Delft Dragons

Delft Dragons are an American football team based in Delft, the Netherlands.

History

• Foundations

Between 1984 and 1993 a previous team had existed in Delft: the Delft Dragons. Unfortunately this team folded due to lack of players. Towards the end of 1999, influenced by the television coverage on FOX8, a number of students decided to found an American Football team in Delft, the Netherlands. The new founders decided that they would try to harness any remaining familiarity by calling the new team by the same name as Delft's former team. From the end of January 2000 were in training under American Head Coach David Caraway and assistant Widjai van Dam, as a flag football team. The Dragons had an impressive debut season, finishing 5th of the 10 participating teams.

• Full Contact Football

With Coach Caraway departed back to his native Texas, it was up to new Head Coach Widjai van Dam to lead the 2001 preparations for full-contact football. The Dragons added several players to their squad and were joined by defensive co-ordinator Steve Sheppard.After impressive practice game results, the Delft Dragons played their first competitive games in November 2001 in a tournament qualifier. The Dragons defeated Assen Bulldogs and Amstelland Panthers and were a surprise qualifier for the finals. The finals produced more shocks. The Dragons defeated the Amsterdam Crusaders in the semi-final, and narrowly lost the final to the 2001 Div.2 finalists Tilburg Steelers in two periods of...
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