Hamburg Dockers

Hamburg Dockers ; (Hamburg Dockers Australian Football Club eV)
City:	Hamburg
Founded:	2003
Team colors:	dark purple / white
Head coach:	Fabian Cordts
League (2020):	AFLG 9's league
Greatest successes
German champion AFLG 16's league	2013, 2015
German champion AFLG 9's league	2016
Contact
Internet:	www.hamburg-dockers.de
Data status
	July 2016

Hamburg Dockers , fully Hamburg Dockers Australian Football Club eV (HHAFC), is an Australian Rules Football Club from Hamburg .

history

The club was founded in 2003 by Fabian Cordts, Marc-Stuart Fairweather, Fritz Mehler and Max Linek. The Hamburg Dockers have been a registered, non-profit association since 2011 and play their season games in Hamburg's Stadtpark . Since the start of the Australian Football League Germany (AFLG) league operations in 2003, Hamburg Dockers have been taking part in official games. Already in 2003 they achieved third place in the German championship in the AFLG 16's league . Before receiving the official jerseys, the Hamburg Dockers played in the jerseys of the West Coast Eagles for almost two years . In 2005 the Hamburg Dockers became the official partner club of the Fremantle Dockers , Western Australia , which, like the West Coast Eagles, play in the Subiaco Oval . The Fremantle Dockers support the team from Hamburg with jerseys, balls and training equipment. The design of the jerseys is also based on that of the Fremantle Dockers.

Also in 2007, 2008 and 2009 the Hamburg Dockers reached third place in the German championship in the AFLG 16's league. In 2010, the Hamburg Dockers had to withdraw their team from official game operations and pause for a year due to a lack of players. This year the team only took part in friendly matches. In the meantime it was compulsory to play at least 12 players in AFLG games. The regular number of players on the field was already 16 players and four substitutes who can be substituted on the fly. The end of the 2011 season marked a turning point in the development of the club so far with increasing professionalism and a sharp increase in club members and players. The Hamburg Dockers not only won the last two games of the 2011 season, but also started the 2012 season with two wins.

In June 2012, another partnership agreement was signed with Unley Mercedes Jets from Adelaide in South Australia . In the further course of the 2012 season, the majority of the games could be won, but there were two very narrow defeats, in which the team lost with two points each; in the away game against the Stuttgart Emus and in the away game against the Rheinland Lions in Cologne. Despite another rebellion, which resulted in an away win in Munich against the Munich Kangaroos , the only so far undefeated team at home, the Grand Final could not be reached - it was due to the tied points between Munich and Hamburg through the goal difference in favor of Munich decided.

In 2013 Hamburg Dockers became German champions in the AFLG 16's league for the first time. In 2014 they reached third place for the fifth time and in 2015 they became German champions for the second time. In the 2016 season, the club did not appear in the AFLG 16's league.

International games

In addition to the partner clubs, the Hamburg Dockers also maintain close contact with other Australian football teams outside Germany. In 2005 there was a friendly game against the crew of the frigate HMAS Anzac of the Royal Australian Navy in 2005 when they docked in the port of Hamburg . The event attracted not only the Australian Ministry of Defense but also international sports press coverage. At the beginning of 2012, a friendly game against the North Copenhagen Barracudas was initiated as a preparatory game for the season, which the Hamburg Dockers narrowly won in the local city park. At the end of the 2012 season, a friendly game was played against the Manchester Mosquitoes, which the Hamburg Dockers narrowly lost.

More teams

There are now Hamburg other Australian football teams, the Hamburg Dockers Swans (also Alster Swans - HHAlS) and the Hamburg Dockers Pirates (also St. Pauli Pirates - HHStP), which have been playing against each other in the so-called Hamburg League since 2013 Competing German championships for Hamburg Dockers in the AFLG 9's league . The St. Pauli Pirates already achieved second place once.

Championship successes

year	competition
2005	AFLG 16's league
2007	AFLG 16's league
2008	AFLG 16's league
2009	AFLG 16's league
2013	AFLG 16's league
2014	AFLG 16's league
2015	AFLG 16's league
2015	AFLG 9's league
2016	AFLG 9's league
2017	AFLG 16's league
2018	AFLG 16's league
2019	AFLG 16's league

__________

↑ 2015: Hamburg Dockers Pirates
↑ 2016: Beginning with the semifinals, the Pirates and Swans, who originally competed separately, played as Hamburg Dockers.