SEAHAWKS ADD TO FIRE FESTIVAL AT RHEIN HOME OPENER

Craig Llewellyn World Football

After an 18-year absence, the reigning European League of Football champions, Rhein Fire, will return to Düsseldorf’s Merkur Spiel-Arena — and they’re bringing special guests.

This Sunday (June 1st) isn’t just any game either, as the Fire welcome the Vienna Vikings to town for a rematch of last year’s ELF Championship Game, the culmination of a day-long family football festival in the area around the arena.

Back in the heyday of NFL Europe, Rhein Fire and Düsseldorf were inextricably linked, but it has taken until season five of the ELF for its most successful team to return.

“To this day, the name Rhein Fire has remained positively etched in the minds of many people in the Rhineland, even though they haven’t yet seen a game of the reigning ELF champions,” Fire owner Martin Wagner insisted. “We would like to welcome them and impress them.”

By the time the team walks onto the pitch and the accompanying pyrotechnic display has died down, fans should have been sufficiently captivated by the excitement and family-friendly atmosphere but, just to make sure, 100 children from the International School of Düsseldorf choir will provide additional goosebumps with a live performance of the Austrian and German national anthems before the 4.25pm CET kickoff.

Based on recent history, the game promises to be exciting too, with the Vikings eager to avenge the unrepresentative 51-20 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Fire in last year’s championship showdown. With both teams expected to amongst the title contenders again in 2025, the Merkur Spiel-Arena should experience an early-season classic.

The Fire’s partnership with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks will be very much in evidence throughout the day, with former Seahawks player, and 2014 Super Bowl champion, Michael Bennett coming to Düsseldorf for the game, accompanied by two Seahawks cheerleaders and the mascots Blitz and Bam.

“Our NFL partner club, the Seattle Seahawks, will be present, tangible and everywhere on game day,” Fire GM Max Paatz confirmed. “This commitment is unique and a great honour for us.”

Bennett and the Seahawks will not be alone, however, as the Indianapolis Colts will also be present with a large promotional booth ahead of their appearance in the German leg of the NFL International Series later this year, and the Green Bay Packers will also be sending brand ambassador and NFL veteran Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the game. In addition to hosting selfie and autograph sessions, the NFL stars will also provide insights into the NFL during talks on the party stage throughout the afternoon.

Seahawkers Germany, the world’s largest Seahawks fan club, will also be present in Düsseldorf and, as the ‘12th Man’, will be loudly supporting the home side from within a crowd expected to surpass 10,000 on the day. The Seahawks will also present a musical treat during the pre-game build-up, with DJ SAY WHAAT — who has already caused a sensation during the Seahawks’ presence at NFL Germany games — providing spectacular musical mashups to get the party atmosphere pumped up in the Merkur Spiel-Arena.