TOP TEAMS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER ELF DIVERGENCE

While the European League of Football appears to be going from strength to strength following a wave of positive announcements, there are rumblings from within that all is not quite as it seems.

The European Football Alliance (EFA), established by eight of Europe’s leading professional American football clubs — Frankfurt Galaxy, Rhein Fire, Madrid Bravos, Paris Musketeers, Tirol Raiders, Vienna Vikings, Prague Lions and Wroclaw Panthers — has expressed serious concerns about the direction the ELF and some of its weaker teams appear to be heading. A statement issued by the EFA cites ‘ongoing shortcomings in the league’s operations’, claiming that ‘since its inception, the ELF has suffered from persistent issues — poor communication, a lack of transparency, financial mismanagement and under-performing centralized functions in areas such as merchandise, marketing, travel and media’.

The European League of Football differs from the majority of professional — or even semi-professional — sports in that it is not run by either by the stakeholders, in this case the teams, or at least in conjunction with them. Instead, the ELF makes its most important decisions unilaterally but, despite that, ‘many clubs have managed to grow and succeed’. However, the EFA has become ‘increasingly concerned’ with the viability of some of the weaker teams in the 16-franchise ELF setup. While not mentioning any teams directly, this concern clearly focuses on those teams being blown out week after week and/or seemingly suffering from a lack of financial stability. The EFA statement refers to ‘the state of certain teams directly owned or financially supported by the league or its affiliates’, but can be assumed to include the likes of Cologne Centurions (currently conceding an average of 64 points a game and putting up fewer than seven in reply), Helvetic Mercenaries (who were forced to postpone a recent game due to an alleged lack of healthy players) and even the Berlin Thunder, a seemingly established ELF member but recently beset by social media claims, from both within its walls and without, that it is in trouble financially.

“These teams have consistently under-performed both on and off the field, with some cases raising alarming questions about player safety, financial solvency, and the professionalism of game-day operations,” the statement continues. “The growing frequency of lopsided, non-competitive matchups undermines the credibility of the league and threatens its long-term appeal to fans, sponsors, and media partners alike.

The eight members of the EFA are, or have been, amongst the most competitive franchises in the five years of the ELF — Frankfurt is currently wobbling on the field but is a former champion — and, in some cases, notably Prague, have seemingly been pulled back from the abyss by new ownership and a professional attitude to financing, coaching and promotion. It is notable, too, that both Paris and Madrid are on the list as comparatively new ELF members. Both appear to be well-run and soundly-funded, attributes that would make one assume that the Nordic Storm, the league’s 2025 addition, would make a good future fit for the EFA.

The independent organisation has welcomed the recent investment in the ELF as a whole, and says that it is not shunning the league as a result of its concerns, but claims that the ‘transfer of knowledge and operational support from the franchisor to its franchises … has been largely absent’, leaving clubs ‘to operate independently, with little guidance or assistance from league leadership’.

The investment in question arrived shortly after the start of the 2025 season, reportedly bringing in excess of $10m from Goal Line Sports, 885 Capital and Oakvale Ventures. While 885 is already recognised for its investment in sporting arenas, with the instantly-successful Baller League amongst its interests, Goal Line Sports is potentially more interesting as it is owned and run by FUBO TV entrepreneur David Gandler, who recently bought English soccer club Leyton Orient and has been rumoured to be eyeing a potential UK franchise in the ELF.

With a European audience reportedly nudging 500m and buoyed by the increasing number of NFL International Series games on the continent, and television rights sold to across the Americas as well as Africa and China, the ELF appears to be on the rise, but Rhein Fire shareholder Martin Wagner has admitted that all is not as it seems, referring specifically to the weaker teams in the league.

“It’s obviously difficult to sell tickets for upcoming matches when you’ve just played against a better training partner in Berlin,” he told NRZ.de, pointing out that the plight of struggling clubs ultimately affects all teams in the league if games are not worth paying to watch. “We know of several franchises that have gotten into trouble. Everyone knows how that ends — it simply has an impact.”

Vienna Vikings head coach Chris Calaycay was asked for his view on the rumours circling the likes of the Mercenaries, Centurions and Thunder, but he admitted that there wasn’t much that he or the Vikings could control.

“I obviously follow the league and everything’s out there on Instagram now,” he told a weekly media call. “You hear rumours, and the import players talk amongst each other as well, so you hear certain things coming from one direction or the other. We follow it, and there is some turmoil, but I’ll leave that for everybody else. We’ll just take care of our roster and our business.”

The EFA, originally introduced as the ELF Franchise Association, was formed with the shared mission to raise the quality, sustainability, and visibility of tackle football throughout Europe, but is adamant that its focus remains ‘on the fans’.

“The rising demand for American football in Europe—reflected most visibly in the popularity of NFL events—demonstrates the sport’s immense potential,” it points out in the statement. “EFA member clubs are committed to protecting that potential by delivering exciting, high-quality football rooted in their communities. We believe our supporters deserve a league that matches their passion, operates with integrity and consistently strives for excellence.

“By fostering collaboration, sharing resources and promoting best practices, the EFA seeks to build stronger clubs, engage communities more deeply and ensure the sport’s long-term success on the continent.”