Stuttgart Surge

What Stuttgart Surge does

Stuttgart Surge is a professional American football franchise headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, operating under the legal entity American Football Club Stuttgart GmbH (VAT ID DE340963672, registered Amtsgericht Stuttgart HRB 777459). Founded in 2020 as one of eight founding franchises of the European League of Football (ELF), the club fields a competitive roster playing home games at the GAZi-Stadion auf der Waldau in Stuttgart-Degerloch, with attendance of approximately 3,200-3,740 fans per match. The franchise is managed by CEO Suni Ihsan Musa (Geschäftsführer) and until November 2025 was coached by Jordan Neuman, who led the team to the 2023 ELF Championship runner-up finish and the 2025 European Championship title.

The club monetizes through four primary revenue streams: ticket sales (single, group, family, and wheelchair-accessible) processed via Ticketmaster; merchandise sold through a Shopify-powered webshop operated by LEOS Sportmarketing, with apparel priced from €19.99 to €109.99; sponsorship and partnership revenue from a portfolio of 30+ predominantly local and regional corporate sponsors; and recurring Fördermitgliedschaft contributions via the supporting membership entity Surge e.V., which funds youth American football and cheerleading programs. Complementary offerings include the Surge Academy school outreach program, annual open tryouts (100+ participants in 2025), the Surge Insights podcast, and a gameday experience featuring a Power Party starting 3.5 hours before kickoff.

Underlying technology is conventional web infrastructure (WordPress on Mittwald hosting, Google Analytics, WordPress Statistics) with no proprietary AI or platform IP. The firm is GDPR/DSGVO/CCPA compliant, integrates nine payment methods (PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, Sofortüberweisung, giropay, Mastercard, VISA), and uses Rapidmail for newsletter communications. The franchise has no disclosed venture or private equity backing, no subsidiaries, and no published revenue figures. On November 21, 2025, American Football Club Stuttgart GmbH filed for bankruptcy (Insolvenzantrag) citing structural conditions in European American football that provided little planning security and lacked future prospects; Head Coach Jordan Neuman departed on November 24, 2025.

Name

Stuttgart Surge

Legal name

American Football Club Stuttgart GmbH

Website

https://stuttgartsurge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stuttgart Surge is a professional American football franchise in Stuttgart, Germany, competing in the European League of Football, serving fans through live games, merchandise, sponsorships, and youth development programs under the operating entity American Football Club Stuttgart GmbH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Franchise

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

American Football Leagues (MPAKAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Licensing, Merchandising & Co-Branded Products (Sponsored Merchandise, Collabs) (MPAKALAE)

Keywords

• Professional american football
• Sports entertainment franchise
• Fan merchandise sales
• Sports ticketing services
• Youth football academy

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Single game and group tickets sold through Ticketmaster partner platform, with family tickets and wheelchair-accessible tickets also available.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store (stuttgart-surge.shop) powered by LEOS Sportmarketing, selling apparel including shirts, hoodies, jackets, kids items, teamwear, and accessories.
3. Sponsorship and Partnerships: Revenue from corporate sponsors and partners who support the franchise in exchange for brand visibility and marketing integration.
4. Membership (Surge e.V.): Fördermitgliedschaft (supporting membership) in the Surge e.V. club that supports youth sports activities in American football and cheerleading.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stuttgart Surge is a professional American football franchise competing in the European League of Football (ELF) and a founding member of the league. Its commercial offerings include live gameday entertainment, season and single-match tickets sold via Ticketmaster, branded merchandise sold through a Shopify-based e-commerce webshop, sponsorship and partnership packages, and the Surge e.V. supporting membership program that funds youth American football and cheerleading. The franchise filed for bankruptcy on November 21, 2025.

Product overview

Stuttgart Surge is a professional American Football team competing in the European League of Football (ELF). The organization operates as a single-product sports franchise with multiple complementary service offerings. The core product is the professional football team, supported by a Fan Shop (Shopify-based e-commerce), ticket sales through Ticketmaster, and the Surge Insights podcast. Additional offerings include the Gameday Experience (matchday entertainment), School Program/Academy (youth development), Player Tryouts (talent identification), and Membership (Surge e.V. for supporter engagement). The organization filed for bankruptcy on November 21, 2025, and Head Coach Jordan Neuman departed the franchise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

35 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ProstuckcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the 2025 Tryout event, supporting talent identification and recruitment for the Surge roster.
• TicketmastercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing partner for single game tickets, group tickets, family tickets, and wheelchair-accessible tickets.
• LEOS SportmarketingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPowers the official Stuttgart Surge webshop, handling merchandise sales and fulfillment.
• GaziminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• StromkreisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• SWSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• ProPositionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• TopsportsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• BiteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• LeosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• HydraidminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• TruetapeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• RoadjetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• FlaigminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• RZRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• ClassicRockCafeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• CryopointminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• DaPepponeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• GTSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• SchwabenbraeuminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• SporlasticminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• NettminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• KemmnerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• FrieseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• BucherminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• FEelektrominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• SelvaNegraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• EgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• EventkommminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• KrombholzminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• Reiner&ZahnerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• RSMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• TopregalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• GiengerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner featured on the website.
• European League of FootballcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe league in which Stuttgart Surge competes as a founding team. Surge won the 2025 ELF Championship.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hamburg Sea Devils: Hamburg-based American football franchise competing in the European League of Football. Directly comparable as a fellow ELF franchise with identical league structure, fan model, and revenue mix to Stuttgart Surge.
• Frankfurt Galaxy: Frankfurt-based American football franchise in the European League of Football. Direct peer competing in the same ELF league with the same ticket, merchandise, sponsorship, and membership revenue model.
• Munich Ravens: Munich-based American football franchise in the European League of Football. Direct peer operating the same franchise model in a different German metropolitan market with identical revenue streams.
• Paris Musketeers: Paris-based American football franchise in the European League of Football. Direct peer in the same league competing for the same championship, though in a different European market.
• Rhein Fire (Cologne): German American football franchise competing in the European League of Football, based in Cologne. Directly comparable as a fellow ELF franchise operating in the same German market with the same sport, league, and revenue model (tickets, merch, sponsorship).
• Vienna Vikings: Austrian American football franchise competing in the European League of Football. Direct peer in the same league, based in a neighboring German-speaking market with comparable fan economics and commercial model.
• Berlin Thunder: Berlin-based American football franchise competing in the European League of Football. Direct peer in the same league, with comparable ticketing, merchandise, and sponsorship operations targeting German fans.
• Tirol Raiders: Austrian American football franchise in the European League of Football. Direct peer operating the same franchise model across the DACH region with similar attendance and sponsorship dynamics.

Others

• European League of Football (ELF): The league operator itself; not a competitor but the structural counterpart whose economics directly determine franchise-level outcomes. The bankruptcy filing explicitly cited structural conditions in the ELF as a key factor.

Broad incumbents

• NFL (National Football League): The dominant global American football league. While not a direct competitor in the European market, the NFL sets the broader audience ceiling for the sport and is the aspirational template for ELF franchises' commercialization and brand-building.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StuttgartSurge
• Facebookfacebook.com/StuttgartSurgeFootball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stuttgartsurge
• Instagraminstagram.com/stuttgartsurge

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stuttgart Surge