The Amsterdam Crusaders 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 wi ...

club from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Together with the

Rotterdam Trojans The 010 Trojans (formerly known as Rotterdam Trojans are an American football team based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Founded in 1984, the Trojans are the second oldest surviving team in the Netherlands, behind the Amsterdam Crusaders. Upon f ...

and Alphen Eagles, Amsterdam Crusaders are the oldest surviving Dutch American Football club.

Beginnings

The Crusaders started as a spin-off of the former Amsterdam Rams in the spring of 1984. Several former players decided it was time to have another team in Amsterdam. This initiative became official on 6 September 1984. At the office of the Amsterdam Notary Loeff & van der Ploeg the three legal founders (Winston Ronde], Marc van Velzen and Anthony da Costa Gomes) signed the documents to become an official team (Vereniging). In the years that followed they grew into a team capable of playing at both national and international levels. The 1980s saw frequent battles with fierce rivals Amsterdam Rams, The Hague Raiders and Utrecht Vikings for places in the

Tulip Bowl The Tulip Bowl is the final match in the season of the AFBN Division One, the top division of the American Football Bond Nederland (AFBN). The AFBN is the organisation responsible for American football in the Netherlands. The Tulip Bowl participan ...

and

Eurobowl The Eurobowl was the championship final game of a tournament style playoff to determine the champion of all of the American football leagues in Europe. The tournament featured the top or champion clubs from each countries top league that was cal ...

Eurobowls, FLE and NFLE

The Crusaders joined the European elite by reaching the

final in 1988, with upset wins over the London Ravens and Berlin Adlers in the quarter and semi finals, only to lose against the

Helsinki Roosters Helsinki Roosters is an American football team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays in the Vaahteraliiga in Finland and their home field is the Helsinki Velodrome. History Roosters were founded in 1979 and the club is a founding member of ...

(35–14), who ran a power wishbone attack with Mike Kane, former All-American running back at CSUN. He scored 4 TDs and was elected the game's MVP. In 1989 Amsterdam again reached the final, unfortunately losing a thriller 27–23 to the Legnano Frogs (Italy). In 1990, the "third Crusade" ended in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

(UK) when the

Manchester Spartans The Manchester Spartans were an American football club in Manchester, England. Founded in 1983 as the Northwich Spartans, they became Manchester Spartans in 1984, and were national champions in 1989 and 1990. They won the Eurobowl in 1990. Histo ...

defended three drives from the Crusaders in the 4th quarter to progress on their way to a European title. Finally, the Crusaders managed to claim the big prize. In 1991 the Amsterdam Crusaders won Eurobowl V with a 21–20 win over

Berlin Adler The Berlin Adler ( en, Berlin Eagles) is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as a ten ''Ladies Bowls'' and five ''Junior Bow ...

in Offenbach, with safety Najib Nakad blocking a

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

PAT to secure a hard-fought win. Later that year the Amsterdam Crusaders played a regular season game against

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different ...

. A year later, Eurobowl VI was added to the "Cru" trophy cabinet with a 42–21 win over

Torino Giaguari Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

(Italy) at Uppsala, Sweden. Incredibly, 1993 saw the Crusaders reach their 5th Eurobowl final in six years, this time in the illustrious setting of the Heysel Stadium,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. In a fantastic game, the London Olympians proved too strong for the Crusaders. 1994 saw the Amsterdam Crusaders leave the Dutch competition to join the

Football League of Europe The Football League of Europe (FLE) was a Europe American football league. It was founded in 1994, renamed 1995 in American Football League of Europe (AFLE) and dissolved after the 1995 season because of the ongoing financial problems. The trophy ...

. Regular games against Finnish, English, German, Italian and Swedish teams made for a fascinating competition. However, this league lasted only two seasons before folding due to large costs. The "Cru" returned to Dutch competition in 1996 and set about building up the club to include

flag football Flag football is a variant of American football where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down. The sport has a strong amateur following ...

, youth and senior teams. During the lifetime of the

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally ...

, the Amsterdam Crusaders provided the

Amsterdam Admirals The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, playing in the NFL Europe. History The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to ...

with the bulk of national players coming out of the Netherlands. Amsterdam Crusader coaches have often been involved in the coaching staff of the

Dutch Lions The Dutch Lions is the Dutch national American Football team. The team represents the Netherlands in international competition and is made up entirely of Dutch national players, typically but not exclusively playing in the AFBN and GF ...

- the Netherlands' national team. The Amsterdam Crusaders have signed former NFL players. Romeo Bandison played for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...

and

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

of the NFL. Glenn Dennison who played for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

and Washington Redskins before signing and playing for the Crusaders in 1989.

Recent history

In recent years Amsterdam Crusaders have dominated the American Football Bond Nederland competition, having won 8 of the last 9 national titles. In 2006 they posted their first undefeated season in many years, but were made to fight for the ultimate crown by the Delft Dragons, who were only defeated in overtime - the only time this has occurred in the

's history. In 2010, the Cru posted a second consecutive perfect record on their way to their 16th National title. Remarkably, the Amsterdam Crusaders have failed to reach the

only four times (1986, 1992, 2001 and 2011) in the 25 seasons they have competed in the Dutch domestic league (did not compete in 1994 and 1995 due to participation in

). In 2006 Amsterdam returned to European competition by entering the EFAF Cup. The Crusaders were given a tough draw and lost their group games 23–0 to 2005 finalists Templiers d'Elancourt and 38–14 to eventual semi-finalists

Zurich Renegades The Zurich Renegades are an American football team from Zürich, Switzerland. The club, formed in 1983, is the oldest still existing American football club in Switzerland. With seven Swiss Bowl victories the Renegades have the second most after th ...

. In 2007, the Crusaders were handed a tough EFAF Cup draw, with an away trip to Oslo Vikings followed by a home matchup vs 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 NCAA. In 1999, the league switched its name from ''American-Football-Bundesliga'' to ''German Foot ...

. Amsterdam provided a surprise result in the opening game, defeating the Vikings 27–21 only two weeks after Oslo had defeated Berlin in Germany, but a 34–6 to the Adler in Amsterdam meant they failed to reach the semi-final. On 28 October 2007, Amsterdam Crusaders failed to make it 6 Dutch championships in a row, losing 25–16 to

Maastricht Wildcats The Maastricht Wildcats (formerly called the Limburg Wildcats) of the AFBN ( American Football Bond Nederland) are an American Football League team from Maastricht. They play in the Dutch 1st division and are rivals to the Amsterdam Crusaders. T ...

in the national championship game,

XXIII. The 2008 season saw another national championship. On 13 July 2008 the Cru won the

for the 14th time in their history after a 7–3 regular season, ensuring they enter their 25th year of existence as Dutch Champion. Amsterdam avenged

XXIII by defeating

20–8 with

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

passes from Claudio Bartolozzi to Wide Receiver Renze Burgers and

Tight End The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

Marcus Muler, and an interception return for a

by Stef Hupsel. The 2008 EFAF Cup saw the Crusaders perform admirably with some impressive defensive performances in a 26–12 loss to

of the

. Amsterdam hosted Danish champions Triangle Razorbacks on 20 April 2008 but slipped to a disappointing 3–0 loss to end their Euro season for 2008. For the Amsterdam Crusaders, 2009 was a special year as they celebrated their 25th anniversary. They completed their regular season schedule with a perfect 10–0 record scoring 320 points in the process and conceding only 33, including 7 shut-outs. The Cru destroyed old foes

60–3 on 21 June in the

AFBN The American Football Bond Nederland (AFBN) is the governing body for American Football in the Netherlands. The AFBN was founded 1984 and refounded in 2001 after the merger of the rival leagues Nederlandse American Football Federatie (NAFF) and A ...

playoffs and on 12 July dismissed Lightning Leiden 36–7 to win their 15th

. Amsterdam's EFAF Cup campaign also saw success. On 18 April 18 the Crusaders pulled off a remarkable come-from-behind victory in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

against the Farnham Knights of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

as QB Claudio Bartolozzi and WR Revilinho Graanoogst connected for a 7-yard score as time expired. On 2 May 2009, the Cru sealed their first ever EFAF Cup

semi-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final mat ...

spot by defeating the highly rated Oslo Vikings in

by a score of 10–6. On Sunday 7 June, the Crusaders were unable to reach the final, losing 21–3 in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

to Czech champions and eventual EFAF Cup 2009 champions Prague Panthers. However, it was a very admirable cup run considering the budget and there were high hopes for the future. The Amsterdam Crusaders finished the 2009 season in 18th place in the European Top 20 as ranked by EFAF. The Cru's 25th regular season began in March 2010. Amsterdam sealed their second undefeated regular season in a row with a come-from-behind win against Lelystad Commanders on 13 June 2010.

reached their 9th consecutive

with a 43–16 win over Alphen Eagles in the playoff game on 20 June 2010. The Crusaders achieved a first in the Netherlands - a second consecutive undefeated championship season by defeating

28–22 on 4 July in their record 9th consecutive

appearance. Amsterdam's EFAF Cup season ended prematurely after a defeat in a visit to Les Cougars de St-Ouen l'Aumone (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) and a 35–7 home reverse versus

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

champions

London Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. Including post-season games, the Crusaders' winning streak managed a 27-game winning stream in the American Football Bond Nederland competition stretching from the end of the 2008 season until the end of the 2010 season.

2011 season

Amsterdam's 2011 regular season began with a home match-up against Alphen Eagles on 6 March 2011. The Crusaders were beaten for the first time in 28 domestic competitive games, losing 12–7 after narrowly failing to complete a 99-yard TD drive inside the two-minute warning. The Cru bounced back with wins against Lelystad Commanders (34–32),

(16-13), Amsterdam Panthers (34–0), Lightning Leiden (45–0) and the return against Lelystad Commanders (50–22) to extend their record to 5–1 for the season. Further losses (40–22 to Alphen Eagles and 27–14 at

) dropped Amsterdam's record to 5–3. Amsterdam closed out the regular season with a 7–3 record after wins against Amsterdam Panthers (29–16) and Lightning Leiden (45–0). On 3 June 2011, the Cru were denied a place in the

, losing 29–12 in the national semi-final game in Maastricht. Amsterdam's 2011 EFAF Cup group stage started with a record defeat, losing 68–6 to

National Champions

on 9 April in

Finsbury Park Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London parks ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. On 14 May, the Cru defeated

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Valencia Firebats The Valencia Firebats are a American football, gridiron team based in Valencia, Spain, Valencia, Valencian Community (Spain). History The team was established in April, 1993, as Valencia Bats, joining the defunct ''American Football League (AFL)'' ...

27–19 in

Coaches

Roster 2016

Notable former players

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official WebsiteAFBN Division One StatisticsAmerican Football Bond Nederland Website
Sports clubs in Amsterdam American football teams in the Netherlands 1984 establishments in the Netherlands American football teams established in 1984