Football League of Europe

The Football League of Europe ( FLE ) was a European semi-professional league in American football. It was founded in 1994, renamed the American Football League of Europe ( AFLE ) in 1995, and disbanded after 1995.

The History of the (A) FLE

The founding

In October 1993, plans were announced for the first time, according to which in 1994 a European League of American Football should be established. Back in November it was done: The Football League of Europe ( FLE ) was born. Under the auspices of the Hamburg Blue Devils eight European teams came together who wanted to take from 30 April to 10 September 1994 against each other.

The 1994 season

The 1994 season of the FLE had the following Groups:

North Conference

Central Conference

  • The games Helsinki Roosters - Frankfurt and Munich Gamblers Thunder - Great Britain Spartans fell out and were not replaced.

Playoffs

In the semifinals, the Blue Devils sat with 29:26 to Munich by Thunder. The Stockholm Nordic Vikings sat down against the Amsterdam Crusaders through to 34:21.

The finale to the Jim Thorpe Trophy, the 1994 season was held in Hamburg's Park stadium before 18,000 spectators. The Stockholm Nordic Vikings defeated the host Hamburg Blue Devils with 43:35. But despite the good spectator popularity on the finals, the league had difficulties. The planned average of 5,000 fans per game could be achieved only by the Blue Devils and the Spartans.

The 1995 season

In 1995 the League under the slightly altered name American Football League of Europe ( AFLE ). Three teams in the first season already risen from after the first year: Hamburg, Berlin and Helsinki. In Frankfurt, the Frankfurt Knights were the successor to the Gamblers, and in Munich, the Bavarian Blue Falcons should inherit the Thunder. Just added: The Bergamo Lions.

Shortly before the start of the season, the newly founded Bavarian Blue Falcons, however, their participation had to cancel, so that the proposed division into two groups of three teams did not materialize. Instead, came to the following five teams:

  • Amsterdam Crusaders
  • Bergamo Lions
  • Frankfurt Knights
  • Great Britain Spartans
  • Stockholm Nordic Vikings

Course of the season

The game operation had to contend with some irregularities, such as the Spartans were locked after five games of the league lead. Although the Bergamo Lions dominated the season, but in the final they lost the Nordic Vikings with 14:0, which the Vikings were able to win both the played FLE Championships.

The end

With the change of the Hamburg Blue Devils in the German Football League had lost their flagship team after the 1994 season (A) FLE. The irregularities in the Spartans in 1995, the departure of three teams, the withdrawal of Bavarian Blue Falcons shortly before the season starts and the still moderate audiences - all of which led to the end of (A) FLE.

While the new league commissioner Gary Timm was announced in early 1996 to start in 1997 with a new concept, but since then nothing is heard from the (A) FLE.

Manchester Spartans
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