BIG6 European Football League
| Sport | Gridiron football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country |
 Europe |
| Most recent champion(s) | New Yorker Lions |
| Most titles |
Berlin Adler (1) New Yorker Lions (1) |
| Related competitions | Eurobowl |
| Official website | bigsix.eu |
The BIG6 European Football League (BIG6) is a European Cup style tournament for European American Football teams affiliated to EFAF (European Federation of American Football). The final game of the BIG6 is called the Eurobowl, which has been held annually since 1986.
The current champions are the New Yorker Lions who defeated fellow German club Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns 24–14.
History
In 2014, the newly created BIG6 European Football League was introduced as the new top-tier competition of American football in Europe, replacing the old European Football League (EFL).[1] The EFL continued to be played as a second-tier competition, with its teams now playing for the newly created EFL Bowl trophy instead of the Eurobowl.[2]
The BIG6 initially consisted of three teams from Germany, two from Austria and one from Switzerland, the clubs being Berlin Adler, New Yorker Lions, Dresden Monarchs, Raiffeisen Vikings Vienna, Swarco Raiders Tirol and the Calanda Broncos. The Berlin Adler became inaugural BIG6 champions, defeating fellow German club New Yorker Lions 20–17 in Eurobowl XXVIII.
For the 2015 season, Dresden and the Calanda Broncos were replaced by the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (Germany) and the La Courneuve Flash (France),[3] making La Courneuve the first team from outside of German-speaking Europe to enter the competition. For the 2016 season, the Flash were replaced by fellow French club Aix-en-Provence Argonautes.[4]
Teams
| Team | City, country | Stadium | Seasons in BIG6 |
| Aix-en-Provence Argonautes | Aix-en-Provence, France | Stade Georges-Carcassonne | 1 (2016–) |
| Berlin Adler | Berlin, Germany | Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark Poststadion | 3 (2014–) |
| New Yorker Lions | Braunschweig, Germany | Eintracht-Stadion Stadion am Salzgittersee, Salzgitter | 3 (2014–) |
| Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | Schwäbisch Hall, Germany | Hagenbachstadion Optima Sportpark | 2 (2015–) |
| Swarco Raiders Tirol | Innsbruck, Austria | Tivoli-Neu | 3 (2014–) |
| Vikings Vienna | Vienna, Austria | Hohe Warte Stadium FAC-Platz | 3 (2014–) |
Former teams
| Team | City, country | Stadium | Seasons in BIG6 |
| Calanda Broncos | Landquart, Switzerland | Stadion Ringstrasse, Chur | 1 (2014) |
| Dresden Monarchs | Dresden, Germany | Glücksgas Stadium[notes 1] | 1 (2014) |
| La Courneuve Flash | La Courneuve, France | Stade de Marville | 1 (2015) |
Champions
For a list of champions by year, see Eurobowl.
By club
| Club | Won | Runner-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 New Yorker Lions | 1 | 1 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Berlin Adler | 1 | 0 | 2014 | |
| Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns | 0 | 1 | 2015 | |
By country
| Country | Won | Runner-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2 | 2 | 2014, 2015 | 2014, 2015 |
See also
Notes
- ↑ The normal home venue for the Monarchs at the time was the Heinz Steyer Stadion, however special games (such as the lone Big6 home game) have often been held in the bigger stadium instead.
References
- ↑ BIG6 European Football League starts 2014 www.eurobowl.com, published: 20 November 2013, accessed: 5 December 2013
- ↑ EFL 2014 teams announced www.efaf.info, published: 11 February 2014, accessed: 8 July 2014
- ↑ Wieder drei GFL-Teams in Europas Big6 (in German) www.efaf.info, published: 23 December 2014, accessed: 28 December 2014
- ↑ Third season for Big6 eurobowl.com, published: 3 November 2015, accessed: 3 November 2015
External links
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