BIG6 European Football League (BIG6): The Founding Teams
Welcome again, fans of American football in Europe! Today we have a very exciting topic to discuss. After we have spoken at length about the history of BIG6 as well as its managing organizations, the time has come to pay our respects to the six founding teams. These pioneer squads put the beginning to it all in 2014 and paved the way for several other amazing clubs later on.
But who are they? Let us not waste any more time and have a brief overview of the first BIG6 competing teams!
The New Yorker Lions
Let the name of this team not mislead you. The New Yorker Lions are an American football club from Germany. Their hometown is Braunschweig, and until 2010, the squad was actually called the Braunschweig Lions.
In its early history, the New Yorker Lions (or the Braunschweig Lions as they were still named back then) quickly positioned themselves as arguably the best German American football club. The team won seven German Bowls and two Eurobowls.
What is more, between 1997 and 2008, those guys competed for twelve consecutive German Bowls. However, they had a few not very successful seasons between 2009 and 2012. Nonetheless, the New Yorker Lions managed to get back on their feet, and new trophies followed. Among these were four German titles between 2013 and 2016. The New Yorker Lions also snatched four Eurobowls from 2015 to 2018.
The Dresden Monarchs
Can you guess where these guys come from? But of course, they are from Dresden, Germany. Founded in 1992, the Dresden Monarchs were not exactly a stellar team right from the start. In fact, they began from the lowest-tier league in the region. However, year after year, they made their way up to the first tier German Football League (GFL) in 2002, where they still play in the Northern Division, and also have become a founding club of BIG6.
Now, the Dresden Monarchs have always been late bloomers. That is why immediate success did not follow right away after they joined the highest level of the GFL. Instead, they waited until 2013 to reach the German Bowl for the first time.
As you can imagine, things did not work out for the Dresden Monarchs from the first try there, either. They lost to the Braunschweig Lions, the guys from the section above, who are known today as the New Yorker Lions.
Either way, the Dresden Monarchs kept on persisting, and they won their first German Bowl in the 2021 season. What a story, huh? We should all learn from this club on how to never give up and follow our dreams no matter what!
The Berlin Adler
The Berlin Adler, which translated into English means “Berlin Eagles,” is an American football team from the German city of Berlin. These guys seem to love the animal kingdom because, in their early days, they were called the Berliner Bären (Berlin Bears in English). Later on, the Bears were joined by the Berlin Bats. What a combo!
Founded in February 1979, the Berlin Adler are today one of the most prominent American football clubs in Germany. Until now, they have won:
- 6 German Bowls
- 10 Ladies Bowls
- 5 Junior Bowls
It is interesting to note that during the club’s first years, training was supervised by Berlin-stationed US soldiers and carried out on US military facilities in the city.
The Calanda Broncos
Switzerland is another country that has great traditions in American football. The native Calanda Broncos were among the founding teams of BIG6, as we discussed in another blog post. Initially, the team was established under the name of the Landquart Broncos in 1991.
However, at the end of 2008, it changed its name to signify the Calanda mountain. The reason was that the club aimed to represent a larger community than Landquart. The goal was to stand for the entire region of Graubünden.
Eventually, the team moved to a stadium in the nearby city of Chur. That is how it succeeded in attracting more spectators for the matches and growing its fanbase. Nowadays, the Calanda Broncos is the best-supported American football team in Switzerland. Here is a short video tribute to these guys:
The squad enjoys the top ranks of the country’s Nationalliga A. It is the holder of eleven Swiss Bowls, as the national championship game is called. Its most recent title dates to 2023.
The Riders Tirol
The Riders Tirol were known in the past as Papa Joe’s Tyrolean Raiders. This Austrian club is based in the city of Innsbruck.
You might not have known that, but the Raiders Tirol were founded in 1992 only to become one of Europe’s strongest American football teams. They won the Euroball three times in 2008, 2009, and 2011 and topped the CEFL three times between 2017 and 2019.
The Riders Tirol have also dominated the domestic American football scene. They have won the Austrian Football League eight times. Their most recent triumph was in 2021.