UNBEATEN STORM CLAIM NORTH DIVISION CROWN
The European League of Football’s decision to award Nordic Storm a walkover in their postponed fixture against the Helvetic Mercenaries has confirmed the newcomers as champions of the North Division with three games remaining in their inaugural regular season.
Th statement of confirmation issued by the league revealed that, despite both sides trying to establish a new date for the game in Copenhagen to be played, the only available slot was during the Week 12 bye when the Storm were unable to use Gladsaxe Stadium. As such, and with the outcome between the unbeaten North Division leaders and winless Swiss team likely to have resulted in another victory for the home side, it was decided to award the Storm a 35-0 win as per precedent.
While the Scandinavian side has now racked up a total of nine victories without defeats in their maiden season, the foundation for the division title was laid on Sunday in Berlin, where they prevailed in a high-scoring encounter with the hometown Thunder. Both teams delivered big plays in the 53-35 game, with the Thunder belying recent disappointing form, but the Storm pulled away in the third quarter under the arm of MVP candidte Jadrian Clark, who threw for seven touchdowns and a league-record 519 yards. Four different receivers tallied in excess of 100 yards as Simon Føns, Adriá Botella Moreno, Edwin Almeida and Brendan Beaulieu all contributed to the spectacle.
The Storm defense may have conceded an uncharacteristically high number of points — although that is not out of the ordinary for any team facing Thunder QB Jakeb Sullivan — but still contributed to the victory with four takeaways, including a strip fumble recovery by newcomer Clifton Duck that provided the impetus for Nordic to pull clear of their rivals in the third quarter.
The North Division title, while not a surprise given the Storm’s performances, is unexpected given that they play in the same division as two-time defending champions Rhein Fire, who can no longer usurp the newcomers following their defeat in Copenhagen two weeks ago. The title also means that the Storm are guaranteed a home game at Gladsaxe Stadium when the playoffs roll around. With only two teams progressing directly to the semi-finals, however, Nordic cannot afford to take their foot off the gas with the other division leaders — Vienna, Stuttgart and Munich — all snapping at their heels.
News of the Storm’s division crown was followed swiftly by the expected confirmation that the league’s newest team would be aligning itself with the European Football Alliance, which broke cover a couple of weeks ago to express concern with the current ELF product.
Welcomed with a nod to the team’s impressive debut season, the EFA noted Nordic’s position as one of the most dynamic and ambitious franchises in European football, underlining that ‘their strong on-field performance and professional organisation reflect the values and vision’ of the new teams union, and helps to grow the ‘strength, diversity and geographic reach’ of the EFA, whose mission is the creation of a fairer, more sustainable and more competitive future for American football in Europe.
The statement ends by confirming that the next few months will see increased collaboration between member clubs as the EFA looks to expand its initiatives in governance, operations and public communication.
