Stuttgart 2025: Save the best for last
Cara Iden
© Svenja SabatiniThe 2025 season was the most successful in the history of the Stuttgart Surge. With a 10-2 record, the team won the West Division and secured its playoff spot already in Week 13. In the end, Stuttgart went all the way and claimed the ELF Championship.
Season in review
The Surge showed one of the strongest offenses in the league. They scored an average of 40.1 points per game, the best mark in the ELF. Their passing game ranked fourth with 264.8 yards per game, while the running game added 150.4 yards on the ground.
The defense was equally impressive. Stuttgart allowed only 16.1 points per game, the second-best result in the league. Against the run they were dominant, giving up just 97.1 yards on average, also second-best. The pass defense ranked fifth with 182.9 yards allowed per game.
Head coach Jordan Neuman pointed out how much the team had grown during the season. "That's why we came this far because we were an okay football team at the start of the year. We weren't a great football team, and we had to figure a lot of things out together. We got better and better throughout the season, and we ended up playing our best football at the end."
WATCH THE BEST TOUCHDOWNS OF THE 2025 SEASON HERE!
A long journey
The championship win marks the highlight of a remarkable turnaround. Since the ELF was founded in 2021, Stuttgart went from a 2-8 record in their first season, to 0-12 in 2022. But from 2023 onwards, the Surge turned into one of the league's top teams: 10-2 in 2023 with a loss in the final against Rhein Fire, 11-1 in 2024 with a semifinal exit, and now the long-awaited title in 2025.
A big factor in this development was head coach Jordan Neuman. He took over the team after the winless 2022 season and reshaped the franchise step by step. His work over the past three years has now fully paid off, leading Stuttgart from the bottom of the standings to the top of the league.
The final step
The 2025 ELF Championship Game reflected Stuttgart's season. By halftime, the Surge trailed the Vienna Vikings 14-17. But in the second half, they turned the game around. The defense gave up no points, while the offense added 10 points on the board. Stuttgart secured a 24-17 victory and with it their first-ever league title.
Looking ahead
For Stuttgart, the challenge now is to defend their title. Coach Neuman kept his message short: "We just rebuild and try to win it back." After years of growth and setbacks, the Surge enter 2026 not as underdogs, but as champions.
