European Football Milestones 2010
Football camp report
In 2010, the DoDDS-Europe schools continued with split football camps to save travel time for teams. Three-Hundred-Forty-Three (343) players attended the football camp at Ansbach and One-Hundred-Fifty 150 attended the camp at Bitburg. Fifty-two (52) Coaches attended the Ansbach camp and (20) attended the Bitburg camp. The first European Football Camp was held in Fulda in 1987. One hundred twenty six (126) players and eighteen (18) coaches attended.
2010 “Super 6” Champions
|
Division reports
Division III
Division III (5 teams) continued to be a 9-man league this year. This league was created for schools whose enrollments make it difficult to play 11 man football. Brussels (Tim Mobley) and Rota (Jeff Van Ausdall) had new coaches. Sigonella, in its first appearance at the SUPER 6, won its first European Championship, 19-12, over defending champion Alconbury.
Division II
Division II (12 teams) was the largest division in 2010. Coaching continuity was the rule this year, as all schools returned their head coaches. Mannheim played their last year as a school and will become the 22nd high school that has closed since 1989. Mannheim students will attend Heidelberg next year. Undefeated Bitburg won their 7th European championship in school history with a 33-7 win over Mannheim in the Super 6 finals. Bitburg’s regular season win streak (14) is currently the longest win streak in DoDDS Europe.
Division I
Division I (8 teams) grew this year with the addition of Filton Academy. Filton surprised the North with a strong effort and tied Ramstein for the Division I North Conference crown. Heidelberg ran the table, with its first undefeated season since 1988, as they edged surprising Wiesbaden in a double overtime nail-biter at the Super 6, 23-20.
SUPER 6 report
The SUPER 6 finals format was held at Baumholder for the 8th consecutive year (2003-2010). AFN broadcast the game on the Pentagon channel. Attendance was still good, considering the inclement weather. The high temperature for the day was 49 degrees, with some windy conditions early. The rain, wind and slippery field caused multiple turnovers and changes in game plans and, as always, raised concerns about needing a turf surface for championship games. All the games were exciting and competitive.
Local national play: Many DoDDS teams played pre-season games versus European teams. The Local National teams provided an opportunity to expand the schedule. No regular season games were played versus European teams.