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Ljubljana Silverhawks

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Ljubljana Silverhawks
FoundedApril 2002; 22 years ago (2002-04)[1]
Based inLjubljana, Slovenia
ColorsCobalt Blue, Metallic Silver, and White
     
ChampionshipsSFL: 2009–10, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017
CEFL Bowl: 2012

The Ljubljana Silverhawks were an American football team based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, founded in 2002 by a group of football fans from the Slovenian capital. The team won the Slovenian Football League a record six times (2009–10, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2017). They also won the Central European Football League in 2012.

Before the 2019 season, Ljubljana Silverhawks merged with Domžale Tigers.[2]

History

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The Ljubljana Silverhawks were established in April 2002, becoming the first American football team based in Slovenia.[1] Initially, the Silverhawks were not affiliated with any league.[3]

In 2006, the Silverhawks were one of the founding members of the Central European Football League (CEFL). In 2009, together with three other teams, the Silverhawks competed in the first-ever edition of the Slovenian Football League. On 26 June 2010, the Silverhawks defeated the Alp Devils 41–0 and thus became the first champions of Slovenia.[4]

The Silverhawks retained the Slovenian Football League title in 2011, after defeating the Croatian team Zagreb Thunder, which competed as the guest team.[5] The Silverhawks won the CEFL title in 2012, and then also won the Slovenian League title in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

In 2016, the Silverhawks joined the Austrian Football League (AFL)[6] and reached the wild card playoffs three times in a row. After the 2018 season, the Silverhawks left the AFL due to financial problems.[7]

Honours

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Champions (6): 2009–10, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017
Champions (1): 2012
Runners-up (2): 2010, 2014

Season statistics

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Slovenian Bowl appearances

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Bowl Season Champions Opponents Result
Slovenian Bowl I 2009–10 Ljubljana Silverhawks Alp Devils 41–00
Slovenian Bowl II 2011 Ljubljana Silverhawks Zagreb Thunder 29–19
Slovenian Bowl III 2012 Ljubljana Silverhawks Maribor Generals 23–10
Slovenian Bowl IV 2013 Ljubljana Silverhawks Maribor Generals 45–00
Slovenian Bowl V 2016 Ljubljana Silverhawks Alp Devils 55–60
Slovenian Bowl VI 2017 Ljubljana Silverhawks Alp Devils 47–00

CEFL Bowl appearances

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Bowl Season Champions Opponents Result
CEFL Bowl V 2010 Vukovi Beograd Ljubljana Silverhawks 42–20
CEFL Bowl VII 2012 Ljubljana Silverhawks Vukovi Beograd 34–21
CEFL Bowl IX 2014 Vukovi Beograd Ljubljana Silverhawks 27–17

Austrian Football League

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Year Finish Pct. Games W D L PF PA Postseason
2016 4th 0.400 10 4 0 6 237 272 Won WC: Mödling Rangers (65–18)
Lost SF: Tirol Raiders (30–63)
2017 3rd 0.600 10 6 0 4 383 358 Won WC: Mödling Rangers (49–20)
Lost SF: Tirol Raiders (27–45)
2018 6th 0.500 10 5 0 5 298 362 Lost WC: Graz Giants (21–28)
  • WC = Wild card
  • SF = Semi-final

References

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  1. ^ a b "STA: Olimpijske novice OKS številka 13". sta.si (in Slovenian). Slovenian Press Agency. 19 April 2002. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Pomlad je tu in tekmovalna sezona 2019 je pred vrati" (in Slovenian). Domžale Tigers. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Zgodovina in dosežki kluba" [History and achievements] (in Slovenian). Ljubljana Silverhawks. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  4. ^ "DP 2009/10 – SLO BOWL I" (in Slovenian). Maribor Generals. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  5. ^ "DP 2012 – SLO BOWL II" (in Slovenian). Maribor Generals. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Tekmovanja" [Competitions] (in Slovenian). Ljubljana Silverhawks. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  7. ^ "AFL 2019 mit acht Teams". football-austria.com (in German). 22 January 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.