The BIG6 European Football League (BIG6): History and Overview

Hello, hello, and welcome, European American football fans! As you very well know, on the pages of this blog we talk about the BIG6 European Football League, or simply, BIG6.

However, today we are going to start from the basics. Namely, we will be discussing the intriguing history of BIG6, how it came into being, and how it ceased to exist. Wait, did we say “ceased to exist?” Do we think that there is no future for European American football after BIG6? Certainly no. In our opinion, European American football is going to grow in popularity. But before we come to this point, let us have a comprehensive glimpse of BIG6.

What Is the BIG6 European Football League (BIG6)?

We could keep you guessing, but we will not do that. So, let us spill the tea immediately. The BIG6 European Football League (BIG6) was a tournament for European teams that played American football. Since the action took place on the Old Continent, it was only natural that the championship was European Cup style.

The foundations of BIG6 were laid by the European Federation of American Football (EFAF) in 1986. However, since 2015, the German Football League International took over the tournament until its closure in 2018. If you are interested to know more about how this happened, you should read the special article we dedicated to this topic.

What was the name of the final game in BIG6?

Now, that is an interesting question. The final game of BIG6 was called the Eurobowl from 1986 to 2014. However, when the German Football League International began running the tournament in 2015, the final game was renamed to EFL Bowl, and the name stuck until the very end in 2018.

Modern-day History of the BIG6 European Football League (BIG6)

We already mentioned that what later became BIG6 actually started its existence way back in 1986. However, its initial name was the European Football League (EFL). When the German Football League International got in charge of the tournament, it was reshaped and renamed to the BIG6 European Football League.

The newly revamped competition was promoted as the top-tier tournament for American football on the Old Continent. The EFL prototype did not die out immediately, though. It continued to exist as a second-tier championship. The teams then began competing for the newly introduced EFL Bowl as opposed to the old Eurobowl.

What were the teams on BIG6?

What is an American football competition without proper teams, right? So, let us take a look at the BIG6 squads. Initially, they were six, as you might have guessed correctly by the name. Three of them were from Germany, two from Austria, and one from Switzerland. The names were:

• Berlin Adler
• New Yorker Lions
• Dresden Monarchs
• Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna
• Swarco Raiders Tirol
• Calanda Broncos

However, the dynamics within the BIG6 were quite rapid, and several teams changed between 2014 and 2018 when the final game of the tournament was played. In the 2015 season, Dresden and the Calanda Broncos made their way out of the tournament. The two clubs were replaced by the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns from Germany and the La Courneuve Flash from France. That is how La Courneuve Flash became the first team from a non-German-speaking country to enter BIG6.

However, La Courneuve Flash only lasted a season in the tournament. For the 2016 season, they were replaced by yet another French team, Aix-en-Provence Argonautes.

At the same time, before the 2017 season, the two Austrian clubs in BIG6 left the tournament. Then a real drama began. The competition’s management invited its founding members, the New Yorker Lions, to participate, along with several other teams.

The latter included the Netherlands’ the Amsterdam Crusaders, Sweden’s the Carlstadt Crusaders, the Frankfurt Universe from Germany, the Milano Seamen from Italy, and one club from Berlin (arguably either the Berlin Adler or the Berlin Rebels). However, the Swedish American Football Federation vetoed the participation of the Carlstadt Crusaders.

That is how the final lineup of the six clubs to play in the 2017 season came to include the Amsterdam Crusaders, the Badalona Dracs from Spain, the Berlin Rebels, the Frankfurt Universe, the Milano Seamen, and the New Yorker Lions.

For the last, 2018 season, the BIG6 playing teams were reduced to four. Before we continue, however, here are a few current European American football teams to watch out for these days:

Interesting facts about BIG6

Some interesting facts about the BIG6 tournament include: The Berlin Adler were the inaugural BIG6 champions after they defeated the New Yorker Lions 20-17 in Eurobowl XXVIII.

The first non-German team to survive the group stage were the Swarco Riders Tirol. In the 2016 season, they defeated the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in the last group match.

In 2017, a rule was created where the BIG6 last-placed team would have to play a relegation game against the winners of the EFL Bowl. If the former lost, they would have to be relegated to the EFL. However, this rule was never applied.