Rhine-Neckar triangle... |
Baden-Württemberg |
GFL 2 season placings
The placings in the league since 2000:| GFL 2 North | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Hygia Lions | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | |
| Berlin Adler Berlin Adler The Berlin Adler is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as a ten Ladies Bowls and five Junior Bowls.... |
3 | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | |
| Dresden Monarchs Dresden Monarchs The Dresden Monarchs are an American football team from Dresden, Germany.As its greatest success, the club has finished in third place in the northern division of the German Football League on five occasions, and reached the semi finals of the national championship in 2004 and 2010.-History:The... |
4 | 2 | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | |
| Kiel Baltic Hurricanes Kiel Baltic Hurricanes The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes are an American football team based in Kiel, Germany.The club has been, of recent, a strong force in the sport in Germany, playing in four consecutive German Bowls from 2008 to 2011, losing the first two, winning the third and losing the fourth.The club is part of the... |
GFL | GFL | GFL | 2 | 1 | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | ||
| Assindia Cardinals Assindia Cardinals The Assindia Cardinals are an American football team from Essen, Germany. Assindia is the Latin name for Essen.As its greatest success, the club has finished in third place in the northern division of the American Football Bundesliga in 1986, and reached the quarter finals of the national... |
1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | 7 | 7 | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | |||
| Mönchengladbach Mavericks Mönchengladbach Mavericks The Mönchengladbach Mavericks are an American football team from Mönchengladbach, Germany.The club won promotion to the German Football League in 2010, and qualified for the semi finals of the play-offs the following year, its greatest success.-History:... |
1 | GFL | |||||||||||
| 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.... |
GFL | GFL | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | GFL | ||
| Hamburg Blue Devils Hamburg Blue Devils The Hamburg Blue Devils are an American football team in Hamburg, Germany. The Blue Devils are one of the most successful American football clubs in Germany, having won four German Bowls as well as three Eurobowls... |
GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | 1 | |||
| Berlin Rebels | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | GFL | 2 | ||||||
| Lübeck Cougars | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | |||
| Troisdorf Jets | 7 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 4 | ||||||||
| Magdeburg Virgin Guards | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
| Cologne Falcons | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | 2 | 6 | 6 | |||||
| Langenfeld Longhorns | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |||
| Bonn Gamecocks | 7 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Recklinghausen Chargers | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Hamburg Eagles 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |||
| Hildesheim Invaders | 7 | 8 | |||||||||||
| Frankfurt Red Cocks | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Weyhe Vikings | 4 | 7 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Hannover Musketeers | 2 | 2 | GFL | 5 | |||||||||
| Bochum Cadets | 6 | 8 | |||||||||||
| Bielefeld Bulldogs | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Cologne Crocodiles Cologne Crocodiles The Cologne Crocodiles are an American football team from Cologne, Germany.The clubs greatest success came in 2000, when it won the German Bowl for the first and, so far, only time... |
GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | |||||||||
| Dortmund Giants | 5 | 3 |
- In the 2000, 2001 and 2006 seasons, only seven clubs played in the league.
- In the 2002 and 2011 seasons, only six clubs played in the league.
- In the 2003 season, only five clubs played in the league.
- 1 Played as the Hamburg Wild Huskies until 2003.
| GFL 2 South | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Stuttgart Scorpions Stuttgart Scorpions The Stuttgart Scorpions are an American football team from Stuttgart, Germany.The clubs greatest success came in 2007, when it reached the German Bowl but lost to the Braunschweig Lions.-History:The Stuttgart Scorpions were formed in December 1982... |
GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | |
| Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns are an American football team from Schwäbisch Hall, Germany.The clubs greatest successes were winning the southern division title in the German Football League in 2009 and 2011, followed up by winning the German Bowl in 2011.... |
2 | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | |
| Marburg Mercenaries Marburg Mercenaries The Marburg Mercenaries are an American football team from Marburg, Germany.Internationally, the clubs greatest success came in 2005, when it won the EFAF Cup, followed by a losing appearance in the Eurobowl in 2007... |
3 | 1 | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | |
| Plattling Black Hawks Plattling Black Hawks The Plattling Black Hawks are an American football team from Plattling, Germany. The club was, until 2004, known as the Deggendorf Black Hawks.... |
3 | 3 | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | |||||||
| 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.... |
GFL | GFL | GFL | 1 | GFL | GFL | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | ||
| Saarland Hurricanes Saarland Hurricanes The Saarland Hurricanes are an American football team from Saarbrücken, Germany. Saarbrücken is the capital of the federal German state of Saarland, which the club is named after... |
1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | 5 | 4 | 1 | GFL | |
| Wiesbaden Phantoms Wiesbaden Phantoms The Wiesbaden Phantoms are an American football team from Wiesbaden, Germany.The team experienced its greatest success in 2010, earning promotion to the German Football League.-History:... |
4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | GFL | |||||
| Franken Knights | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Rhein Neckar Bandits | 5 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Holzgerlingen Twister | 6 | 3 | |||||||||||
| Darmstadt Diamonds | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| Kirchdorf Wildcats 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | ||||||
| Frankfurt Pirates | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Badener Greifs Badener Greifs The Badener Greifs are an American football club from Karlsruhe, Germany.The clubs greatest success came in 1987, when it reached the German Bowl but lost to the Berlin Adler.-History:The club was formed in 1982 by a group of motor cycle enthusiasts.... |
7 | 7 | |||||||||||
| Weinheim Longhorns | 3 | 1 | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | 8 | ||||||
| Hanau Hornets | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | ||||||
| Kaiserslautern Pikes | 6 | 8 | |||||||||||
| Montabaur Fighting Farmers | 4 | 7 | |||||||||||
| Stuttgart Silver Arrows | 7 | 7 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Königsbrunn Ants | 8 | 7 | 5 | 8 | |||||||||
| Aschaffenburg Stallions | GFL | 7 | |||||||||||
| Jena Hanfrieds | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Allgäu Comets | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||
| Franken Timberwolves | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||
| Rhein Main Razorbacks | GFL | GFL | GFL | GFL | |||||||||
| Mainz Golden Eagles | 5 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Fursty Razorbacks | 2 | 7 | |||||||||||
| Rottenburg Red Knights | 4 | 7 | |||||||||||
| Straubing Spiders | 6 | 6 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Landsberg Express | GFL |
| GFL = Team played in GFL | Divisional champion |
- In the 2003 and 2004 seasons, only seven clubs played in the league.
- In the 2001 season, only six clubs played in the league.
- 1 Played as the Simbach Wildcats until 2003.
Divisional champions
The winners of the regional divisions of the GFL:| Year | North | Central | South |
| 1982 | Hamburg Dolphins | Red Barons Cologne | Noris Rams |
| 1983 | Bonn Jets | Mannheim Redskins | Kempten Comets |
| 1984 | Dortmund Giants | Mainz Golden Eagles | Kempten Comets |
| 1985 | Cologne Crocodiles II | Stuttgart Scorpions | Rothenburg Knights |
| Year | North | West | Central | South |
| 1986 | Hildesheim Invaders | Recklinghausen Chargers | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | München Rangers |
| 1987 | Bremerhaven Seahawks | Ratingen Raiders | Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | Würzburg Pumas |
| 1988 | Bremen Buccaneers | Recklinghausen Chargers | Rüsselsheim Crusaders | Königsbrunn Ants |
| 1989 | Hildesheim Invaders | Recklinghausen Chargers | Darmstadt Diamonds | Fürth Buffalos |
| 1990 | Hamburg Silver Eagles | Cologne Bears | Stuttgart Scorpions | Regensburg Royals |
| 1991 | Berlin Rebels | Cologne Bears | Stuttgart Scorpions | Regensburg Royals |
| 1992 | Hamburg Silver Eagles | Solingen Hurricanes | Hanau Hawks | Rothenburg Knights |
| 1993 | Braunschweig Lions | Cologne Bears | Frankfurt Gamblers | Erding Bulls |
| 1994 | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | Tecklenburg Silverbacks | Stuttgart Scorpions | Simbach Wildcats |
| Year | North | South |
| 1995 | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | Rüsselsheim Razorbacks |
| 1996 | Berlin Rebels | Landsberg Express |
| 1997 | Paderborn Dolphins | Saarland Hurricanes |
| 1998 | Berlin Rebels | Aschaffenburg Stallions |
| 1999 | Bremen Bravehearts | Franken Knights |
| 2000 | Assindia Cardinals | Saarland Hurricanes |
| 2001 | Berlin Adler | Marburg Mercenaries |
| 2002 | Dresden Monarchs | Marburg Mercenaries |
| 2003 | Düsseldorf Panther | Simbach Wildcats |
| 2004 | Cologne Falcons | Munich Cowboys |
| 2005 | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | Darmstadt Diamonds |
| 2006 | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | Weinheim Longhorns |
| 2007 | Hamburg Eagles | Munich Cowboys |
| 2008 | Assindia Cardinals | Plattling Black Hawks |
| 2009 | Berlin Rebels | Franken Knights |
| 2010 | Mönchengladbach Mavericks | Saarland Hurricanes |
| 2011 | Hamburg Blue Devils | Franken Knights |