Amsterdam Admirals facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Amsterdam Admirals

Founded	1995
Based in	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Home field	Amsterdam Arena
Head coach	Bart Andrus
League	NFL Europe
Colors	Admirals Blue, Orange, Green, White, Light Blue
Mascot(s)	Albert the Albatross
World Bowls (1)	World Bowl XIII (2005)

The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team from Amsterdam, Netherlands. They played in a league called NFL Europe, which was a professional American football league based in Europe. The team existed from 1995 to 2007.

The Admirals' Story: A Football Journey

The Amsterdam Admirals were created in 1995. This was part of a plan by the NFL to bring back the World League of American Football (which later became NFL Europe). This time, the league was entirely based in Europe.

The Admirals were one of three new teams to join the league. The other new teams were the Scottish Claymores from Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Rhein Fire from Düsseldorf, Germany. They joined existing European teams like the Barcelona Dragons, the Frankfurt Galaxy, and the London Monarchs.

Home Stadiums and Special Games

Following its completion in 1996, the Admirals moved into the Amsterdam ArenA (2000 image) in time for the 1997 WLAF season.

The Admirals first played their home games at the old Olympisch Stadion (Olympic Stadium) in Amsterdam. This stadium was built in 1928 for the Summer Olympic Games. They played there for two years.

In 1997, the team moved to the newer Amsterdam ArenA, which was finished in 1996. However, in 2000, they had to play a game back at the Olympisch Stadion. This was because the Amsterdam ArenA was getting ready for a big soccer tournament called Euro 2000. That game was very unusual! One end zone (the scoring area) at the Olympisch Stadion was not safe to play on. So, the teams decided to switch ends and play towards the other end zone every time the ball changed possession.

Championship Games

In their first year, 1995, the Admirals had a great season with 9 wins and only 1 loss. They made it to the championship game, known as the World Bowl. However, they lost to the Frankfurt Galaxy with a score of 26-22.

Ten years later, in 2005, the Admirals finally won their first World Bowl! They beat the Berlin Thunder 27-21 in the 13th World Bowl game. The next year, they tried to win again but lost to the Frankfurt Galaxy 22-7 in World Bowl XIV.

Season by Season Performance

This table shows how the Amsterdam Admirals performed each season they played.

The Admirals' first home ground was the Olympic Stadium (1995 image), built for the Summer Olympic Games of 1928. World Bowl '95–between Amsterdam Admirals and Frankfurt Galaxy–was also held there.

Coaches Who Led the Team

Here are the head coaches who guided the Amsterdam Admirals during their time in the league.

How Many Fans Attended Games?

This table shows the number of people who came to watch the Amsterdam Admirals play their home games each year.

Amsterdam's second home match of 1995 was played at De Meer (1937 photo) shortly before closure in 1996 and demolition in 1998.

The club twice returned to the Olympic Stadium–restored in the Admirals' absence–after the 1997 move: once for their last home match of the 2000 NFL Europe season, versus Scottish Claymores; and for a 2007 NFL Europa game against Berlin Thunder that proved to be the final match in their history.

Source: Kenn.com

Honored Players: Ring of Honor

The "Ring of Honor" is a special way to remember and celebrate players who made a big impact on the team.

• Mike Evans – DE (1995–1997)
• Adam Vinatieri – K (1995)
• Jonathan Kirksey – DT (1995, 1998–2001)
• Frank Temming – RB (1995–2000)
• Silvio Diliberto – K (1997–2004)
• Kurt Warner – QB (1998)
• Derrick Levake – OL (1999–2000)
• Rafael Cooper – RB (2002)

Well-Known Players

Many talented players were part of the Amsterdam Admirals team over the years. Here are some of the notable ones:

• Mike Evans – DE (1995–1997)
• Jamie Martin – QB (1995)
• Brad Lebo – QB (1995)
• Darren Bennett – P (1995)
• Adam Vinatieri –K (1996)
• Will Furrer – QB (1995–1996)
• Mario Cristobal – OG (1995–1996)
• Jay Fiedler – QB (1997)
• Ta'ase Faumui – DE (1998)
• Kurt Warner – QB (1998)
• Jake Delhomme – QB (1998)
• Tom Nütten – OG (1998)
• Joe Douglass – WR (1998–1999)
• Dan Gonzalez – QB (1999)
• Jim Kubiak – QB (1999–2000)
• Ron Powlus – QB (2000)
• José Cortéz – K (2000)
• Francesco Biancamano – P/K (1999–2000)
• Spergon Wynn – QB (2001)
• Kevin Daft – QB (2002)
• Shaun Hill – QB (2003)
• Clint Stoerner – QB (2004)
• Gibran Hamdan – QB (2004–2006)
• Kurt Kittner – QB (2005)
• Jarrett Payton – RB (2005)
• Ruvell Martin – WR (2005)
• Cory Peoples – S (2005)
• Norman LeJeune – S (2005)
• Jeff Roehl – OL (2006)
• Jared Allen – QB (2006)
• Glenn Pakulak – P (2006–2007)
• Shawn Morgan – LB (2006)
• Derrick Ballard – LB (2005–2007)
• Jonathan Smith – RB (2005 & 2007)
• Chris Wing – DE/LB (1999)
• Carl-Johan Björk – LB (2005–2007)

See also

In Spanish: Amsterdam Admirals para niños

• Amsterdam Admirals 2006
• Amsterdam Admirals 2007