The Austrian Football League, known locally as the American Football Bund Osterrich is one of the most competitive football leagues on the continent of Europe. Each year there are 4 teams who vie for the coveted title to be Austrian Champs. The clubs in this league have become so deep and strong that they have been dominant in international play for almost a decade. Having 3 out of 4 teams already in the quarterfinal stage by way of reaching last year’s semi of the Eurobowl tournament is a loud statement, not to mention the 4th of those teams won the AFL crown in 2010. This leads to one of the most unique and exciting seasons in Europe. With more financial capability, the quality and the amount of imports that show up in Austria every year is phenomenal. This review will try to prove just how talented this year’s import class will be. The most exciting thing about tuning into the AFL 2010 is that you never know what’s going to happen. If the previous few years are any indication, sparks are gonna fly when these squads line up against eachother. One thing that I need to discuss prior to you reading the analysis is that the majority of the teams in the AFL compete as well in the EFL also known as the Eurobowl tournament. Both will be described below, but try not to lose sight of the fact that these teams compete in 2 separate competitions, offering each of them the chance to win two titles this year, the AFL and EFL crowns.
The first team to describe is the 2010 Austrian Champions. For the first time in club history, the champs in 2010 were the Danube Dragons. This team who previously played 20 minutes outside of Vienna, Austria (to play in Vienna for the first time this season) is one of the fastest rising clubs in all of Europe. Not 4 years ago they were in Division 2 in the AFL and have had record setting years each season culminating in last summer’s dream championship run. A regular season win over Innsbruck at home marked the highlight of the season for the team until their rematch and subsequent victory over the Raiders on the road in Innsbruck for the 2010 AFL title. The Dragons relied heavily on a much improved defense in 2010 giving up 26.6 points per game, which was down from 40+ the year prior. The stout defense along with another prolific offense led the Dragons to a 7-1 season in Austria. 
They finished 2-1 in the Eurobowl after having beaten the Belgrade Dragons (Serbia) and the Thonon Black Panthers (France) by a total score of 123-21, fell 3 points short on a last second lengthy field goal in southern Austria to the Graz Giants. Ironically the Giants were the only team to have beaten the Dragons in 2010, they did it twice but never had the chance to face the Dragons in the AFL playoffs. Head Coach Ivan Zivko and the rest of the Dragons look to improve upon last year’s season, hoping to win not only the Austrian title, but the Eurobowl crown as well. They’ll have their hands full playing against the Prague Panthers in the group stage with a possibility of facing last year’s European champs the Berlin Adler in the quarterfinal. To assist in this challenge they’ve hired James Canetti, a veteran of the AFL having played for the Graz Giants in 2009, and then the Lazio Marines of Rome in 2010. Canetti, a defensive lineman who I know quite well from my 3 encounters against him in 2009 will be a huge presence on an already improved defense.
The Innsbruck Raiders finished a honorable 5-3 in the AFL, but just 1-1 in the EFL tournament. Losing to the Dragons in the 4th week of the season was their first loss, but they followed it up with a 55-13 crushing of the Valencia Firebats (Spain) in the quarterfinal of the EFL. 2 weeks later they had defeat on their hands again this time to the eventual winner of the Eurobowl, the Berlin Adler. After having their dreams of European Champs shot, they lost big at home for the second week in a row to the Graz Giants in the final week of the regular season, but bounced back in the semi-final of the AFL with one of the most contested victories that I have ever witnessed beating the Giants in double overtime 58-51 having to come from behind several times in that game. A disappointing end to the year was their 3rd loss on the season and second on to the Danube Dragons 28-21 at home in the AFL title game. The same day that the Berlin Adler (Germany) lost their GFL title to the Kiel Hurricanes (Germany) Shuan Fatah was announced new head coach of the Innsbruck Raiders. Coach Fatah obviously comes to west Austria highly credible after having won the Eurobowl crown with the Adler in 2010 and came up one touchdown shy of winning the 
GFL against Kiel. Not only do the Raiders acquire the coach of the Adler (german for Eagles) but they got QB Kyle Callahan and RB/WR Talib Wise. Callahan from Union College in Kentucky and Wise from UNLV both were prime time players in 2 games in Austria beating the Raiders and the Vikings in international play in 2010. They’ll have their chance to dominate Austrian battlefields once more in 2011, suiting up this time in the Black and Silver. Joining them as an import is German native Daniel Schober who played at Laval University in Canada before spending time in NFL Europe and playing in the GFL. Schober, a defensive back, will add to the already talented group of Austrians that play for the Raiders. Lastly, DB John Clements of New Hampshire (FCS) will be on to help the secondary. This season as always can be a very successful one for the Raiders. Qualifying for the semi-final of last year’s Eurobowl gains them an automatic quarterfinal bid in this year’s tournament. They’ll play the winner of the Amiens Spartiates (France) and Badalona Dracs (Spain) later this spring.
The Vienna Vikings have one of the most glorified histories of all European clubs. 4 European championships and 7 AFL titles are both unmatched records by any other clubs in Europe. Losing in the quarterfinal of the 2009 Eurobowl forced the Vikings to come from group play in 2010 which was highly unprecedented for this storied organization. They did so with a vengeance, beating the Bolzano Giants 35-0 and the Badalona Dracs 24-0 in their group carrying that momentum into the quarter and semifinal where they beat the Paris Flash on the road and Graz Giants in Graz. Their Eurobowl run ended with a field goal on the final play of the championship game by the Berlin Adler kicker, keeping them from a successful return to glory. In 2010 the Vikings were semi-finalists of the AFL. The only two teams that the Vikings didn’t beat in Austria were the two finalists the Dragons and Raiders. The Dragons had their number winning 28-3 in the last week of the regular phase and 31-24 in the semi-final. 2011 looks to be an electric year for the team from Vienna. 
Joining an already stellar coaching staff with Chris Calaycay and Skip Albano will be Offensive Coordinator Jordan Neuman. Neuman comes to Vienna after having 2 year’s of the best offense in Germany coaching the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns. The Vikings are one of two teams who play with a national quarterback, meaning that they do not import a ball handler. This offers them the opportunity to be very versatile in their import selections. For 2011 they have announced three new players to add to the returning stars, LB Chris James, Central Washington and WR Chauncy Calhoun. Lineman Brandon Collier, UMASS (FCS) and Dusty Thornhill RB/WR who spent time playing for the Unicorns along with coach Neuman in 2010 will help the Vikings mount a return to Austrian and European excellence this year. Thirdly they will employ RB Tony Hunt who spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles after being drafted in the 3rd round out of Penn State. They’ll have a bye to the quarters of the Eurobowl to face the winner of the group from the south, Pioners de L’Hospitalet (Spain), Calanda Broncos (Switzerland), and Parma Panthers (Italy).
The 4th powerhouse of Austria hailing from the south part of the country is the Graz Giants. The Giants have been on the cusp of championship games and wins each year, winning their last title in the AFL final in 2008. In 2010 the Giants were nothing short of dramatic. Half of their games came down to 7 points or less in the end and they only won one of those contests. With the ball bouncing their way a couple of times, they could have been the team to raise the trophy multiple times. They were the only team to beat the Austrian champion Danube Dragons, and they did it not once but twice both in the regular season and in the EFL quarterfinal. Their seasons ended in the semi-final of both the Eurobowl and the Austrian playoffs to the Vikings in the EFL and the Raiders in the AFL in a double overtime thriller. 
Head Coach Rick Rhoades is returning for another season along with 4th year veteran QB Chris Gunn. Gunn has been one of the most productive imports in Austria over his 4 year span making plays on the ground as well as through the air. To add to the excitement is the signing of Charles McCrae, WR from Copiah Lincoln in Mississippi and defensive end Ben Bianchino from division II Washburn. McCrae is a two-way athlete who will make plays in all aspects of the game. He played last season in Finland with the Helsinki Roosters, helping them to the semi-finals while racking up a massive amount of yards. Along with vying for the AFL trophy the Giants are positioned in the EFL quarterfinal already and will face the winner of the Carlstad Crusaders (Sweden) and Kiel Hurricanes (Germany) at home in early May.The Salzburg Bulls and the Carinthia Black Lions are the two underlings of the top 4 teams. In recent years there was a middle division that linked
the AFL and Division 1 in Austra. This will not be the case this season. The Bulls, logically named for the biggest product coming out of Salzburg besides the Sound of Music soundtracks, Red Bull, were a newcomer to the top division in 2010. They had a tough year at 0-6 but boasted the top rusher and receiver in the league statistically. For 2011 they have hired quarterback Dustin Hawke Willingham (Fort Scott DII) and linebacker Nick Garratt (USC). 
These two players will undoubtedly make a huge impact in the AFL, but the question remains, what will there be supporting them? The Black Lions finished 2-4 last season coming away with a huge win against the Graz Giants which was definitely the highlight of their season. They beat the Vienna Vikings in 2009 and came within 1 yard of possibly beating the Danube Dragons in the playoffs, which proves that they can compete against the big boys. What will 2011 have in store, only time will tell.Another team that must be mentioned due to the amount of success they have been having in recent years is the Czech Prague Panthers. The Panthers have an interesting position as they are transitioning into the AFL. Last year they played in both the Austrian and the Czech leagues. They were 3-3 in Austria losing to the Vikings, Raiders, and Giants and 0-1 in Eurobowl losing to the German runner up Berlin Adler. These losses do not mean that they are not contenders, they won the 2009 EFAF Cup, and recent signings of American imports prove that they are ready for action again this season.
The Panthers have picked up Ryan McManus, a quarterback from Wake Forest and offensive lineman Jason Fiacco of Northern Iowa (FCS). To coach these guys the Panthers have hired Steven Cash, a very successful high school coach in Florida who has been to Europe before coaching the Salzburg Bulls in 2010. The Panthers won the EFAF Cup in 2009 before entering in the EFL in 2010 and now again in 2011. They are matched with defending Austrian Champion the Danube Dragons in the first round which will be a winner take all event to face the current Eurobowl champion Berlin Adler in north Germany in early May. Watch for the Panthers to be alive in the AFL in 2011.The Austrian Football league will be chalked full of excitement all spring and early summer kicked off this past weekend with the Vikings stomping on the Bulls 65-7 and the Panthers beating the Black Lions handily 36-6. Keep an eye out for much more of this can't miss action right here on For the Love of the Game.
