RENTON, Wash. and DÜSSELDORF, Germany – The Seattle Seahawks have announced a new partnership with the European League of Football’s Rhein Fire. Under the partnership, the two teams will work together on a variety of activities in Germany, including a Seahawks presence at all Rhein Fire home games and appearances by Rhein Fire players at Seahawks events. The Seahawks and Rhein Fire are also committed to growing the game of football by providing inclusive opportunities for all to learn and play the sport, including through a variety of Seahawks Flag Football clinics and tournaments planned throughout the region.
The new partnership is part of the Seahawks’ strategic efforts to expand the club’s in-market activities throughout Germany as part of the NFL’s Global Markets Program. The Seahawks are the first NFL team to partner with an ELF team in this capacity. Based in Düsseldorf, Rhein Fire were the 2023 ELF Champions and play at Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena with a capacity for 31,500 fans. The Seahawks will also have a presence at the upcoming 2024 ELF Championships on September 22, where Rhein Fire will defend their title versus the Vienna Vikings in Gelsenkirchen.
Isabelle Van Coevorden, Seattle Seahawks Director of International:
“The Seahawks and Rhein Fire organizations are both known for our passionate and loyal fan bases. Supporting competitive American football directly in Germany helps grow fans for the sport overall. As we look to increase our engagement opportunities with 12s Everywhere, we are excited to join forces with Rhein Fire to create exciting and innovative programming for our collective fans while also reaching new audiences.”
Max Paatz, General Manager, Rhein Fire:
“We are honored and excited to be working closely with the Seattle Seahawks, one of the most well-known and successful teams in the NFL. This partnership will allow us to share valuable expertise in the areas of Fan Engagement, Marketing and PR. Together we aim to advance the sport further and create new, exciting opportunities and experiences for the German football community.”
David Wallen, co-owner of Rhein Fire, sees the new collaboration with the Seahawks as a major strategic step:
“The Seahawks’ commitment to advancing the sport globally aligns perfectly with our vision for American football in Germany. As part of the collaboration, we will support each other and learn from each other in order to strengthen our presence in the international football community in the long term.”
About Rhein Fire:
The Rhein Fire is an American Football Team based in Düsseldorf, Germany, and part of the European League of Football (ELF).
The team was introduced on September 25, 2021 as one of the new franchises for the second season of the ELF and was able to adopt the name of the former team in NFL Europe (1994 to 2007) due to an agreement between the ELF and the NFL in March 2020.
The team’s head coach is Jim Tomsula, who worked in the NFL between 2007 – 2020. In that period Tomsula served as HC for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015. In addition to him, the team’s coaching staff includes other long-time NFL and CFL coaches: John Shoop, Andrew Weidinger, Paul Dunn and Richard Kent.
In 2023, Rhein Fire won the ELF championship title undefeated. In 2024, Tomsula and his team with a 12-1 record will play again in the ELF Championship Game against the Vienna Vikings on September 22nd, 2024.
The Rhein Fire plays its home games in the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena Duisburg, which has a capacity of 31,500. The team and its fans represent a close connection with the Rhineland (Düsseldorf) and the Ruhr Area (Duisburg), the most populous metropolitan region in Europe.