Plattling Black Hawks

Lore & Background

The Black Hawks entered league football in 1987, joining the southern division of the Regionalliga Bayern. For the next 19 seasons, the club remained in local Bavarian and Southern German leagues, becoming a fixture in the tier-three Regionalliga Süd from 2001 onwards. In 2004, the Deggendorf Black Hawks moved nine kilometres southwest, becoming the Plattling Black Hawks. Under the new name, the club quickly experienced unprecedented success, winning its league and defeating the Obertshausen Blizzards to earn promotion to the southern division of the 2nd Bundesliga. Plattling spent the next three seasons at this level, eventually winning the league in 2008. The team defeated the Darmstadt Diamonds in the following two promotion games and earned a spot in the GFL for 2009. In the GFL in 2009, the Black Hawks finished in fifth place, one above the relegation rank and Bavarian rival, the Munich Cowboys. The following season saw the team come third despite a losing record and qualifying for the play-offs. In the quarter-finals, the Berlin Adler were too strong and the club was knocked out 3–17. Plattling was unable to fulfil all its fixtures in the 2011 season, suffering from a large number of injuries, losing all games except for the last three, which it cancelled. The club decided on 1 September 2011 not to apply for a GFL2 licence for the following season but instead to compete in the third tier Regionalliga. In the Regionalliga the club's troubles continued in 2012, finishing last and losing all ten season games, dropping down another level, now to the Bayernliga. The 2013 season saw the club recover and win seven out of eight regular season games but then lose 2–0 to Königsbrunn Ants in the Bayernliga play-offs. In the 2014 season the club did not win a game in its Bayernliga division and finished last. It came last once more in 2015 but this time recorded one win and seven losses.

Reader's Guide

The Plattling Black Hawks represent a notable example of a small-town German American football club that briefly reached the top national league. Their significance lies in their rapid ascent after relocating and renaming in 2004, culminating in a GFL playoff appearance in 2010—the club's only postseason berth. However, their decline was equally swift, marked by injuries, cancelled games, and voluntary relegation to lower tiers. The club's trajectory illustrates the volatility of semi-professional sports in Germany, where financial and roster stability can be fragile. Their legacy is that of a team that achieved a peak moment—a playoff quarterfinal against the Berlin Adler—before descending through the league system. The Black Hawks' story is preserved in German football history as a cautionary tale of how quickly success can be undone.

Did You Know?

• The club was originally known as the Deggendorf Black Hawks until 2004, when it moved nine kilometres southwest to Plattling.
• Plattling's only GFL playoff appearance was in 2010, where they lost 3–17 to the Berlin Adler in the quarter-finals.
• The club cancelled its final three games of the 2011 season due to a large number of injuries.
• After voluntarily dropping to the Regionalliga in 2012, the team lost all ten season games and was relegated again to the Bayernliga.