Wiesbaden Phantoms

The Wiesbaden Phantoms are an American football team from Wiesbaden, Germany.

Wiesbaden Phantoms
Founded1984
LeagueGerman Football League 2
Based inWiesbaden, Germany
StadiumEuropaviertel
ColorsBlue and Yellow
         
Head coachPatrick Griesheimer, Daniel Garcia
Championshipsnone
Division titlesnone
CheerleadersPhantastics
Websitewww.wiesbaden-phantoms.de

The team experienced its greatest success in 2010, earning promotion to the German Football League.

History

The club was formed in 1984, originally as a department of a local association football club and, from 1986, independent as the AFC Wiesbaden Phantoms e.V..[1]

The Wiesbaden Phantoms first entered league football in 1985, when they joined the tier-three Regionalliga Mitte. In this league, the club was instantaneously successful, winning it in 1985 and 1986. The Phantoms earned promotion to the central division of the 2nd Bundesliga on the strength of these titles, a league the club would play in for the next six seasons. The team's best result in this era was a second place in 1991, but a sixth place finish the following season saw the club relegated back to the Regionalliga.[2]

The following four seasons saw the club in decline, so much so that it dropped all the way to the fifth tier Landesliga for 1998, having been unable to field a team in 1997, but it was able to recover and begun its climb back up with a title in this division. By 2000, the club was back in the third division, where it became a top side without quite achieving another promotion until 2003, when the Phantoms once more won their league and returned to the 2nd Bundesliga.[2]

Like in the Regionalliga, the club was a strong side in the southern division of this league, finishing runners-up on five occasions in the next seven seasons. Another runners-up finish in 2010, in a league now renamed German Football League 2, saw the team qualify for the promotion round because of an enlargement of the GFL from 12 to 14 teams. The Phantoms beat the Weinheim Longhorns convincingly in both promotion games and thereby achieved entry to Germany's elite league for the first time.[2]

The club came fifth in its first season in the GFL in 2011, well clear of the play-off ranks with only three wins and a draw to its name.[3] In 2012, the club came sixth in the southern division of the GFL and thereby failed to qualify for the play-off.

The 2013 season saw the club come last in the southern division and having to enter the relegation round where it lost to Allgäu Comets and was relegated from the GFL to the GFL 2, where it came second in 2014 and fifth in 2015.

Honours
  • GFL
    • League membership: (3) 2011–2013

Recent seasons

Recent seasons of the club:[2][3][4][5][6]

YearDivision FinishPointsPct. GamesWDL PFPA Postseason
2005 GFL 2 (South) 2nd 24–40.857 141202 434 268 —
2006 2nd 24–40.857 141202 385167 —
2007 4th 15–130.536 14716 281252 —
2008 3rd 23–50.821 141112 512229 —
2009 2nd 22–60.786 141103 484129 —
2010 2nd20–80.714 141004 388175 Won PR: Weinheim Longhorns (45–7 & 30–26)
2011 GFL (South) 5th7–190.269 13319 241366 —
2012 6th8–200.286 144010 300408 —
2013 8th4–240.143 142012 283419 Lost RR: Allgäu Comets (21–37 & 44–34)
2014 GFL 2 (South) 2nd17–110.607 14815 233214 —
2015 5th14–140.500 14707 291369 —
2016 3rd20–80.714 141004 465324 —
2017 5th9–150.375 12417 309390 —
2018 5th14–140.500 14707 342392 —
2019 5th12–140.417 12507 301304 —
  • RR = Relegation round
  • PR = Promotion round
  • In the 2011 season, the game against Plattling Black Hawks was not played.

References
  1. Wiesbaden Phantoms website accessed: 21 January 2011
  2. Football History (in German) Historic American football tables from Germany, accessed: 21 January 2010
  3. GFL 2011 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 18 September 2011
  4. GFL 2 2008 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 21 January 2011
  5. GFL 2 2009 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 21 January 2011
  6. GFL 2 2010 www.football-aktuell.de, accessed: 21 January 2011
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