Welcome to the American Football League Europe, Hamburg – Now the City Chooses Its Team’s Name
From the 2027 season, the league’s home city has its own team, led by CEO Tim Wetjen, General Manager Hauke Seger and Head Coach Marcus Herford. Fans and creatives choose its name and logo in an open competition from November 5 to 20, 2026.
The American Football League Europe (AFLE) welcomes its newest team. Starting with the 2027 season, Hamburg, home of the league’s headquarters, will have its own franchise. For now, it plays as the Hamburg Football Team. Soon it will have a real name, because Hamburg will choose it.
Hamburg knows this game. Its fans have filled stadiums before, and the appetite for top-level football never went away. Now it has a home again.
How the Competition Works
Submit: From November 5 to November 20, 2026, at https://hamburgfootballteam.com, always a name and a logo together. The competition is open to everyone, worldwide. Creatives from Hamburg and northern Germany are especially welcome, and Hamburg’s universities are invited to take part.
Select: In the week of November 23, a jury picks five finalists, each checked for trademark rights beforehand.
Vote: Then the fans decide online.
Reveal: On Thursday, December 10, 2026, Hamburg reveals its team’s name, live on AFLE+.
Win: The winners can look forward to VIP tickets for the AFLE Gold Bowl 2027 and other attractive prizes.
The jury: Football, the city and its fans: AFLE CEO Jim Tomsula, Commissioner Andreas Nommensen and Patrick Esume, two fans from Hamburg’s football scene, Arndt Möller as a representative of the online medium the Footballer, Theresa Gramckow as a representative of brinkertlück, a Hamburg personality and a creative from the design scene. The remaining jury members will be announced shortly.
Andreas Nommensen, AFLE Commissioner and a Hamburg native, said: “Hamburg is ready. And so are we. We are not coming for one season, we are coming to stay. A name is a promise, so we won’t decide it behind closed doors. The whole world is invited, and Hamburg will be the loudest.”
Jim Tomsula, CEO of the American Football League Europe, added: “A team belongs to its city. That’s why Hamburg should find the name, not a conference room. We are building a league for decades, and this team will be one of its faces.”
The Team Behind the Team
The franchise has already put the first cornerstones of its organization in place. As CEO Tim Wetjen is building the franchise from the ground up and laying the financial and organizational foundation for long-term success. As General Manager, Hauke Seger will focus on the organizational and operational side of the franchise.
As Head Coach, Marcus Herford will shape the team on the field and define the identity it will play with. Herford brings a wealth of international experience to Hamburg: a former Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year and Orange Bowl champion with the University of Kansas, he has since coached in the United States, Germany, Italy, Brazil and Switzerland. Together, the three will steer the franchise into its first AFLE season.
Tim Wetjen, CEO of the Hamburg Football Team, said: “We want a team that doesn’t just represent Hamburg but grows out of it. Players who start in Hamburg’s youth clubs and prove themselves in the German leagues should find a real path to the professional European stage here. And just like our players, our name and our team logo should come from this city. From Hamburg. For Hamburg. With Hamburg.”
Home stadium and the remaining names of the jury will follow soon.
