The Austrian Football League 2016 is the 32nd season of the top Austrian men's American football division . The season began on March 26th and ended on July 23rd in the Wörtherseestadion Klagenfurt with the Austrian Bowl XXXII. The Swarco Raiders Tirol became champions with a 51: 7 against the Graz Giants.
By increasing the league to eight teams, the mode was also slightly changed. Each team competes against three teams in one home and one away game. There is only one game against the other four opponents, so that each team plays ten games in the basic round. The four opponents that are played only once are different for each team.
The teams in places 3 to 6 qualify for the wild card round. The winners from this round as well as the two best teams from the regular season play the playoffs for entry into the Austrian Bowl XXXII .
Teams
Vienna Vikings
Graz Giants
Swarco Raiders
Danube Dragons
Prague Panthers
AFC Rangers
Cineplexx Blue Devils
Ljubljana Silverhawks
AFL football teams (2016)
Compared to the previous season, there are three new teams. The AFC Rangers from Mödling return to the top division after a two-year break. The Cineplexx Blue Devils from Hohenems have also been in the AFL in the past, but have since played in the first division in Switzerland. The only real newcomers are the Ljubljana Silverhawks, with whom a team from Slovenia is competing in the AFL for the first time. This is the first time that teams from three nations are represented in the league.
The Swarco Raiders were the dominant team for the regular season. However, the Graz Giants were surprisingly able to win the second leg against the favored Raiders by just one point. The record champions Vienna Vikings, who were unbeaten at the time, later lost both games against the Raiders. In the only duel between the Vikings and the Giants, the Graz team surprised again with a narrow 14:13 away win, clearing the way for direct qualification for the semi-finals. The Danube Dragons were tied with the Blue Devils from Hohenems and the Prague Black Panthers with two wins before the last match day, but had already lost the direct comparison against these teams. With a win on the last day of play against the AFC Rangers and simultaneous defeats of the Blue Devils and the Black Panthers, the Dragons qualified for the play-offs. The Black Panthers were determined to be relegated due to the lost direct comparison against the Blue Devils.
Legend: Sp = games, S = wins, U = draws, N = defeats, Pct = winning percentage,
P35 + = points scored (max. 35 more than opponents), P35− = allowed points (max. 35 more than own), Diff = difference
If two teams have the same points, the direct comparison of qualification for the semi-finals,
qualification for the play-offs,
relegation
counts
↑ Schedule / Results AFL. (No longer available online.) In: football.at. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016 ; accessed on February 5, 2016 .
