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).

The Berlin Thunder are an American football team in Berlin, Germany. They play in the European League of Football (ELF) northern conference.

Berlin Thunder

Established	2021 (2021)
Based in	Berlin, Germany
Home stadium	Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark
Head coach	Johnny Schmuck
General manager	Diana Hoge
League	European League of Football (ELF)
Division	Eastern Conference
Colors	Red, gold, white
Website	berlinthunder.de
2023 Berlin Thunder season

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.^[3][4]

After the 2021 season the contract of head coach Jag Bal wasn't extended.^[5] 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.^[6] Shortly after, then general manager Heiko von Glahn left the franchise and was succeeded by the first female general manager of the league with Diana Hoge.^[7] With the announcement of the new head coach Johnny Schmuck, all important positions in the Berlin front office have been changed.^[8]

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

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. For the entire 2022 season the Jahn-Sportpark-Stadium will be their venue for home games.^[9]

Roster

2023 Berlin Thunder roster

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	Quarterbacks 13 Donovan Isom     Paul Stubbe   Running backs 20 Albert Ahmad Khalife   48 Bola Moussa FB   24 Tim Schulz     Jeremy Sommerwerk   22 Albert Wiesigstrauch   Wide receivers 17 Emil Drossard    4 Aaron Jackson   12 Bais Kouanda   84 Maurice Rothenburg   82 Oliver Schmidt    7 Robin Wilzeck    5 Max Zimmermann   Tight ends   Yannis Binner   85 Nicolai Schumann		Offensive linemen   Malik Ahmad   74 Daniel Binternagel   76 Marcel Camenz   66 Lawrence Cornwall-Baptiste   71 Gideon Grabert   75 Felix Lepper   72 Max Locke   79 Cedric Ouattara   70 Tobias Rodlauer   78 Philipp Weltzien   69 Jannik Werblow   Defensive linemen 90 Ben Baierl DT   93 Christer Berg DT   44 Rick Baunacke DT   50 Hamsa El-Zein    1 Emil Hovde   99 Aaron Große Kleimann   45 Kyle Kitchens DE   98 Fabian Tchuda		Linebackers 18 Fery Bogard   41 Giancarlo Boone   53 Niclas Klopsch   55 Marius Markert ILB   11 Ludvig Myrén OLB    6 Simon Sperner    8 Paul Seifert OLB   25 Moritz Teuchert   Defensive backs 31 Will Dill    2 Rico Geyer    3 Arne Gehrt S    9 Jonas Gacek   32 Viljo Lempinen   33 Felix Mohlberg S   30 Alex Spillum S   15 Moritz Thiele CB   Special teams 26 Jonas Schenderlein K/P				Rookies in italics Roster updated 15 March 2023 52 active

Staff

2023 Berlin Thunder staff

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	Front office Owner – FBG Football Berlin GmbH CEO – Levon Melikian General Manager – Diana Hoge Director of football – Björn Werner Head of operations – Marcus Döbler Head coach Head coach – Johnny Schmuck Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Henry Schlegel Quarterbacks – Darius Outlaw Running backs – Curtis Cooper Wide receivers/tight ends/fullbacks – Elijah Pope Offensive line – Ron Bauerfeind			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Christopher Kuhfeldt Assis. DC and defensive backs – José Schmitt Defensive line – Mario Baierl Linebackers – Simon Bohlmann Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Jörg Bauerfeind Assistant coaches Offensive assistant – Kyle Israel Mental coach – Fatima Yazici Strength and conditioning Head athletic coach – Christopher Kuhfeldt Staff updated 24 April 2023

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. "Football: Berlin Thunder trennt sich von Chefcoach Bal". Die Zeit (in German). September 9, 2021.
6. "EX-NFL-Profi Werner wird Mit-Eigentümer bei Berlin Thunder". Sportschau.de (in German). September 12, 2021.
7. "Erste Frau wird Geschäftsführerin in der ELF". Sport1.de (in German). September 24, 2021.
8. "ELF: Berlin Thunder announce Johnny Schmuck as new HC". AmericanFootballInternational.com. October 1, 2021.
9. "Eine neue Heimat für Viktoria 89 und Berlin Thunder". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). July 17, 2021.

External links

• Official website