Berlin Rebels
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| Founded | 1987 |
|---|---|
| League | German Football League |
| Based in | Berlin, Germany |
| Arena | Mommsenstadion |
| Colors | Black and Silver |
| Championships | Junior Bowl: 1992, 1996, 2000 |
| Division titles | none |
| Website | www.berlin-rebels.de |
The Berlin Rebels are an American football team from Berlin, Germany.
The club's greatest achievement has been to play in the German Football League, the highest level of American football in Germany. The Rebels have played in the GFL from 1992 to 1995 and, again, in 2010. The club won promotion to the league once more in 2011 and will return to the GFL in 2012 but has yet to qualify for the post season play-offs. The club has stood throughout its history in the shadow of much more successful local rivals Berlin Adler.
At junior level, the club had more success, having taken out the German Junior Bowl on three occasions, in 1992, 1996 and 2000.
The club was formed in 1987, as the American Football department of the SC Charlottenburg.
The Rebels entered league football in 1988, playing for a season in the third tier Verbandsliga Nord before entering the 2nd American Football Bundesliga, now the GFL 2, in the following year. The club spent three seasons there until a division championship, won without dropping a game, earned it promotion to Germany's highest league.
Four seasons in the GFL followed in which the team never finished better than fifth in its division and consequently missed out on the post season each time. In 1995 it finished sixth in its division and was relegated back to the second tier. The Rebels were a strong side at this level again, taking out division championships in 1996 and 1998. In 1998, it took part in the promotion round to the GFL but missed out to Paderborn Dolphins. After this, the club decided to withdraw from league football altogether and took a two-year break.
The Rebels returned in 2001, now playing in the fourth division Oberliga Ost. A championship there earned the side promotion to the Regionalliga Ost, where it spent another two years before making a return to the 2nd Bundesliga. The first season there went well for the club, coming second in the northern division but after that three average seasons followed with fifth and sixth places.
In 2009, the club won another division championship and moved up to the GFL once more. It was to be a short visit, the Rebels came last and were forced to play the Düsseldorf Panther in the promotion-relegation round. Two very tight games followed. The Rebels lost at home 41–43 but managed to defeat the Panthers in Düsseldorf 34–33. Nevertheless, this was not enough, the Rebels were relegated on aggregate score by a point.
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