In some cases the clubs have even encouraged or helped their players to get the citizenship of an EU country when they are eligible through ius sanguinis or residence. In other European leagues similar limits are implemented by other means. For example, the Austrian Football League limits the number of players who can receive financial compensation for playing while the Italian Football League limits the number of players who have played college football (regardless of citizenship). As such, the same player playing in two different leagues in the same year may be considered an "import" in one league and equivalent to a national player in another. Reilly Hennessey, who has dual Italian and US citizenship, had to wear an "A" on his jersey in the 2021 season of the Italian Football League due to having played college football at Central Washington University but was not subject to this limitation in German Bowl XLII when he played for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns later that same year. Teams GFL North GFL South German Bowls German Bowl participants since 1979: † Bold denotes German Bowl victory. ‡ Known as the Braunschweig Lions from 1987 to 2010. No German Bowl was held in 2020 due to the Covid-19-related cancellation of the 2020 season. German Bowl XLII which had originally been scheduled for 2020 was held in 2021 instead. GFL season placings The placings in the league since the renaming of the league to GFL before the 1999 season: North South In 2000, the northern division consisted of only five clubs. In 2004 and 2005, the southern division consisted of only five clubs. An asterisk in the column for the 2020 season indicates that the team would have qualified for a season if one had been held, but due to Covid-19 no games of the planned 2020 season were actually played. Divisional champions This is a list of the winners of the regional divisions of the GFL. A record 15 divisional titles were won by the New Yorker Lions, while the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns hold record for division titles in the south, twelve. The Ansbach Grizzlies still have won the secondmost titles in the south, seven, despite not having competed in the league since 1990: European Football League participation Since the inception of the Eurobowl in 1986, German clubs have taken part in the competition in most seasons. In most cases, the German Bowl winner