Hildesheim Invaders
 | |
| Founded | 1983 |
|---|---|
| League | German Football League |
| Based in | Hildesheim |
| Arena | Helios Homefield |
| Colors | Blue and Yellow |
| Owner | Hildesheim Invaders e.V. |
| Head coach | Marcus Herford |
| Championships | GFL2 Champion 2023 |
| Division titles | none |
| Cheerleaders | Roses |
| Website | goinvaders.de |
The Hildesheim Invaders are an American football team founded in 1983 from Hildesheim, Germany.
The club's greatest success has been promotion to the American football Bundesliga, now the German Football League in 2023, the highest level league, in 1989 where it played for two seasons until 1991.[1] A division title in the German Football League 2 in 2015 earned the club the right to return to the highest level of play in Germany, should it meet the licensing requirements, which they did.
The team currently as of 2024 plays again in the GFL Nord.[2]
History
[edit]Formed in 1983 the Invaders entered the northern division of tier two 2. Bundesliga from 1986. The club won division championships at this level in 1986 and 1989 with the latter earning it promotion to the American football Bundesliga. Hildesheim played for two seasons at this level, coming fourth in its division in 1990 but finishing last the year after, losing all ten season games. From 1992 to 1994 and, again, from 1996 to 2000 the team played in the 2. Bundesliga again, dropping down to the Regionalliga for a season in 1995.[1]
The end of the 2000 season saw the club relegated and stepping down to the tier four Oberliga for a season. Between 2001 and 2006 the Invaders fluctuated between the third and fourth tier of the league system. From 2006 onwards the fortunes of the club improved again, earning promotion to the Regionalliga that year, followed by promotion back to the 2. Bundesliga in 2008. From 2008 to 2014 the club fluctuated between the Regionalliga and the 2. Bundesliga, with the latter now renamed to German Football League 2. Promotion from the Regionalliga in 2008, 2011 and 2013 was followed by relegation from the second tier in 2009 and 2012. The Invaders were able to establish themselves in the GFL2 in 2014 and won the northern division in 2015, thereby earning the right to compete in the German Football League in 2016, taking up a spot made vacant by the withdrawal of the Cologne Falcons before the start of the 2015 season.[1] The mother club of the team, Eintracht Hildesheim, decided in October 2015 to apply for a GFL licence, which was successful[3]
Honours
[edit]- GFL
- Play-off qualification: (2) 2019, 2024
- League membership: (7) 1990–1991, 2016–2019, 2024
- GFL2
- Northern Division champions: (4) 1986, 1989, 2015, 2023
Recent seasons
[edit]Recent seasons of the club:[1][4][5]
| Year | Division | Finish | Points | Pct. | Games | W | D | L | PF | PA | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | GFL2 (North) | 7th | 5–23 | 0.179 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 222 | 347 | — |
| 2013 | Regionalliga Nord | 1st | 23–1 | 0.958 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 473 | 93 | — |
| 2014 | GFL2 (North) | 5th | 13–15 | 0.464 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 451 | 469 | — |
| 2015 | 1st | 21–7 | 0.750 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 573 | 401 | — | |
| 2016 | GFL (North) | 5th | 10–18 | 0.357 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 445 | 569 | — |
| 2017 | 7th | 6–22 | 0.214 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 253 | 475 | — | |
| 2018 | 7th | 8–24 | 0.286 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 145 | 446 | — | |
| 2019 | 3rd | 20–8 | 0.714 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 413 | 305 | Lost QF: Frankfurt Universe (7–28) | |
| 2020 | No season played because of the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||||
| 2021 | Regionalliga Nord | 1st | 10–0 | 1.000 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 226 | 46 | Lost PR: Paderborn Dolphins (0–32) Won PR: Spandau Bulldogs (34–7) |
| 2022 | GFL2 (North) | 3rd | 14–6 | 0.700 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 396 | 267 | — |
| 2023 | 1st | 20–0 | 1.000 | 10 | 10 | — | 0 | 523 | 227 | — | |
| 2024 | GFL (North) | 4th | 14–10 | 0.583 | 12 | 7 | — | 5 | 398 | 357 | Won QF @ Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (31–28) Lost SF @ Dresden Monarchs (13–27) |
- PR = Promotion round
- QF = Quarter finals
- SF = Semi finals
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Football History Archived 2017-09-28 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Historic American football tables from Germany, accessed: 23 September 2015
- ^ Hildesheim Invaders und Frankfurt Universe stehen als GFL Aufsteiger fest Archived 2015-09-28 at the Wayback Machine (in German) GFL website, published: 8 September 2015, accessed: 23 September 2015
- ^ "Wir wollen in die GFL" (in German) football-aktuell.de, accessed: 6 October 2015
- ^ GFL 2 tables & results football-aktuell.de, accessed: 23 September 2015
- ^ 3. Liga (Regionalliga) tables & results football-aktuell.de, accessed: 23 September 2015
External links
[edit]- Official website (in German)