1996 - Frankfurt Galaxy (American Football)



20.04.1996 Waldstadion Frankfurt. American Football:
FRANKFURT GALAXY v/s LONDON MONARCHS


„Touch down 1-2-3, Frankfurt Galaxy“ is playing full volume through the massive stadium p.a. already in the afternoon at around 4 p.m. even though Kick off is at 7 p.m.

On the “Power Party Stage” Werner Reinke has a chat with the gorgeous Frankfurt Galaxy cheerleaders. All over the stadium one can find everything from American ice cream to Spare rips, T-Shirts, caps, hotdogs and so on.

Last year Frankfurt Galaxy earned the SUPER BOWL, the equivalent to the World champion title in regular football, and today the stadium counts 34 186 visitors, the highest number of people ever to come to a hometown play.

Shortly before 7 p.m. ZZ-Tops “Gimme all your lovin” echoes back from the speakers and old-timers drive into the stadium. The president of the club and the cheerleaders wave at the masses from the cars.

The song is still paying when a helicopter flies over the stadium. The cameras target the helicopter where club manager Chris Heyne is about to hang on to the vats before the helicopter touches the ground where Heyne is cheered on by the masses and the cheerleaders.

He takes a wireless microphone and greets the fans.

The helicopter meanwhile takes off again only to circle abround the stadium releasing foggy stripes in the colours of the club purple and orange.

Finally the competing teams are about to arrive on the field. The “enemies” first. Boos over boos for the London Monarchs who seem to be used to that. Even though the Monarchs once called the Super Bowl their own (back in 1991) they are still considered to be one of the weaker teams.

The game itself is divided in four quarters a 15 minutes even though those quarters will be much longer due to numerous time outs, discussions and the treatments of patients among the players who will get injured.

This game was a happening. Only a few minutes into the game Galaxy is ahead of the Monarchs by seven points.

Nicely done touch down ( six points) and a kick at point blank (1 point) and the masses freak out.

Approximately in the 2nd quarter of the game I seem to get the hang of it and I am more able to follow the action.

After the second quarter is a 12minute break during which radio hero Werner Reinke asks whoever caught the ball with the number 14, shot into the audience just seconds before kick off, to come forward. The number 14 represents the bonus number in today’s lottery.

Seconds later a police car drives into the stadium. In it the “TV Lottery queen” Karin Tietze Ludwig and she announces the price to the guy who caught the ball: He is the winner of a free trip to New Orleans in January 1997 including ticket for the Frankfurt Galaxy boys.

Another cool thing on the evening: the “American Express MagiCam”. One could watch the game via huge screens and sometimes the Magicam would zoom in on someone and would then say: “Congratulations, you just won 500 Dollars in American express traveller cheques”.

The Frankfurt Galaxy vs. London Monarchs event was broadcast live to 24 million households.

Therefore the boys gave it their best and won 37:3

Perfect ***

See also: ZZ Top 1997

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