Preview: BIG6 Europe – Germans & Austrians Clash Once Again!
Dresden, Vienna, Berlin, and Innsbruck all battle to lock-up two Eurobowl spots!
If you enjoyed the European Championship finale on Saturday between rivals Germany and Austria, well don’t worry, American Football in Europe has more in store for you!
The BIG6 or EFL is the newest competition for top American Football club teams on the continent where the top Austrian, German, and Swiss club teams face one another. Participation is only by invitation from the European American Football Federation (EFAF). The teams are set in two groups with two games played each each opponent in the group. Every team plays one game at home and one on the road. The winners of each group qualify for the prestigious Eurobowl XXVIII on July 19th.
The teams participating in Group A are the two finalists of the German Football League (GFL) in 2013 (Dresden Monarchs and New Yorker Braunschweig Lions) and the reigning Austrian Champion and Eurobowl Champion (Raiffeisen Vienna Vikings).
The teams participating in Group B are the runners-up of Austrian Bowl and Eurobowl 2014 (Swarco Tirol Raiders), the Swiss champion (Calanda Broncos) and one of the big historic teams of the German Football League (Berlin Adler).
You can more get information at www.big6.eu or www.eurobowl.info or www.efaf.info.
Since the BIG 6 is a competition between club teams and with many import players on all teams competing this weekend, I’m not sure you should like it to a time for revenge for the Austrians. But it is the top level of American Football in Europe, so it should be two intense battles, all the way to the end, just like the European Championship Finale.
SWARCO RAIDERS V. BERLIN ADLER
On Saturday at 8 p.m. CET, 2 p.m. EST, the Swarco Tirol Raiders will host the Berlin Adler at Tivoli Stadium in Innsbruck. As usual, the game will be broadcasted live on www.raiderstv.at.
Both teams have easily defeated the Swiss Calanda Broncos in their first games, so the day’s mission simple: The winner goes to the Eurobowl!
The Raiders and Adler are no stranger to one another. Before taking the job in Innsbruck, Shuan Fatah was the head coach of the Adler, leading them to their first ever Eurobowl title in 2010. A season later, both teams met in Eurobowl finale and the Raiders won 27-12. Also, superstar ex-NFL DB/RB #5, Talib Wise, played many years for coach Fatah in Berlin and Tirol, before heading back this season to the Adler.
