A good three months before the start, the field of participants for the first season of the European League of Football (ELF) is complete. The former NFL Europe teams Berlin Thunder and Cologne Centurions are new, plus the Leipzig Kings. In contrast, the planned locations in Hanover and Ingolstadt are not yet being played this year.
“Berlin and Cologne are cities with a long football history and of course with large fan groups who have waited 14 years for this moment – and I also see great potential in Leipzig,” said Patrick Esume, the league’s commissioner.
As planned, eight teams from three nations will take part in the kick-off on June 20: In addition to Berlin and Cologne, two other former NFL European teams will be competing in the Hamburg Sea Devils and Frankfurt Galaxy. There are also Leipzig, the Stuttgart Scorpions, the Panthers Wroclaw / Poland and the Barcelona Gladiators / Spain.
The German Knights 1367 Lower Saxony from Hanover and the Ingolstadt Praetorians, originally intended as participants, could not reach an agreement with the ELF and withdrew for the time being. In the deal with Berlin, other shareholders than initially planned were brought on board.
