Berlin Thunder (ELF)

This article is about the new American football team playing in the European League of Football. For the old NFL Europe team, see Berlin Thunder (NFL Europe).
Berlin Thunder
Current season
Established March 22, 2021 (2021-03-22)
Play in Germany Berlin, Germany
League/conference affiliations
European League of Football (2021–present)
  • North Conference (2021–2022)
  • Central Conference (2023–2024)
  • North Division (2025–present)
Current uniform
Team colorsBlack, white, gold
     
Personnel
Owner(s)FBG Football Berlin GmbH
PresidentLevon Melikian
General managerUlrich Kramer
Head coachJag Bal
Team history
  • Berlin Thunder (2021–present)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Playoff appearances (1)
2023
Home stadium(s)

The Berlin Thunder are an American football team based in Berlin, Germany. The Thunder compete in the European League of Football (ELF) as a member of the North Division. The team plays its home games at Preussen-Stadion an der Malteserstraße.

History

On 22 March 2021, the Berlin Thunder were announced as one of the eight teams to play in the inaugural season of the European League of Football.[1][2] Their first game was against the Leipzig Kings on 20 June 2021, which they lost 27 to 37 at home.[3][4][5] The rest of the 2021 season would not be successful either, with the only wins coming from games against the Stuttgart Surge, last in the league, and against the Barcelona Dragons at home, which also struggled. Nevertheless, the team faced adversity regarding practice facilities, equipment, injuries and more. Several domestic players emerged as fan favorites, like tight end Nicolai Schumann and defensive back Moritz Thiele.[6] The NFL IPP Program also awarded Thunder defensive lineman Adedayo Odeleye an international spot with the Houston Texans.[7] After the 2021 season the contract of head coach Jag Bal wasn't extended.[8]

The first team and staff members of the 2021 season

On September 12, 2021 it was announced that former NFL 1st-round draft pick Björn Werner became co-owner and director of football operations of the franchise.[9] Shortly after, then general manager Heiko von Glahn left the franchise and was succeeded by the first female general manager of the league, Diana Hoge.[10] With the announcement of the new head coach Johnny Schmuck, all important positions in the Berlin front office have been changed.[11] The main goal of the restructures was, to build a domestic staff and to be able to coach all year around. The result in the 2022 season was a positive record with 7 wins and 5 losses, finishing second in the Northern Conference behind rival Hamburg Sea Devils. The offensive production increased in total passing and rushing yards, giving them a chance to reach the 4-team play-offs till the end of the regular season. With the loss against the Tirol Raiders at home, they fell short of this milestone. On the bright side, the individual performances of Kyle Kitchens with a record 16 sacks and winning the Defensive Player Of The Year award, as well as Joc Crawford rushing for 1,088 total yards, stood out.

  • First Berlin Thunder Logo
    First Berlin Thunder Logo

For the 2023 ELF season, only a few changes occurred with the staff. With Henry Schlegel being promoted from Head of Scouting and Analytics to offensive coordinator, he became the youngest coordinator in the league.[12] With a new quarterback in Donovan Isom, a new WR1 in Aaron Jackson and no US-imported running back, the offense had a different scheme.[13] As a result, the franchise reached the play-offs for the first time in their history as the 5th seed and 2nd of their conference.[14] In the wildcard round of the 2023 ELF play-offs, the Thunder lost against the Frankfurt Galaxy on the road after a physically tough game due to the summer heat. The game was also cut short when a player collapsed and a member of the Berlin sideline got hit by a Frankfurt player.[15]

Season-by-season

Season Head coach Regular season Postseason Result Ø Attendance
GP Won Lost Win % Finish GP Won Lost Win %
2021 Jag Bal 10 3 7 .300 4th (North) DNQ 914
2022 Johnny Schmuck 12 7 5 .583 2nd (North) DNQ 3,583
2023 12 8 4 .666 2nd (Eastern) 1 0 1 .000 — 4,566
2024 12 5 7 .417 3rd (Eastern) DNQ 3.456
2025 Jag Bal (East)

Stadium

In their first season, the Thunder played the first two home games at Amateurstadion Olympiapark, and the other three at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. From the 2022 season on, the Jahn-Sportpark-Stadium is their venue for home games.[16] The Sportpark, with its several fields, also functions as their practise ground during the year. At the end of 2023, the stadium is going to be substantially renovated, which shouldn't disturb the day-to-day operations.


References

  1. ^ "Shake-up to inaugural ELF line-up announced; 3 new franchises enter, 2 exit". American Football International. 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  2. ^ "ELF European League of Football". www.europeanleague.football. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  3. ^ "European League of Football: Auftaktspiel mit Berlin Thunder". berlin.de (in German). Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  4. ^ "ELF European League of Football". www.europeanleague.football. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  5. ^ "Thunder-Coach arbeitet am Feinschliff: Kings-Trainer "stolz"". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 21 June 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  6. ^ Bühler, Karin (27 January 2022). "Berlin-Thunder-Spieler Schumann: Ich bin der Typ, den man nicht tackeln möchte". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Adedayo Odeleye: British NFL rookie on joining the Houston Texans, watching Aaron Donald, facing Laremy Tunsil and his love of Xs and Os". Sky Sports. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Football: Berlin Thunder trennt sich von Chefcoach Bal". Die Zeit (in German). September 9, 2021.
  9. ^ "EX-NFL-Profi Werner wird Mit-Eigentümer bei Berlin Thunder". Sportschau.de (in German). September 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Erste Frau wird Geschäftsführerin in der ELF". Sport1.de (in German). September 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "ELF: Berlin Thunder announce Johnny Schmuck as new HC". AmericanFootballInternational.com. October 1, 2021.
  12. ^ Krauss, Dominik (14 December 2022). "Berlin Thunder sign youngest offensive coordinator in history!". europeanleague.football. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Playoffs und Titel: Berlin Thunder wollen Spielfeld „rocken"". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). 2 June 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  14. ^ Bürgener, Jonas. ""Auch eine gut organisierte Auswärtsfahrt kann ein Highlight sein"" (in German). rbb24. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Berlin Thunder scheidet gegen Frankfurt aus den Playoffs aus" (in German). rbb24. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Eine neue Heimat für Viktoria 89 und Berlin Thunder". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). July 17, 2021.
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