In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivision had avoided using a playoff tournament to determine an annual national champion, which was instead traditionally determined by a vote of sports writers and other non-players. In place of such a playoff, various cities across the United States developed their own regional festivals featuring post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals. Despite attempts to establish a permanent system to determine the FBS national champion on the field, various bowl games continue to be held because of the vested economic interests entrenched in them.
The German Football League (GFL) is an American football league in Germany and was formed in 1979. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA. In 1999, the league switched its name from American-Football-Bundesliga to German Football League. In terms of attendance figures, cumulative salaries paid by teams, performance in international exhibition games and competitions and ability to draw foreign talent, the GFL is arguably the strongest national league in Europe.
The Hamburg Blue Devils are an American football team in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 1992. The Blue Devils are one of the most successful American football clubs in Germany, having won four German Bowls as well as three Eurobowls. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the clubs rivalry with the Braunschweig Lions dominated the game in the German Football League, with the two sides meeting in six German Bowls between 1998 and 2005 as well as the 1999 Eurobowl.
American football in the Netherlands has been on the map both nationally and internationally since the 1980s. However, it took almost 40 years before the first American Football game played in the Netherlands was followed up. In 1946 two American University teams played an exhibition game in the Olympic Stadium (Amsterdam). Not until 1980 did the following step appear, when René Koningsferander issued a request on the TV sports programme 'Sprekershoek' for people who were interested in the sport.
The Amsterdam Crusaders are an American Football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. Together with the Rotterdam Trojans and Alphen Eagles, the Amsterdam Crusaders are the oldest surviving Dutch American Football club.
The Berlin Adler is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as a ten Ladies Bowls and five Junior Bowls.
The New Yorker Lions are an American Football team from Braunschweig, Germany. Until late 2010, the team was known as the Braunschweig Lions.
The Birmingham Bulls are an American football team based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. They play their home games at Kings Norton RFC in Hopwood. They are a member of the NFC Division One South in the BAFA National Leagues.
Helsinki Roosters is an American football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome.
The Manchester Spartans were an American football club in Manchester, England. Founded in 1983 as the Northwich Spartans, they became Manchester Spartans in 1984, and were national champions in 1989 and 1990. They won the Eurobowl in 1990.
The Raiders Tirol are an American football team based in Innsbruck, Austria. Founded in 1992, the Raiders since have become one of Austria's and Europe's most dominant American football teams, winning the Eurobowl title three times and the CEFL also three times (2017–2019). Competing in the Austrian Football League (AFL), the team has won the league championship eight times, most recently in 2021. In 2022, the Raiders joined the ELF, the European League of Football.
The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes are an American football team based in Kiel, Germany.
The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns are an American football team from Schwäbisch Hall, Germany.
The Dresden Monarchs are an American football team from Dresden, Germany. They have been a member of the first tier German Football League since 2002 and play in its Northern Division. In 2021 they were GFL champions after having won German Bowl XLII. In January 2023 the Monarchs named longtime NFL Coach Paul Alexander as their Head Coach.
The Austrian Football League (AFL) is the highest level of American football in Austria founded in 1984. 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.
The Calanda Broncos are an American football team from Landquart, Switzerland. The club, formed in 1991 as the Landquart Broncos, changed its name in late 2008 after the Calanda mountain to show the club's desire to represent a larger region of Graubünden then just the community of Landquart. With the move to the stadium in nearby Chur the club was also able to draw larger crowds for its home matches. The club is the best-supported American football club in Switzerland.
The BIG6 European Football League (BIG6) was a European Cup style tournament for European American football teams. Originally organized by the EFAF, the tournament had been run by the German Football League International since 2015. The final game of the BIG6 was called the Eurobowl, which had been held annually since 1986. Its last season was in 2018.
The 2016 German Football League season was the 38th edition of the top-level American football competition in Germany and seventeenth since the renaming of the American Football Bundesliga to German Football league.
Moritz Wilhelm Böhringer is a German professional American football tight end who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Böhringer was the first European player to be selected in the NFL Draft without playing any college football.
The Potsdam Royals are an American football team from Potsdam, Germany.
