The Europen League of Football - Is it the place to be for ambitious Britballers?

The Europen League of Football - Is it the place to be for ambitious Britballers?

The European League of Football – Is it the place to be for ambitious Britballers?

All Images courtesy of Sarah Phillip

When word starting filtering through that there was going to be a new professional league in Europe, people were understandably a little sceptical that it would even get off the drawing board. It would be based predominantly in Germany (there is already a well-established semi-pro league there, the GFL) and we were in the middle of a global pandemic! Not ideal pre-cursers for success you would think, however, not only did it happen, it exceeded expectations.

For its inaugural season it consisted of eight teams. Six from Germany, one from Spain and one from Poland. Some of the teams were based in cities who already have well established GFL sides, but that didn’t deter the fans from attending the ELF games.

The League was split in to two divisions, in the North were the Hamburg Sea Devils, Berlin Thunder, Wroclaw Panthers and Leipzig Kings. The South had the Frankfurt Galaxy, Cologne Centurions, Stuttgart Surge and Barcelona Dragons. Those of you who can remember the NFL Europe League will recognise some of those names, that’s because the ELF struck a deal with the NFL to allow them to use the recognised brands.

The commissioner of the league is well known German player and coach, Patrick Esume who also presents various Football shows in his homeland. He teamed up with TV entrepreneur Zeljko Karajica and their shared drive and passion helped them put together and deliver the project.

Commissioner Esume delivered a high-level competition

The team rosters were made up of select import players, each team were allowed four (from America, Canada, Mexico and Japan, two of which could be Americans). They could also have up to ten players from other countries, with the rest of the fifty-three-man gameday roster being made up of players from the country in which the team were based. This format provided the opportunity for some Elite British players to earn spots on the various squads. Eight Brits on five different teams plied their trade and showed off their skills. Defensive Lineman Wayne Drew and Linebacker Kadel King suited up for the Frankfurt Galaxy. Former London Warriors running back Raymond Sobowale was with the Leipzig Kings, O Lineman Jai Jackson had a spot with the Stuttgart Surge whilst fellow blocker Keanu Ebanks was a big hitter in Hamburg. The Berlin Thunder featured three Brits, quarterback Calvin Stitt, defensive line standout Adedayo Odeleye and O Lineman Deon Mutsvanemoto.

As you might expect, the level of play was high, leading to some exciting encounters, none more so than the final between the Frankfurt Galaxy and Hamburg Sea Devils.

Frankfurt and Hamburg were ready to make history

A crowd of 22,000 witnessed a nail-biting finish with the Galaxy taking the lead with 23 seconds left on the clock. Then with just eight seconds to go the Sea Devils attempted a sixty-two-yard field goal to win the game, but the ball fell just short leaving the Galaxy as the Champions by a score of 32-30!

The Galaxy and Sea Devils delivered a thriller!

To get a Brits perspective on the whole ELF experience I spoke with Wayne Drew. “Playing in the ELF has been an amazing experience for me so far. The calibre of athletes and coaches competing here means that the level of football within this league is the highest of any in Europe, and it's only expected to get better. A particular highlight of mine was getting to know the fans during pre-game Power Parties at Galaxy home games. Despite the name, 'The Purple Hell' were incredibly friendly and had so much love and passion for the game that it further encouraged myself and other players to bring home the win not only for me and my team, but for them. After suffering a season ending injury against the Panthers in Game 3, the love from the fans really poured in. I received a surprising amount of heartwarming messages offering support and kind words during an understandably tough period. I felt that being able to celebrate with the fans after the Championship win in Dusseldorf allowed me to reciprocate my appreciation for the fans and was the icing on the cake of an amazing season of football, and an experience I will never forget. With the addition of new teams, athletes, kick off rules, and video replays, this season, as well as the recent emergence of players making it on to the NFL's International Pathway, the excitement surrounding this league makes it the place to be for any Baller wanting to play football in Europe. I'm excited to see what Esume and the league decide to do next, and my aim is to be participating again within the league in the very near future”.

Wayne Drew and Kadel King were big hits in Frankfurt

During the off-season the league have announced that they will be moving to a twelve team competition for 2022. The (Swarco) Raiders Tyrol and Vienna Vikings from Austria along with the Istanbul Rams from Turkey and the Rhein Fire from Germany will be the expansion teams. Everything looks set for another exciting season of Football in Europe and hopefully there will be further Brits to cheer on. For those players with the aspirations and talent to play at the highest level in Europe, the ELF is clearly the place to be.

Frankfurt Galaxy are the inaugural ELF Champions

Share this page:
close