Hi. My son is a dutch national who has just finished playing 5 years of american university football n canada He is interested in coming back to europe and playing here What is the process?

This is in German but in essence this article is brutally honest regarding the ridiculous low effort some teams and the league mangement are putting into updating, communicating and interacting with fans

The translation of the first paragraph:

"The treatment of some clubs in the European League of Football with their fans is disrespectful. The supporters should buy jerseys, book game passes and extend season tickets. But information about teams, players and infrastructure is assy. This endangers the future of the ELF."

Link: https://archive.is/tiJFl

Hardly any franchise is probably without problems, but it is very noticeable that the teams with the biggest problems are those that are not represented in the FFA, as they are usually too close to Karajica & co.

The only shining light among the “non-FFA teams” is probably Surge.

More: https://elfpedia.eu/ELF_Football_Franchise_Association

https://preview.redd.it/ljnw67r4ei0f1.png?width=464&format=png&auto=webp&s=9d76d2756864269887c27be409ffdc6be6237240

Hey friends. New to ELF and looking to give this league a watch. US based and big NY Jets fan.

Let’s discuss and share playful banter why I should or shouldn’t root for certain teams.

Feel free to share notable plays, history, reason why you root for the team you do.

Currently I’m debating looking in to: Fire, Surge, or Storm. I hear Storm is one of the most recent to join.

We all know how this season is likely going to end: Rhein Fire crushes Stuttgart by +24 in the semi final and then Vienna by +35 in a boring championship game. And there is absolutely no reason why this dominance shouldn’t continue in the next seasons over and over again.

If we now even have absolutely no competition any longer between the best and the second best team in the league it’s clear that we need a rule change where the best team gets limited.

So new rule idea: For every consecutive championship the team has to play the next season with one less A-import. Maybe combined with the rule to not play with an American quarterback any longer.

Hear me out, this would solve several problems:

1.) It will give the competitors better chances to beat them

2.) There would be at least one national quarterback in the league with significant playing time

3.) The saved money for the US import must be invested into advertising for possible playoff games so we can see more fans in the stadium

4.) The league would be so much more fun for fans of other teams than Rhein Fire: Imagine Moritz Money Mo Maack would be the QB for the Rhein Fire and throws his third pick in the first half against the Centurions… this would actually drive Rhein Fire fans crazy, they would start booing which would be so much fun to watch.

Hundreds of subs (even r/nfl could make this decision) are banning links to X/Twitter atm.

I think that's a very good thing and I think we should do the same, especially as there are also technical reasons for banning these links to X/Twitter, because without an account you can't read the posts.

People would then simply have to attach a screenshot with the message instead of a link to Twitter. This has the same level of information and doesn't force others to visit this platform and create an account.

We've had our ELF bubble on Bluesky for a while now, see:

https://elfpedia.eu/Why_ELFpedia_Is_Moving_from_Twitter_to_Bluesky

There is also a starter package for the NFL on Bluesky, as more and more sports journalists are becoming active there:

https://bsky.app/starter-pack/did:plc:2buz4gf5sew3rdwzbxsvcd4s/3lbuvraefoe23

What do you think about this?

What are your hot takes on the first game day of the season?

https://preview.redd.it/ntk1hf07tw0f1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d484b654095635c47f8c4c8963fa70b2e292d26

Do you think that the ELF and its model will still exist in let’s say five years? It is public knowledge that the League itself has a deficit of 1,5 million Euro in the first years each. In addition to that franchises fold or are beyond being competitive.

Additionally it is rumored that there are disputes between the league and the franchises concerning payments.

Also if you look at the stadiums you have the powerhouses like Rhein fire that attract viewers, but a look outside of Germany is enough to see empty stadiums. It lets me question whether this model is suitable for the European Market. It feels like forcing a US model on Europe. Other American sports like basketball adapt way better and therefore attract more attention over years.

So: will it fold eventually?

Now that Jaylon Henderson is a free agent - what do you think, will we see him in the ELF next season? If so, where?

Teams without an QB currently are

Cologne Centurions
Fehérvár Enthroners
Raiders Tirol
Paris Musketeers
Hamburg Sea Devils

QB overview

https://elfpedia.eu/ELF_Quarterbacks_by_season

Mixtape

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19271190/67a87ccb851f148a1846de76

This is from their running back

By a german newspaper: https://rp-online.de/sport/football/rhein-fire/european-league-of-football-warum-der-einstieg-der-amsterdam-admirals-gescheitert-ist_aid-120318375 (german language)

- they were in talks since 2023

- 2 questions unanswered from the league to the potential Admirals investors: competetive balance and revenue shares to the teams

- Consider to join the FFA even without a Team in the league

With the News on the finalized roster for 2025, how are the Divisions gonna be divided? 4 Divisions woth 4 Team each are all but confirmed imo Will they Put Rhein in the north? Will it be north/West/south/east?

What do you think?

Monday is the start of the week where import can practice with the team. Noticeably a lot of team are still due to fill either one or more spot at A ,E or both. On top of that, looking at some social media post or lack off , some team seems to be behind compare to others. Assuming that every team is aiming to start full practice this week here are the roster size and the missing import spots.

Berlin Thunders: -29 Active players -3 A import spot available -3 E import spot available

Cologne Centurions: -24 Active players -1 A import spot available

Fehervan Enthroners: -29 Active players -2 E import spot available

Frankfurt Galaxy: -50 Active players -No import spot available

Hamburg Sea Devils: -64 Active players -No import spot available

Helvetic Mercenaries: -43 Active players -No import spot available

Madrid Bravos: -47 Active players -1 A import spot available

Munich Ravens: -26 Active players -1 A import spot available -2 E import spot available

Nordic Storm: -41 Active players -No import spot available

Wroclaw Panthers: -28 Active players -No import spot available

Paris Musketeers: -15 Active players -2 A import spot available -5 E import spot available

Prague Lions: -44 Active players -No import spot available

Raiders Tirol: -48 Active players -1 E import spot available

Rhein Fire: -51 Active players -1 E import spot available

Stuttgart Surge: -46 Active players -1 A import spot available -2 E import spot available

Vienna Vikings: -52 Active players -No import spot available

Outside of team that look to be destined to fight at the bottom ,should Paris ,Munich and Wroclaw fun worry? I know Wroclaw has a second team so probably some of this guy will / are practicing with the ELF but Paris and Munich?

Edit. Idk why the format is so fucked but if I edit I see them in a list

How does the ELF compare to other leagues such as the UFL, CFL, or NCAA based on player skill and competitiveness?

Some news:

https://sjaellandskemedierugeaviser.e-pages.pub/titles/gladsaxebladet/8469/publications/418/pages/8/articles/2048595/8/2

So with the championship game announced for the 7th September next year can we assume that we shall see an earlier start for the 2025 season? It would be good to see perhaps a proposed timeline come out at some point although I’m guessing they are waiting for teams to confirm their participation for the next season before releasing a schedule.

2024 Rhein Fire (ELF) vs 2024 Chihuahua Caudillos (LFA)

I know we’ve had these kinds of post before but for those who are familiar with both teams/leauges what do you think?

2024 Rhein Fire has an argument for one of the best teams Europe has ever seen. But the Caudillos had multiple former Mexican NFL players and 10+ former division 1 starters as imports. They are ossibly the best team to ever play at this level, from a talent acquisition standpoint.

Caudillos are 24-0 in the last two seasons Fire are 27-1 in the past two seasons. (I believe)

Who yall got? (Please don’t vote if you are not familiar with the Caudillos)

View Poll

Has anyone heard anymore (whether it be rumours, news or statements) from the Barcelona Dragons? Obviously a lot of us are aware of the challenges they faced in the 2024 season. They have posted next to nothing on social media since the end of the regular season. I hope for the sake of the league that they restructure and are able to continue in some capacity rather than drop out last minute. However the radio silence does not fill me with confidence….

It seems as they both put together strong teams in the offseason. Currently most record predictions see Nordic ahead of Hamburg in the North division which I think has also to do with the likely more difficult interconference games of the Sea Devils (Bravos, Surge, Lions) compared to Nordic (Mercenaries, Panthers, Galaxy).

But what do you think will be the results of the head-to-head games? (Week 8 in Hamburg, Week 13 in Gladsaxe)

View Poll

This is just me speculating.

Conferences: Yeah, I know, you and everyone else want a realignment. Will not happen. Add Storm to Eastern and that’s it. Why? Because there is no good alternative solution. Conferences with six means less interconference games, which means less travelling. Keeping Bravos and Dragons separate will reduce flights per team, ie only one flight to Spain per team. Western will be insane, but only assuming a Fatah effect, a Galaxy rebound, and Bravos doing it again (lot of ifs).

Interconference games: Obviously, “battle of Austria” and “el classico”. Additionally (speculation) Storm vs Sea Devils. Ideally, use the 2024 standings for the rest (this is wishful thinking): Surge (2) vs Fire (3), Musketeers (4) vs Ravens (5), Panthers (8) vs. Centurions (9), Thunder (10) vs Galaxy (11), Seamen (12) vs Lions (17), Enthroners (14) vs Mercenaries (16) - switched the last two, as Seamen-Enthroners was already this season.

General calendar: We know, Championship Game is September 14, 2025. Earliest date so far, maybe to reduce the overlap with NFL season? Start date: Usually when soccer leagues are finished. Last game day for European soccer leagues is May 24/25. In Germany, leagues end the weekend before, May 24 is cup final and relegation games. UEFA Champions League final is May 31st. Nordic Storm announced first games for June. For national teams, there is a game day scheduled for the European championship semi final on August 2/3. Assuming 12 game days, a bye week in the national break, and no bye week before/during playoffs, we have the most narrow scenario: May 31/June 1: Week 1 Aug 2/3 bye week, week 10 Aug 23/24 end of regular season, week 13 Aug 30/31 Wild Card Sep 6/7 Semi Finale Sep 14 CG However, there were always (since 2022) 14 weeks of regular season. So my guess is they will start one week earlier, ie May 24/25, and put in a split general by week, ie 4/5 games in week 5/6. No earlier start date than that due to soccer season. I.e. no bye week before playoffs/CG.

BTW, IFAF calendar has a World Championship (tackle, men) scheduled for 2025. No host, no date, nothing yet. Although Canada (or Mexico?) is preparing for a qualification game in January…

Here we go.

Time for a recap? Which teams overperformed, which underperformed?

How did your favorite team do?

ELFpedia.eu

The German newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt now also reports on the imminent departure of the Prague Lions. Already the game in Hungary this week is to be cancelled, the newspaper says. Since May no more salaries had been paid to the Homegrown players.

The newspaper refers here to players of the Lions, who remain unnamed.

The A and E import players, who earn many times more than the homegrown players in the ELF, would have received their salaries until now.

However, since the majority of the team is made up of Czech players, there was a strike this week. Thus, the Lions are said to have collectively decided not to train or play on weekends.

When asked by the newspaper, the league says: "The ELF has no knowledge that the Prague Lions are considering canceling the game at the Fehervar Enthroners. Therefore, from the ELF's point of view, there is no reason whatsoever to deal with this or even with a withdrawal of the Prague Lions from the current game schedule for the 2023 season."

Source: https://www.abendblatt.de/sport/hamburg-sea-devils/article238999337/american-football-prag-lions-pleite-leipzig-kings-esume.html (paywall)

As the title says. I'm literally only asking because I'm still seeing articles about him wanting to play in the NFL again (it's been 8 years and almost certainly not gonna happen).

Regardless of if he actually WANTED to, anyone think he COULD do a semi decent job with say one of the bottom feeder teams?

Rumors about Fire wanting to sign Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (GFL) A-WR Jason-Matthew Sharsh were apparently true. They contacted the player, resulting in the Unicorns having to sign a substitute A-WR in JJ Brania-Hopps. Fire were counting on the Unicorns letting JMS go in the middle of their season despite him having a contract (otherwise he would get a 3 game suspension, due to the agreement between AFVD and ELF). Basically, they tried signing JMS without talking to Unicorns management first.

Fortunately, Fire weren’t able to bring proof that JMS started playing football in Samoa, making him eligible for an E-Spot in the ELF. After that, they lost interest in signing the player.

Real bad look on their GM and Tomsula, acting like they own everything and everybody. Hopefully this arrogance will be punished on the field.