Hamburg Football appoints Hauke Seger as the franchise’s first ever general manager
The new Hamburg Football franchise is wasting no time. With preparations for the 2027 American Football League Europe season underway, the club has confirmed Hauke Seger as its first ever General Manager, bringing one of Hamburg’s most experienced football operators into the most important off-field role at the organization.
A football life built from the ground up
Seger’s connection to the game goes back to 1993, when he first pulled on a helmet as a youth player with the Elmshorn Fighting Pirates. A student exchange took him to Louisiana in 1996, where he completed his High School education before studying Industrial Technology at Northwestern State University, where he was also part of the equipment staff during back-to-back Conference Championship seasons. After returning to Germany he went on to earn a degree in Civil Engineering from the TUHH and HafenCity University in Hamburg.
His playing career continued with the Elmshorn Fighting Pirates through to 2008, running alongside his studies. He then moved into coaching, running the club’s U19 program for three years, before taking on board responsibilities and leading Gameday Operations at the EFP from 2016 to 2019.
From the sidelines to the front office
The next chapter took Seger to Hamburg’s professional football scene, where he built a reputation as one of the most capable operators in European football. As Head of Equipment and later Head of Gameday Operations at the Hamburg Sea Devils, he was responsible for the matchday experience at the highest level, including serving as Gameday Operations Manager for multiple championship finals, overseeing field layout, painting and full event setup. It is a resume built on doing the work, year after year, in some of the most visible moments the sport has seen in Germany.
What this moment means to him
Seger shared what taking on the role means to him personally:
“It is an extraordinarily great honor for me to help shape the sporting and structural future of Hamburg’s new AFLE franchise as its first General Manager. With this exciting and challenging role, a personal dream comes true, as I am now able to turn my lifelong passion for American football into my profession.
Hamburg has one of the most storied football scenes in Europe and enormous potential in local talent. These players belong on the great European football stage, and we will provide them with a professional platform and the best possible development opportunities.
At the same time, I take on this position with a clear sense of reality. I witnessed the developments of the past surrounding professional football in Hamburg firsthand. My clear goal and my promise to the organization, the partners and the fans is to learn from the mistakes of the past and not to repeat them. We are building sustainable, professional and transparent structures both on and off the field from day one.
Past events have impressively demonstrated the enormous potential and enthusiasm in Hamburg’s fan culture for American football. This is exactly what we want to build on. I look forward to leading this franchise together with the entire Hamburg football community back to exactly where Hamburg belongs: at the top of European football.”
A new chapter for football in Hamburg
Hamburg has a history with professional football that runs deep, and an appetite for the game that has never gone away. With Seger now in place as General Manager, the new franchise has an experienced, grounded and deeply committed figure at the helm as it begins building toward its first AFLE season. The work starts now.
