SWEDE STOFFEL HAPPY TO BE A VIKING
When hulking Swedish lineman Victor Stoffel returned from a college football career in the United States, there wasn’t any doubt in his mind about which European team he wanted to play for. Until there was.
The Nordic Storm were mere months old when Stoffel flew back across the Atlantic and, besides, he had already been in touch with one of the European League of Football’s leading lights. As a true Scandinavian, there was always something about being a Viking that appealed and, when Vienna head coach Chris Calaycay came calling, Stoffel knew that dream could be realised. Until the Storm, aware that a potential game-changing ‘homegrown’ was available, also made contact.
“That was kind of the big decision for me because, obviously, I’d had contact with Vienna for a long time,” the 6’6”, 300lb Swede admitted, “When Nordic hit me up too, that was a difficult choice for me to make.
“Ultimately, I think the reason I [decided the way I did] was just because I felt that it gave me this opportunity to kind of go somewhere in Europe I hadn’t been before and get this new experience. That’s part of what I love about the game, just having that opportunity to go to new places and live somewhere you haven’t lived before. So I chose Vienna just because I felt like it was a great opportunity to go somewhere I might not have [the chance to] in the future, capitalise on it while I can.”
This season is Stoffel’s first in Europe since playing youth football in his native Sweden. For the last six years, he was a key on the offensive line at both Temple and the University of California, being named as a captain of the Owls on five occasions before heading to the west coast as a graduate transfer for 2024 and playing in the ACC.
“I wanted to come back to Europe to be closer to my family but, ultimately, I think it’s not far for me to go back home,” he explained. “It’s something like a two-hour flight so as long as I’m on this side of the world, I felt like I was happy.”
Joining the 2022 ELF champions is no small step, especially as one of the Vikings’ six permitted European imports, but Stoffel transitioned seamlessly. Now, having not been pitted against his other suitor in the regular season, Stoffel finds himself facing the Storm with a place in the championship game on the line, when camaraderie will be key to achieving another dream.
“Everyone’s been very, very welcoming,” he confirmed. “It feels like a close family, just kind of letting me in from the get go — from the coaches to the staff and players. Everyone’s been very supportive and kind of excited to have [me] here, really creating these bonds — and outside of football too. I’ve been loving it so far. I think it’s a great organisation in general, with a lot of fun characters on a team, good guys.”