The Hildesheim Invaders are an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team from

Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Lei ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The club's greatest success has been promotion to the American football Bundesliga, now the

German Football League The German Football League (GFL) is an American football league in Germany and was formed in 1979. Playing rules are based on those of the American National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA. In 1999, the league switched its name from ''Ameri ...

, in 1989 where it played for two seasons until 1991. A division title in the

German Football League 2 The German Football League 2 (GFL2) is the second tier of American football in Germany, below the German Football League. Until 2007, the league was known as the ''2. Bundesliga''. League structure The ''GFL2'', formerly the ''2. Bundesliga'', wh ...

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.

History

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 The German Football League (GFL) is an American football league in Germany and was formed in 1979. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA. In 1999, the league switched its name from ''American-Football-Bundesliga'' to ''German Foot ...

. 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 The Regionalliga () is the fourth tier in the German football league system. Until 1974, it was the second tier in Germany. In 1994, it was introduced as the third tier. Upon the creation of the new nationwide 3. Liga in 2008, it became the four ...

for a season in 1995. 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 GFL 2 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 The Cologne Falcons are an American football team from Cologne, Germany. The Falcons currently play most of their home games at Müngersdorf Sportpark, Ostkampfbahn. The team was founded in 1994 by former members of the Red Barons Cologne, which ...

before the start of the 2015 season. The mother club of the team, Eintracht Hildesheim, decided in October 2015 to apply for a GFL licence, which was successful

Honours

* GFL ** Play-off qualification: (1) 2019 ** League membership: (6) 1990–1991, 2016–2019 *

GFL 2 The German Football League 2 (GFL2) is the second tier of American football in Germany, below the German Football League The German Football League (GFL) is an American football league in Germany and was formed in 1979. Playing rules are based ...

** Northern Division champions: (3) 1986, 1989, 2015

Recent seasons

Recent seasons of the club:Football History
Historic American football tables from Germany, accessed: 23 September 20153. Liga (Regionalliga) tables & results
football-aktuell.de, accessed: 23 September 2015 * PR = Promotion round * QF = Quarter finals

References

External links

Official website

German Football League official website

Football History
Historic American football tables from Germany {{DEFAULTSORT:Hildesheim Invaders American football teams in Germany German Football League teams American football teams established in 1983 1983 establishments in West Germany Invaders