Austrian Football League
The Austrian Football League (AFL) is the highest level of American football in Austria founded in 1982. The Austrian Football League (AFL) has always been considered among the best and strongest leagues in Europe. The league plays by rules based on those of the NCAA.
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Inaugural season | 1982 |
| No. of teams | 10 in top league AFL |
| Country | Austria Czech Republic |
| Most recent champion(s) | Danube Dragons |
| Most titles | Vienna Vikings (15) |
| Qualification | Pyramid Tier |
| TV partner(s) | ORF Sport |
| Official website | https://football.at/afl/ AFL |
The Austrian Football League is the highest tier level and below that is a tier pyramid system consisting of teams playing in divisions I through division IV. Winners of each division move up to the next level of play. The Tyrol Raiders and Vienna Vikings which had dominated the league for much of the preceding decade announced their intention to leave for the European League of Football for the upcoming 2022 season. However, unlike teams in other countries that have made this move, the reserve team of both will remain a participant in the Austrian Football League.
History
The AFL was founded in 1982 by the teams such as the Salzburg Lions, Graz Giants, Vienna Ducks and Vienna Ramblocks.
The AFL is commonly considered as one of the best American football leagues in Europe. This was especially so in the period from 2004 to 2011, when the European Football League final game the Eurobowl, was won seven out of eight times by an Austrian league AFL team.[1]
In 2010, the Prague Panthers from the Czech Republic joined the league as the first team from outside of Austria. The Panthers were a member of the AFL until the 2016 season. In 2016, the Ljubljana Silverhawks from Slovenia joined, and in 2018, the Bratislava Monarchs from Slovakia entered the league.
The regular season currently consists of ten games and starts in mid-March; the playoffs continue through July. The final game, the Austrian Bowl, was held for the first time in 1984 in Salzburg, Austria. Because homegrown players are one of the main focus points of the league, there are rule limitations for the numbers of foreigners. The rule has changed several times over the years and currently each roster can have a maximum of 6 American, Canadian, Mexican or Japanese professional import players, with two allowed on the field at the same time.
Teams
In 2023, the AFL will consist of:
- Vienna Vikings
- Graz Giants
- Swarco Raiders Tirol
- Danube Dragons
- Prague Black Panthers
- AFC Rangers
- Salzburg Ducks
- Steelsharks Traun
- GBG Graz Styrian Bears
- Telfs Patriots
Austrian Bowl
All games
| Bowl | Date | Champions | Runners-up | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | October 20, 1984 | Salzburg Lions | Graz Giants | 27–10 | Salzburg |
| II | June 28, 1986 | Graz Giants | Vienna Vikings | 31–12 | Salzburg |
| III | July 5, 1987 | Graz Giants | Salzburg Lions | 20–0 | ASKÖ Schmelz, Vienna |
| IV | July 3, 1988 | Graz Giants | Vienna Vikings | 33–15 | ASKÖ Schmelz, Vienna |
| V | July 1, 1989 | Salzburg Lions | Graz Giants | 34–0 | Salzburg |
| VI | July 1, 1990 | Graz Giants | Klosterneuburg Mercenaries | 59–7 | Linzer Stadion, Linz |
| VII | July 7, 1991 | Graz Giants | Vienna Vikings | 38–7 | ASKÖ Stadium Eggenberg, Graz |
| VIII | July 5, 1992 | Graz Giants | Schwarzenau Rangers | 28–13 | ASKÖ Schmelz, Vienna |
| IX | July 4, 1993 | Feldkirch Oscar Dinos | Salzburg Bulls | 45–10 | BSZ Südstadt, Maria Enzersdorf |
| X | July 4, 1994 | Vienna Vikings | Levi's Graz Giants | 45–23 | Rudolf-Tonn-Stadion, Schwechat |
| XI | July 15, 1995 | Levi's Graz Giants | Vienna Vikings | 26–20 | Rudolf-Tonn-Stadion |
| XII | July 13, 1996 | Vienna Vikings | Levi's Graz Giants | 41–35 | Rudolf-Tonn-Stadion |
| XIII | July 12, 1997 | Levi's Graz Giants | Klosterneuburg Mercenaries | 35–14 | Rudolf-Tonn-Stadion |
| XIV | July 18, 1998 | Levi's Graz Giants | Vienna Vikings | 43–3 | BSZ Südstadt, Maria Enzersdorf |
| XV | July 20, 1999 | Chrysler Vikings | Levi's Graz Giants | 37–35 | Rudolf-Tonn-Stadion |
| XVI | July 22, 2000 | Chrysler Vikings | Papa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders | 34–28 | Hohe Warte Stadium, Vienna |
| XVII | July 21, 2001 | Chrysler Vikings | Papa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders | 24–14 | Lindenstadion, Eisenstadt |
| XVIII | July 20, 2002 | Chrysler Vikings | Öko-Box Graz Giants | 52–21 | Hohe Warte Stadium, Vienna |
| XIX | July 12, 2003 | Chrysler Vikings | Öko-Box Graz Giants | 56–42 | Hohe Warte Stadium, Vienna |
| XX | July 17, 2004 | Papa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders | Chrysler Vikings | 28–20 | EM-Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg |
| XXI | July 16, 2005 | Chrysler Vikings | Papa Joe's Tyrolean Raiders | 43–14 | Südstadt, Maria Enzersdorf |
| XXII | July 14, 2006 | Swarco Raiders Tirol | Dodge Vikings | 43–19 | Hohe Warte, Vienna |
| XXIII | July 14, 2007 | Dodge Vikings | Turek Graz Giants | 42–14 | Hohe Warte, Vienna |
| XXIV | June 27, 2008 | Turek Graz Giants | Swarco Raiders Tirol | 31–21 | Lavanttal-Arena, Wolfsberg |
| XXV | July 18, 2009 | Raiffeisen Vikings | Turek Graz Giants | 22–19 | Asko Stadium Eggenberg, Graz |
| XXVI | July 9, 2010 | Danube Dragons | Swarco Raiders Tirol | 28–21 | Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck |
| XXVII | June 23, 2011 | Swarco Raiders Tirol | Raiffeisen Vikings | 23–13 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna |
| XXVIII | July 28, 2012 | Raiffeisen Vikings | Swarco Raiders Tirol | 48–34 | Hohe Warte, Vienna |
| XXIX | July 27, 2013 | Raiffeisen Vikings | Swarco Raiders Tirol | 48–31 | NV Arena, Sankt Pölten |
| XXX | July 26, 2014 | Raiffeisen Vikings | Swarco Raiders Tirol | 24–17 | NV Arena, Sankt Pölten |
| XXXI | July 11, 2015 | Swarco Raiders Tirol | Vienna Vikings | 38–0 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt |
| XXXII | July 23, 2016 | Swarco Raiders Tirol | Graz Giants | 51–7 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt |
| XXXIII | July 29, 2017 | Dacia Vienna Vikings | Swarco Raiders Tirol | 45–26 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt |
| XXXIV | July 21, 2018 | Swarco Raiders Tirol | Dacia Vienna Vikings | 51–48 | NV Arena, Sankt Pölten |
| XXXV | July 27, 2019 | Swarco Raiders Tirol | Dacia Vienna Vikings | 42–34 | NV Arena, Sankt Pölten |
| – | September, 2020 | Dacia Vienna Vikings | Graz Giants | 3–0[lower-alpha 1] | ASKÖ Eggenberg, Graz Footballzentrum Ravelin, Wien |
| XXXVI | July 31, 2021 | Swarco Raiders Tirol | Dacia Vienna Vikings | 35–14 | Tivoli Stadion Tirol, Innsbruck |
| XXXVII | July 30, 2022 | Danube Dragons | Vienna Vikings | 51–29 | NV Arena, Sankt Pölten |
| XXXVIII | July 29, 2023 | Danube Dragons | Vienna Vikings | 14–13 | NV Arena, Sankt Pölten |
- Due to the coronavirus pandemic the Vikings and the Giants were the only teams entering the competition. Instead of a bowl game, the two teams played a best of five series.
By Team
| Rank | Teams | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vienna Vikings | 15 | 14 |
| 2 | Graz Giants | 10 | 11 |
| 3 | Tirol Raiders | 8 | 9 |
| 4 | Danube Dragons[1] | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | Salzburg Bulls | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | Feldkirch Oscar Dinos | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | AFC Rangers | 0 | 1 |
^ 1: Formerly known as Klosterneuburg Mercenaries
Notable Import Players & Coaches
- Anthony Thompson, 1993 AFL League MVP, Bulls 1993-94 & Mercenaries 1995 RB/LB, Played in NFL for Denver Broncos
- Eric Beavers, 1992 AFL League MVP, Graz Giants QB 1991-1993. Nevada Wolfpack
- Doug Wilkerson, Graz Giants OL/DL 1987, was NFL All Pro player for the San Diego Chargers
- Tony Hunt, Former Vienna Viking RB & NFL player for the Eagles.
- Darvin Lewis, Former Graz Giants LB/RB, 2008 AFL defense player of the year
- Todd Hendricks, 1995 AFL League MVP, AFC Rangers WR/RB 1993, 1995-97, 2000, 2002, Vienna Knights 2008
- Mark Helfrich, Former Vienna Viking QB 1997, former Oregon Ducks head coach
- Thomas Smythe, AFL Coach of the year, 1994-2006 Head coach Vienna Vikings, 8 AFL championships, 3 Eurobowl titles
- Hugh Mendez, 1993 AFL Coach of the year, AFL Champion 1993, Head coach Feldkich Dinos 1993-94, Klosterneuburg Mercenaries 1995
- Rick Rhoades, 2008 AFL Coach of the year, 2007-2011 Head coach Graz Giants, Austrian National team head coach
- Emmanuel Moody, Vienna Viking RB, Florida Gators
- Chris Gunn, AFL League MVP, Graz Giants QB
- Jason Johnson (quarterback), Swarco Raiders QB 2009.
- Bill Christensen, Graz Giants DB 1996-98
- Jaime Kimbrough, Carinthian Cowboys and Lions 1999-2001. Fresno State Bulldogs
- George Paton, Vienna Vikings DB/RB 1993. Current GM for Denver Broncos
- Sean Shelton, 3 X AFL League MVP, Swarco Raiders QB
- Shuan Fatah, AFL Coach of the year, AFL Champion, Eurobowl Champion, Head coach Swarco Raiders
- Kevin Burke, (American Football) 2017 Austrian Bowl Game MVP, Vienna Vikings QB
- Chris Calaycay, AFL Coach of year & Former Vienna Viking DB, AFL Champions and Eurobowl Champion
- Cameron Frickey, 1999 AFL offense POY, 1998-2003 Vienna Vikings WR & current Woman's National team coach
- Clinton Graham, AFL Offense POY, Vienna Vikings, Prague Panthers and AFC Rangers RB.
- Eric Marty, 2010 Austrian Bowl game MVP, Danube Dragons QB
- Germaine Race, 2010 AFL Offense POY, St. Polten Invaders RB. Former NFL player
- Kyle Newhall-Caballero, 2012 AFL League MVP, Prague Panthers QB, NFL player & Scout
- Darius Robinson, Swarco Raiders DB & former NFL player, Clemson Tigers football
- Chris Rosier, AFL League MVP, Swarco Raiders, Vienna Vikings WR
- Lance Gustafson, AFL League MVP, Vienna Vikings LB/RB
- Paul Kujawa, AFL League MVP 1994, Graz Giants RB/LB 1994-96, Iowa Hawkeyes
- Talib Wise, 2011 Austrian Bowl Game MVP, Swarco Raiders RB
- Kyle Callahan, Swarco Raiders QB/WR
- D.J. Hernandez, AFL offense POY, Carinthian Lions QB, Brother of Aaron Hernandez
- Luke Atwood, Vienna Vikings QB/WR
- Reece Horn, Vienna Vikings WR
- Geoff Stults, Mercenaries player WR, (now Dragons)
- Jonathan Dally, former Dragons QB
- Brad Strohm, AFC Rangers QB 1995-96, 1998, LSU Tigers / Mississippi College
- Matt Sayre, 1996 AFL league MVP, Graz Giants QB 1994-96
- Mike McLaury, Graz Giants DL 1997-2002
- Cameron Reynolds, Vienna Vikings RB 1997-98, Oregon State
- Tim Nielson, AFL league MVP 1989, Graz Giants QB/RB 1989-1990, 1992
Austrian teams in international competitions
Despite the relatively small size of Austria, both the Austrian national American Football team and individual club teams of the AFL have enjoyed remarkable success in European competitions. The national team, whose players mostly play in the AFL (with a few also playing in the German Football League), has placed third at the 1995 European Championship of American football (hosted in Austria) and third at the 2010 European Championship, second at the 2014 European Championship (hosted in Austria), losing the final in double overtime to Germany in front of 27000 spectators at Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion[2] and placed second again in 2018. The Vienna Vikings have won the Eurobowl five times and reached the final ten times overall while the Tyrol Raiders have won it three times in five appearances in the final. Furthermore the Central European Football League has been won five times by Austrian teams both before and after it became a premier European competition.
The AFL Graz Giants own the first known European victory against a US college team in 1991. The Giants won the exhibition game 32–23 against Albany State University. The game was played in the United States on August 31, 1991.
References
External links
- Official website (in German)
- Historical AFL scores