History

Australian football in Germany is played by five clubs, with the Australian Football League of Germany (AFLG) the governing body.

The Frankfurt Redbacks and Munich Kangaroos were founded in 1995 and had been playing since 1996. The AFLG was officially created in 1999, but the two clubs only played occasional matches against each other for the first few years until the formation of the Berlin Crocodiles and the Hamburg Dockers made the possibility of a national league a reality. The German home and away season began in 2003 with these four clubs, Munich winning the premiership.

In 2004 the Düsseldorf Lions (formed in 2002) joined the AFLG, the league having a five-club structure for the following two seasons.

In 2006, a new French side from Strasbourg, the Kangaroos, entered the German league to experience regular league play. The Strasbourg club played under the nickname the "Black Devils" in the German league to avoid a name clash with Munich.

At roughly the same time, the Düsseldorf club re-branded to become the Rheinland Lions to reflect a shared home between Düsseldorf and nearby Köln (Cologne).

In 2007 the Strasbourg Kangaroos withdrew from the league to regain strength leaving five clubs and a 10-game league season plus additional tournaments.

 

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