The Atlanta Falcons Get a Second Home in Germany
By Lisa Shepard
Hannes Mielke was an exchange student in 2006-2007. His host family lived in Gwinnett, and it was then that he decided to become a Falcons fan. Being the sports lover that he is, his love for the Falcons is only rivaled by his favorite soccer club, F.C. Hansa Rostock. Mielke has stayed connected to his host family throughout the years. They will be attending his wedding in Germany later this year. He has visited Atlanta three times since his time as an exchange student. His most recent visit was in 2019.
He attended his first NFL game in 2019 with his "host dad" when the Falcons played the Titans. He then rented a car, followed the Falcons to Houston, and watched them play the Texans. After that game, he went to Arizona to watch them play the Cardinals the following week. It was in Arizona where he got to meet Grady Jarrett's mother, and was able to get a picture with her. Even though the Falcons lost all three of those games, Mielke says he still had an awesome trip clocking over 3,300 miles following his favorite NFL team.
Mielke enjoys connecting with other Falcons fans. He's shown here when he met up with other Falcons fans in Houston to tailgate.
Mielke loves repping the Falcons when he travels too. Here he is in Belarus at a soccer stadium. He also made sure to take a Falcons hat with him when he went to Kazakhstan in 2020.
