Marburg Mercenaries

Marburg Mercenaries
Founded	1991
League	German Football League
Stadium	Georg-Gaßmann-Stadion
Based in	Marburg, Germany
Team colors	Red, White and Black
Championships	EFAF Cup: 2005
Division titles	GFL South: 2004–2006, 2008, 2010
Website	www.mercenaries.de/de/

The Marburg Mercenaries are an American football team from Marburg, Germany.

Internationally, the clubs greatest success came in 2005, when it won the EFAF Cup, followed by a losing appearance in the Eurobowl in 2007.^[1] Domestically, the teams greatest achievement was to reach the 2006 German Bowl, where the team lost to the Braunschweig Lions.^[2]

History

The Marburg Mercenaries were formed in 1991 under the official name of AFV Marburg Mercenaries e.V..^[1]

The club entered competitive league football in the following year, playing in the tier-five Verbandsliga Hessen, a regional league in its home state of Hesse. The Mercenaries gradually worked their way up through the local league system, culminating in a title in the tier-three Regionalliga Mitte in 1997, which allowed the club to take up promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga.^[1]

For the next five years, the team played in the southern division of this league, once more gradually improving its performances, to a point where they won their division in 2001 and 2002. In its first attempt at promotion to the German Football League, the team failed however, losing to the Franken Knights in both promotion games. It performed much better the following year, defeating the Munich Cowboys in both promotion games and moving up into the GFL.^[3]

The Mercenaries first season at this level became a struggle, winning only one out of twelve league games, and having to defend their league place against the Simbach Wildcats in the relegation round. With this successfully achieved, the team moved on to much better performances from now on.^[3]

The club became a constant contender for the division title from now on, winning it in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 and reaching, as a minimum, the play-off semi finals on each occasion. The teams best season domestically however was 2006, when it reached the German Bowl, where it lost 13-31 to the Braunschweig Lions.^[1] Apart from the significances of this achievement to the club, it also broke a thirteen year draught for the clubs from the southern division, as no southern club had reached the German Bowl since the Munich Cowboys won it in 1993.^[3]

Internationally, the Mercenaries won their first title in 2005, when they won the second-tier EFAF Cup. In 2007, the team also participated in the European Football League, where it reached the final, the Eurobowl, but lost quite clearly to the Dodge Vikings Vienna.^[3]

Marburg has since failed to reach another final, but remains a strong team in the southern division of the GFL. The team came second in its division in 2011, qualifying for the play-offs where they were knocked out by the Düsseldorf Panther in the quarter finals.^[4]

Honours

• Eurobowl
  • Runners-up: 2007

• EFAF Cup:
  • Champions: 2005

• German Bowl
  • Runners-up: 2006

• EFL
  • Participations: 2007

• GFL
  • Southern Division champions: (5) 2004–2006, 2008, 2010
  • Play-off qualification : (8) 2004–2011
  • League membership : (9) 2003–present

• GFL 2
  • Southern Division champions: 2001, 2002

German Bowl appearances

The club has only appeared once in the German Bowl:^[2]

Bowl	Date	Champions	Runners-Up	Score	Location	Attendance
XXVIII	October 7, 2006	Braunschweig Lions	Marburg Mercenaries	31-13	Braunschweig	15,897

• Champions in bold.

Recent seasons

Recent seasons of the club:^{[3][5][6][7][4]}

Year	Division	Finish	Points	Pct.	Games	W	D	L	PF	PA	Postseason
2005	GFL (South)	1st	17–3	0.850	10	8	1	1	350	174	Won QF: Berlin Adler (40–21) Lost SF: Hamburg Blue Devils (41–42 aet)
2006		1st	20–4	0.833	12	10	0	2	471	214	Won QF: Cologne Falcons (62–0) Won SF: Hamburg Blue Devils (33–20) Lost GB: Braunschweig Lions (13–31)
2007		2nd	19–5	0.792	12	9	1	2	363	191	Won QF: Kiel Baltic Hurricanes (21–16) Lost SF: Braunschweig Lions (21–26)
2008		1st	18–6	0.750	12	9	0	3	356	206	Won QF: Dresden Monarchs (33–21) Lost SF: Braunschweig Lions (21–49)
2009		2nd	14–10	0.583	12	7	0	5	422	328	Won QF: Dresden Monarchs (64–63) Lost SF: Berlin Adler (21–36)
2010		1st	20–4	0.833	12	10	0	2	437	216	Won QF: Braunschweig Lions (31–21) Lost SF: Berlin Adler (6–17)
2011		2nd	22–4	0.846	13	11	0	2	392	240	Lost QF: Düsseldorf Panther (10–14)

• RR = Relegation round.
• QF = Quarter finals.
• SF = Semi finals.
• GB = German Bowl
• The final game of the 2011 season against the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns was not played because of heavy rain on game day.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Geschichte (German) Marburg Mercenaries website - Club history, accessed: 16 January 2011
2. ^ ^{a b} Bowls GFL website, accessed: 1 January 2011
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Football History (German) Historic American football tables from Germany, accessed: 2 January 2010
4. ^ ^{a b} GFL 2011 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 18 September 2011
5. ^ GFL 2008 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 2 January 2011
6. ^ GFL 2009 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 2 January 2011
7. ^ GFL 2010 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 2 January 2011
8. ^ Heimspiel fällt den Fluten zum Opfer (German) Marburg Mercenaries website, published: 11 September 2011, accessed: 16 September 2011

External links

• (German) Official website
• (German) German Football League official website
• (German) Football History Historic American football tables from Germany