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Nfl europe new team


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This was kind of a subject of a previous post, but I just read the official statement today:

NFLEL awards franchise to Cologne

THE German city of Cologne (Köln) has been awarded an NFL Europe League team, it was announced today.

The Cologne team, which has yet to be named, will play its home games at the 50,000-capacity RheinEnergieStadion.

Introducing the new franchise, NFL Europe Managing Director JIM CONNELLY said: "We have been very impressed by the enthusiasm for NFL Europe that exists in Cologne - from the city itself to the stadium management and potential commercial partners.

"We do not expect overnight success, but we believe that the level of energy and passion we have experienced in Cologne will result in significant numbers of fans coming to the games."

Connelly said that other information relating to the new team, including nickname, colours, logo and local staffing would be revealed in the coming weeks.

The Lord Mayor of Cologne, FRITZ SCHRAMMA, expressed his happiness that the 'Cathedral City' is to join the NFL Europe League. "With the new Cologne football team, our city has another top-level sporting event to put alongside the classic major sports teams like 1. FC Köln, the hockey team KEC and the baskeball team RheinEnergie Köln. This proves once again that Cologne is really an international sports city."

The new team will become the eighth European franchise to play in the 12-season history of the league, while Cologne will become the twelfth European city to stage NFLEL action.

Cologne is Germany's oldest major city, dating back to the days of the Roman Empire. With a population of more than one million, the city is renowned for its cultural and historical monuments and its thriving art scene.

The RheinEnergieStadion is the home of the 1. FC Köln soccer team, who were crowned German champions in 1962, 1964 and 1978.

The 2004 season will be contested by the Amsterdam Admirals, Berlin Thunder, Cologne, Frankfurt Galaxy, Rhein Fire and Scottish Claymores and will kick off on the weekend on April 3-4. The full playing schedule will be announced in the near future.

Maybe the new team will use similar colors to Barcelona (green, gold and red). The website has a helmet with a question mark (The Riddlers?) right now until the team gets a name.

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Why must they put a team in France, why not Italy. In Italy they appreicate us atleast.

Despite it's French-sounding name, Cologne is in Germany, not France.

However, speaking of France, there's a place in France where the . . . .  oh, nevermind.

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Name possibilities:

Cologne Drakkar, or, in the tradition of the Scottish Claymores...

French Fries.  Of course, we'd refer to 'em as the "Freedom Fries"  :D

Or howzabout the Cologne Capitulation?  The logo'd be easy enough - just a white flag on a stick!  

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French Fries. Of course, we'd refer to 'em as the "Freedom Fries" :D

Or howzabout the Cologne Capitulation? The logo'd be easy enough - just a white flag on a stick!

Again, why all the French references when the team is in Germany??!!  Think David Hasselhoff, not Jerry Lewis!!!

And by the way, any bets on how long it takes for someone to use the expression "Cologne Stinks" if in fact the team does poorly?

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The Cologne team, which has yet to be named, will play its home games at the 50,000-capacity RheinEnergieStadion

Um, I hope they do better naming the team than Koln did naming their stadium.  Who thought Americans had some pretty bad names?  At least we use spaces!!!

Sorry to flamebait an entire continent, it was just an observation.

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Where do the Rhein Fire play? I see the Rhine Valley and Rhine River, but no Rhein. Considering that's the same Rhein/Rhine, you have Cologne, Frankfurt and Rhein(ine) all within a few hundred miles, and with Amsterdam and Berlin not being that far away...I consider myself a geography whiz, but I didn't know that area of Germany/France/the Netherlands was THAT densely populated...

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Where do the Rhein Fire play? I see the Rhine Valley and Rhine River, but no Rhein. Considering that's the same Rhein/Rhine, you have Cologne, Frankfurt and Rhein(ine) all within a few hundred miles, and with Amsterdam and Berlin not being that far away...I consider myself a geography whiz, but I didn't know that area of Germany/France/the Netherlands was THAT densely populated...

I think Rhine play in Dusseldorf which is very close to Cologne right? I wonder how much gas is required to go between these cities? ???

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great, another german team...coulda lived with just the galaxy and fire...oh well, another team for me to grow to hate...GO FIRE!!!

and yeah, the Fire are Dusseldorf, although their regular stadium, Rhinestadion, is undergoing renovation.

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Sorry to flamebait an entire continent, it was just an observation.

at least you apologized.

there are those who flamebait without provocation and seem to get off on it around here ???

I alwys thought the Rhein Fire played in Frankfurt, but Dusseldorf it is!!  How much longer do you think the NFL Europe will survive?  I know the league almost pulled the plug this year, and the Barcelona team (great logo and great uniforms and colors) was bought a few years ago by the Barcelona FC soccer (futbol) team, thinking that was a pretty solid, long term move by the NFL and European sports powers.  Guess not.

I try not to bring things down too much or really harp too negatively, these boards are filled with a lot of that stuff.

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When is the Name change going to happen? NFL Europe to NFL Deutchland...

Good for the Germans... they may not be able to take over the world.. but at least they can see a good war fought on a 100 yard field....

(btw, 50% German [the rest is Irish])

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A few thoughts on why NFL Europe doesn't simply transfer the Dragons name to Cologne.

First and foremost, from a marketing stand-point the league wants the residents of Cologne to feel as though they are landing a new franchise on their own merits. they don't want the fans in an eager, new market to feel as though they are receiving a "hand-me-down" franchise. Frankly speaking, the Dragons and the new Cologne-based team are, in fact, two separate entities as far as NFL Europe is concerned. NFL Europe "suspended operations of the Barcelona Dragons". NFL Europe Managing Director Jim Connelly has gone out of his way to stress that Cologne has been granted a "new" team. In the purest business sense, this is not a franchise shift. It's the folding of one team and the launch of a new franchise in another market. Granted, the expansion to Cologne THIS season was necessitated by Barcelona's folding. Obviously, the league wished to field an even number of teams for scheduling purposes. However, as smzimbabwe mentioned in a post to my original thread on this topic, Cologne has been on NFL Europe's "radar" as a franchise site for a couple of years now.

Moving on, at one time or another, just about every person on the CCSL Boards has lamented the lack of stability that permeates pro sports today. When the subject turns to franchise shifts, many of us have supported the idea that a team's identity package (name, logos, colors, uniforms) be left behind in the original city for potential future use. I believe that NFL Europe will suspend use of the Dragons' name, logo and colors with an eye towards re-establishing a franchise presence there in the future.

Granted, the future of NFL Europe is uncertain for a variety of reasons. However, there is no denying that many in the NFL would like to see it flourish. More than developing players for its "parent" league, NFL Europe is seen as a means of introducing the National Football League "brand" to the European market. To that end, the NFL has gone beyond staging regular-season "Opening Day" or "Tip Off" games overseas: The NFL remains the only major professional North American sports league to launch and maintain a subsidiary league on foreign soil. Might one of NFL Europe's current cities eventually play host to the National Football League's first European-based franchise? Perhaps not in our lifetime. However, I certainly think that there are visionaries at NFL headquarters who see a day when professional sports will truly "globalize"... and these visionaries see NFL Europe as paving the way. That's why I see some form of NFL Europe being on the sports radar for the long-term. And should Barcelona figure into the league's plans, the Dragons identity package will be waiting for them.

Brian in Boston

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