The German Football League 1 has the highest level of play in Europe which is justified by their utter dominance as a nation at the European Championships this past summer. The German side won every game in the tournament on their way to qualifying for the World Cup of American Football to be played later this summer. The GFL1 is also one of the most competitive leagues. There have been two teams at the top, Kiel and Berlin, in the past few years, but many teams have had their time to shine as the league’s elite. The Braunschweig Lions have the most German wins with 7 and had spent 11 straight years going to the title game from 1997 to 2008, while the Berlin Adler and Dusseldorf Panthers combine for the second most GFL championship wins with 6 apiece. The Hamburg Blue Devils also won back to back to back national titles from 2001-2003, all three against the Braunschweig Lions. The league is split into north and south with 7 teams in each division. The top 4 teams from each division in the regular phase square off in a traditional 3 win and you’re crowned playoff structure. Much more background information on the GFL can be found by following this link: German Football League Info, as well as checking into the league’s website here: German Football League Official Website. GFL North
Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 14-1 The Hurricanes dominated the scene in 2010, their only loss was an early season blunder to the GFL South champs the Marburg Mercenaries. Their road to glory consisted of wins against Stuttgart, Dresden, and a 17-10 win over the Berlin Adler who had beaten Kiel for the GFL title the year prior.
In 2011 the Canes will play be one of two German teams playing internationally competing in the group stage of the Eurobowl against the Carlstad Crusaders (Sweden). To assist the national talent the Canes have resigned quarterback Jeff Welsh (Western Michigan) and have picked up DL Derrick Ford (Arizona State) and a European veteran as well. European imports for the Canes are LB Efe, Evewaraye from Finland and RB Michael Andrew of Great Britain. Berlin Adler 12-3 The Adler beat the Vienna Vikings with a 50+ yard field goal to win the European Crown, only to have their dreams of a dual championship stripped away by the team from Kiel in October. They are back for another year to try for two trophies, competing in the GFL and already in the quarterfinal of
the Eurobowl playing the winner of the Prague Panthers and Danube Dragons in May. The Adler have acquired three Americans for 2011, quarterback Clint Toon from Texas State (FCS), DB Michael Gardier of Kutztown (DII), and RB Tory Cooper by way of Citadel (FCS) Cooper played last season for the Innsbruck Raiders in Austria. Dresden Monarchs 7-7 Dresden had a .500 season last year in the regular phase but lost to the top two teams the Canes and the Adler by just 1 point apiece in one encounter.
They reached the playoffs and won a game upsetting the Unicorns from the south in a 56-45 affair before being ousted by the Kiel Canes in the semi-final 14-0. Linebackers Pat O’Neil and Adrian McCoy or on staff to help the defense and raise the level of play for the offense. Braunschweig Lions 4-7-2 The once dominant Lions have recessed to a 4 win season, but had some of the closest encounters either tying or losing by less than 3 in 5 different games. The Lions reached the playoffs despite their dismal record,
yet they faced the GFL South’s top team the Mercenaries and got bullied 31-21 in the first round of the playoffs. In response to the underperforming 2010 the Lions have hired a slough of imports. Americans Sean Cooper RB, Jabari Johnson RB, and Andre Starks DL will team up with Europeans Santtu Ayravainen LB from Finland, James Andersen TE from Great Britain, and finally Robert Lome OL from Great Britain. Assindia Cardinals 4-7-1 The Cardinals had a modest season last year, but it is tough to compete in Germany’s top division. 3 of their 4 wins came against teams that have dropped
from GFL 1, but they did beat the Monarchs which was the highlight of the season. The Cardinals have not announced any import signings for the next season.
The Dusseldorf Panthers and Monchengladbach Mavericks are the two newcomers to the league this season. The GFL has an interesting way of rewarding the teams that compete well in the lower division, GFL 2. The top 2 teams in the GFL 2 each year play a one game playoff against the worst 2 teams in the GFL 1. Whoever wins the game 
will be in the GFL 1 the following year. This season, the league expanded offering 2 teams a spot to move up a division and these two teams were the teams to get the nod. They will replace the Berlin Rebels who finished 3-7-2 last season. The Panthers have signed WR Estrus Crayton (USC) who is a 7 time GFL champion. GFL South
Marburg Mercenaries 10-3 The Mercenaries had a very exciting season in 2010, including a 22-19 victory against the eventual champs in game 1, the only win of its kind last year as the Canes finished 14-1.
The Mercenaries put up big numbers week after week and beat the Braunschweig Lions in the first round of the playoffs before collapsing against the Berlin Adler in the semi-final 17-6. For 2011 the Mercenaries have signed LB Sergio Villasenor University of Reno and Joe Clark RB Augustana (DII) along with WR Ryan Bass and Athlete Rocky Ciasulli who has had a stellar European career in multiple countries. Schwabisch Hall Unicorns 9-4 The oddly name Unicorns glided through the season in 2010 with a very high powered offense. They lost twice in the regular season to the Adler from the North but by just 3 and 7 points.
They beat the Mercenaries the Southern Champs once and beat the Cowboys back to back weeks by a total score of 94-0. The Unicorns only scored less than 20 twice and scored more than 40 points 8 separate times. A 56-45 playoff loss to Dresden was a disappointing end to a very productive year. The Unicorns have a set of imports to add to the talented group from last year in QB Aaron Boehme of Linfield College (DIII) in Oregon, DL Paul Nishizaki, DB Bruno Michitti, and WR Justice Joslin. Plattling Black Hawks 5-7-1 The Black Hawks had a promising beginning to the 2010 season.
They were 1 game above .500 after 9 games at 5-4, but slipped to 5-6-1 in the last 3 weeks of the regular season losing to Marburg and Schwabisch Hall and tying Braunschweig. A playoff game against the North’s #2 team the Adler was not to be kind, as they lost 17-3 ending the season on a 3 game losing skid. The Hawks have signed QB Adam Hazel from Menlo College (DIII) in California. Stuttgart Scorpions 4-8 The Scorpions were another team with a rough to go year losing twice as many times
as they won. They beat the Cowboys twice and the Black Hawks once, but made the last spot into the playoffs from the South. A showdown with top ranked Kiel could have very easily been a debacle, but the Scorpions almost pulled off what would have been an earth shattering upset when they lost 23-21 to the Canes in the first round. The Scorpions are hiring QB Danil Polk for this season, Polk played at Campbell University (FCS) in North Carolina. Munich Cowboys 3-9
The Munich Cowboys have played more GFL games than any other club. Their storied history dates back to the 80’s, but 2010 was unkind to them. They lost big in most affairs, 2 of the 3 wins came against a team that has been dropped to the GFL 2. Their only measureable win came against the Stuttgart Scorpions mid season beating them 17-15 at home in Bavaria. 
The Saarland Hurricanes and the Weisbaden Phantoms are the two teams in the South that have moved up from last season. These two replace the Weinheim Longhorns who had as bad of a year as you can have finishing 0-12 on the year. The Hurricanes from the South have a long way to go to match up with the Canes from up in Kiel, but they’ve selected a large group of imports to help them out with that, Americans Shaun Walker LB, Antwan Smith QB, and Torrance Brown will join with Europeans Xavier Andre DB Great Britain, OL Branco Mutic, and OL Valdimir Uzelac.
These teams have the opportunity to shine on Germany’s biggest stage in 2011, a feat that hasn’t been attempted by the Hurricanes in 4 years and one that has never happened for the first time contender Weisbaden Phantoms. Keep a close eye on these last two teams in the GFL South this year. The GFL gets started with a rematch of last year's final between Kiel and Berlin on April 9th. Take some time before then to learn about all things GFL by following this link: German Football League info You can also get all the updates all season long by heading to the GFL Website. To get geared up for the GFL take a look at this highlight of the German Champs best of 2010:
And because that's not enough, check out this highlight video of the Berlin Adler winning the Eurobowl against the Vienna Vikings from WienTV.
