Frankfurt American team started

We were sponsored by Eintracht-Frankfurt Rugby, trained with them on Wednesdays; their president liked us and they paid for our use of the rugby pitch at the Waldstadion grounds where the professional soccer team plays. Eintracht got most of its funds from the soccer team, and had many other sports at the complex or training grounds including about 7 amateur soccer teams, swimming, bowling, tennis, golf, etc.. The more teams, the more money they received from the Federal government. (Every town had at least one federally and state subsidized swimming pool and soccer pitch to encourage sports; some had hockey rinks)

At the time the 3rd AD club was formed, most of the American players played for Eintracht. However, due to Bundesliga rules, no club could have more than 3 foreigners on their starting team, so most played for the 2ds. As there was enough interest, in late 1973 Kurt Meizensahl, 3rd AD, and others formed an American club with the encouragement of Eintracht. The first match was played using Eintracht's kit, and Rudolf Studzinski, the wonderful rugby administrator for Eintracht would accommodate us for use of the pitch when possible and used his funds. Most of the time we'd have to scrounge fields at US bases in the area; once we even lined a shooting range behind 3 AD headquarters, and used communications posts and ropes for the goalposts. We were in the 2d division Bundesliga and played our matches on Sundays (the Germans worked on Saturdays). We'd have Saturday venues with British Army and other non-league American clubs.

Click here to read an English translation of Our beginnings as documented in the German paper, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung