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2021 ELF season
League European League of Football
Sport American Football
DurationJune 19 – September 5
Number of games40 + 3 playoff games
Number of teams8
Total attendance94,704
Season MVP Madre London ( Cologne Centurions)
Division Champions
North Division champions Hamburg Sea Devils
South Division champions Frankfurt Galaxy
2021 Championship Game
DateSeptember 26, 2021
Venue Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf
Champions Germany Frankfurt Galaxy (1st title)
Finals MVP Jakeb Sullivan (Frankfurt Galaxy)
Seasons
2022 →

The 2021 ELF season was the inaugural season of the European League of Football, a newly formed professional American football league based in Europe. It started on June 19, 2021, and ended with a Championship Game in Düsseldorf's Merkur Spiel-Arena, on September 26, 2021. [1]

Map of ELF teams 2021

Format

The league is divided into two divisions, North and South. Each team plays 10 games during the regular season: twice against their division rivals, and twice against two of the teams from the other division. The top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, with the North and South champions qualifying for the Championship Game.

Rules

For the inaugural season, the ELF is mostly using adapted NFL rules, as opposed to adapted NCAA rules which virtually all other European American Football leagues use. There is a limit of two "Americans" (a category which also includes some other non-European nationalities) per down but people who are dual citizens of the U.S. and an EU-member country are not counted towards that limit in keeping with the Bosman ruling. Unlike in most other European American football leagues there is overtime during regular season games that are still tied after regulation, but the overtime rules are based on NCAA rules.

Teams

Team City Stadium Capacity Head coach
North Division
Berlin Thunder Germany Berlin Amateurstadion Olympiapark [A] 05,400 Canada Jag Bal
Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark [B] 19,708
Hamburg Sea Devils Germany Hamburg Stadion Hoheluft 11,000 Germany Andreas Nommensen
Leipzig Kings Germany Leipzig Alfred-Kunze-Sportpark 04,999 United States Fred Armstrong
Wrocław Panthers Poland Wrocław Olympic Stadium 11,000 Poland Kuba Samel
South Division
Barcelona Dragons Spain Reus Estadi Municipal 04,700 United States Adam Rita
Cologne Centurions Germany Cologne Südstadion [C] 11,748 United States Kirk Heidelberg
Ostkampfbahn [D] 00,333 [2]
Frankfurt Galaxy Germany Frankfurt PSD Bank Arena 12,542 Germany Thomas Kösling
Stuttgart Surge Germany Stuttgart Gazi-Stadion auf der Waldau 11,410 Germany Martin Hanselmann

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Incoming coach Date of appointment
Hamburg Sea Devils United States Ted Daisher Released [3] July 6, 2021 Germany Andreas Nommensen July 13, 2021 [4]

Salaries

For its first season, the league pays a salary to American "import" players that generally ranges from €600 (around $700) to €3,000 ($3,500) per month, and provides housing, health insurance and two meals per day to players during the season. [5] Despite claims to the contrary by the league, most "local" players did not get paid during the 2021 season.[ citation needed]

Regular season

Standings

Results

Home \ Away BER HAM LEI WRO BAR COL FRA STU
Berlin Thunder 20–28 27–37 26–45 19–3 40–19
Hamburg Sea Devils 44–6 17–18 24–30 22–17 17–15
Leipzig Kings 37–24 0–55 13–21 47–48 49–23
Wrocław Panthers 35–12 23–26 54–28 55–39 7–36
Barcelona Dragons 48–16 14–32 60–51 14–22 17–21
Cologne Centurions 24–42 33–31 40–12 20–41 19–9
Frankfurt Galaxy 35–9 22–13 42–22 45–7 57–3
Stuttgart Surge 0–38 27–24 12–30 23–39 20–42
Source: europeanleague.football
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Playoffs

Division Finals Championship Game
      
N1 Germany Hamburg Sea Devils 30
N2 Poland Wrocław Panthers 27
Germany Hamburg Sea Devils 30
Germany Frankfurt Galaxy 32
S1 Germany Frankfurt Galaxy 36
S2 Germany Cologne Centurions 6

Divisional playoffs

South: Frankfurt Galaxy 36, Cologne Centurions 6

Cologne Centurions vs. Frankfurt Galaxy
Period 1 2 34Total
Centurions 0 0 066
Galaxy 14 13 6336

at PSD Bank Arena, Frankfurt, Germany

  • Date: 11 September 2021
  • Game time: 14:45 CEST
  • Game attendance: 2,000
  • Referee: K. Walentynow
  • Game Book

North: Hamburg Sea Devils 30, Wrocław Panthers 27

Wrocław Panthers vs. Hamburg Sea Devils
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 7 7 01327
Sea Devils 14 0 31330

at Stadion Hoheluft, Hamburg, Germany

  • Date: 12 September 2021
  • Game time: 14:45 CEST
  • Game attendance: 2,200
  • Referee: Thomas Denker
  • Game Book

Championship Game

The inaugural Championship Game, between the North and South division champions, was played on September 26, at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf. [6] In a game in which the lead changed more than once, Frankfurt, not confident enough of the quality of their placekicker, opted for two-point conversions after every single touchdown (only one out of five being successful), and not attempting a single field goal. Meanwhile, Hamburg's kicker Phillip Friis Andersen, who led the league in successful attempts during the regular season and won "Special Teams Player of the year", missed 2 FG attempts, including one from 61 yards on the last play, that could have won the game for Hamburg.

The Championship MVP trophy was won by Frankfurt QB Jakeb Sullivan, who passed for 324 yards, with 4 TD and no interceptions, and added another rushing TD.

Hamburg Sea Devils 30, Frankfurt Galaxy 32

Hamburg Sea Devils vs. Frankfurt Galaxy
Period 1 2 34Total
Sea Devils 7 10 10330
Galaxy 0 20 01232

at Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany

  • Date: 26 September 2021
  • Game time: 14:45 CEST
  • Game attendance: 22,000
  • Referee: M. Scholz
  • Game Book

All-Star Game

The inaugural All-Star Game was held one week after the end of the season, on October 3 (the Day of German Unity), at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in Berlin. It will feature a selection of the best players from the ELF, playing against the United States Federation of American Football All-Stars. [7] [8] [9]

Year Home Away Venue City Attendance Ref
2021 ELF All Stars 26 US Federation All Stars 8 Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark Germany Berlin, Germany [10] [11]

Attendance

As of September 5, 2021 [12] [E]

Games without fans are not counted in averages or games played. All teams started the season with capacity restrictions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[ citation needed]

Rank Team GP Total High Low Average
1 Wrocław Panthers 5 18,000 4,500 3,000 3,600
2 Frankfurt Galaxy 5 10,600 2,800 1,500 2,120
3 Leipzig Kings 5 10,362 2,380 1,727 2,072
4 Hamburg Sea Devils 5 8,263 1,800 1,600 1,653
5 Stuttgart Surge 5 7,143 1,998 750 1,429
6 Cologne Centurions 4 4,666 2,500 333 1,167
7 Barcelona Dragons 5 5,815 1,386 775 1,163
8 Berlin Thunder 4 3,655 1,325 400 914
 – Total 38 68,504 4,500 333 1,803

Awards

MVP of the Week

Week Player Position Team Stat Source
1 Lukas O'Connor United States QB Wrocław Panthers 27/38, 302 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int 1
2 Madre London United States RB Cologne Centurions 352 Yds, 4 TD 2
3 Seantavius Jones United States WR Berlin Thunder 9 Rec, 155 Yds, 3 TD 3
4 Jakeb Sullivan United States QB Frankfurt Galaxy 18/25, 270 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int 4
5 Justin Rogers United States CB Hamburg Sea Devils 2 Punt return TD, 1 Int 5
6 Jean Constant United States WR Barcelona Dragons 10 Rec, 164 Yds, 3 TD 6
7 Madre London United States (2) RB Cologne Centurions 320 Yds, 4 TD 7
8 Zack Edwards United States QB Barcelona Dragons 20/45, 454 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int, 2 Rush TD 8
9 Joshua Poznanski Germany DB Frankfurt Galaxy 2 Int, 2 return TD, 93 return Yds, 4 Tackles 9
10 Michael Birdsong United States QB Leipzig Kings 16/25, 189 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int 10
11 Madre London United States (3) RB Cologne Centurions 154 Yds, 1 Rush TD, 1 Rec TD 11
12 Moritz Johannknecht Germany QB Frankfurt Galaxy 23/31, 255 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int, 1 Rush TD 12

Honors for the season

On 1. October 2021 the "ELF Honors" were presented at RCADIA Hotel in Hamburg. The following players received the awards mentioned below: [13] [14]

  • Most Valuable Player: Madre London, Running back, Cologne Centurions
  • Offensive Player of the Year: Jakeb Sullivan, Quarterback, Frankfurt Galaxy
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Kitchens, Defensive End, Leipzig Kings
  • Special Teams Player of the Year: Phillip Friis Andersen, Kicker / Punter, Hamburg Sea Devils
  • Rookie of the Year: Louis Geyer, Wide Receiver, Stuttgart Surge
  • Coach of the Year: Thomas Kösling, Head coach, Frankfurt Galaxy
  • Offensive Rookie of the Year: Gerald Ameln, Running back, Frankfurt Galaxy
  • Defensive Rookie of the Year: Marcel Dabo, Cornerback, Stuttgart Surge
  • Assistant Coach of the Year: Kendral Ellison, Defensive Coordinator, Hamburg Sea Devils
  • Man of Honor: Jan Weinreich, Quarterback, Cologne Centurions

Statistical leaders

As of September 12, 2021 [15]
Category Player Position Team GP Stat
Passing
Yards Lukas O'Connor United States QB Wrocław Panthers 11 3198
Touchdowns Lukas O'Connor United States QB Wrocław Panthers 11 28
Jakeb Sullivan United States QB Frankfurt Galaxy 10 28
Completions Lukas O'Connor United States QB Wrocław Panthers 11 259
Completion percentage Jakeb Sullivan United States QB Frankfurt Galaxy 10 66.5%
Rushing
Yards Madre London United States RB Cologne Centurions 10 2177
Touchdowns Madre London United States RB Cologne Centurions 10 23
Yards per attempt Madre London United States RB Cologne Centurions 10 7.2
Receiving
Yards Jean Constant United States WR Barcelona Dragons 10 1038
Touchdowns Seantavius Jones United States WR Berlin Thunder 10 12
Timothy Knüttel Germany WR Leipzig Kings 10 12
Receptions Jean Constant United States WR Barcelona Dragons 10 74
Yards per reception Seantavius Jones United States WR Berlin Thunder 10 16.9
Defensive
Sacks Kyle Kitchens United States LB Leipzig Kings 10 12.5
Tackles Wael Nasri France LB Berlin Thunder 10 141
Interceptions Joshua Poznanski Germany DB Frankfurt Galaxy 11 5
Andy Vera Spain DB Barcelona Dragons 8 5
Justin Rogers United States DB Hamburg Sea Devils 11 5

Signees to other professional leagues

The following players invited to the NFL's International Combine, assigned to NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), signed or drafted by CFL team or signed with USFL team following their involvement with The ELF in 2021: [16] [17] [18]

NFL

Player Position ELF team NFL team
Aslan Zetterberg DL Leipzig Kings International Combine
Jan-Philipp Bombek DL Hamburg Sea Devils International Combine
Adedayo Odeleye DL Berlin Thunder Houston Texans (IPPP)
Jai-Albert Jackson DL Stuttgart Surge International Combine
Lance Leota DL Leipzig Kings International Combine
Wael Nasri LB Berlin Thunder International Combine
Marcel Dabo DB Stuttgart Surge Indianapolis Colts (IPPP)
Yoshihito Omi WR Leipzig Kings International Combine
Fabian Kratz OL Cologne Centurions International Combine
Jan-Hendrik Hoffmeyer OL Frankfurt Galaxy International Combine
Yannic Kiehl OL Frankfurt Galaxy International Combine
Max Bruder OL Leipzig Kings International Combine
John-Levi Kruse TE Hamburg Sea Devils International Combine
Igor Mašlanka TE Panthers Wrocław International Combine

CFL

The following players signed with a CFL team:

Player Position ELF team CFL team
Anthony Mahoungou WR Frankfurt Galaxy Ottawa Redblacks
Keanu Ebanks OL Panthers Wrocław Calgary Stampeders
Seantavius Jones WR Leipzig Kings Ottawa Redblacks

The following players got drafted in the CFL's Global draft:

Player Position ELF team CFL team Pick
Karlis Brauns DL Panthers Wrocław BC Lions 3
Marcel Dabo DB Stuttgart Surge BC Lions 16
John-Levi Kruse FB Hamburg Sea Devils BC Lions 21
Otavio Amorim OL Berlin Thunder Toronto Argonauts 22

USFL

Player Position ELF team USFL team
Madre London RB Cologne Centurions Pittsburgh Maulers
Kolin Hill DE Berlin Thunder New Jersey Generals
KaVontae Turpin WR Panthers Wrocław New Jersey Generals
Dartez Jacobs S Cologne Centurions New Orleans Breakers
Dale Warren LB Stuttgart Surge Pittsburgh Maulers

Broadcasting

Region Broadcaster
Germany ProSieben MaxxranSport

More Than Sports TV

Spain Esport3
Worldwide ELF Gamepass

Notes

  1. ^ First two home games of the season
  2. ^ Last three home games of the season
  3. ^ First three home games of the season
  4. ^ Last two home games of the season
  5. ^ The attendances for Leipzig - Cologne (July 4), Hamburg - Berlin (July 11), Berlin - Wroclaw (July 18), Hamburg - Barcelona (July 31), Cologne - Wroclaw (Aug 1), Leipzig - Berlin (Aug 1), Hamburg - Wroclaw (Aug 22) and Berlin - Barcelona (Aug 22) haven't been announced

References

  1. ^ "Neues Hamburger Footballteam spielt im Stadion Hoheluft" (in German). Hamburger Abendblatt. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Centurions im Halbfinale" (in German). Football-Aktuell. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  3. ^ "ELF: Hamburg Sea Devils release HC Ted Daisher". americanfootballinternational.com. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "Hamburg Sea Devils: Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator found!". europeanleague.football. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "European League Updates". Archived from the original on 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  6. ^ "Ladies and gentlemen, the champion of the first season will be determined in Sportstadt Düsseldorf on the 26 September!" (in German). 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  7. ^ "European League of Football All-Star Game". 13 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Roster of the US Federation National Team Revealed".
  9. ^ "European League Of Football All-Star Game Rosters".
  10. ^ "The European League of Football All-Stars win over the US Federation National Team".
  11. ^ "ELF All-Stars down hodge-podge US Federation team in defensive affair".
  12. ^ "European League of Football - past games". Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  13. ^ Tim Hanswillemenke: European League of Football Honors 2021 powered by Project Pixxl. In: europeanleague.football. 1. October 2021, retrieved 1. October 2021 .
  14. ^ "European League Of Football Honors 2021".
  15. ^ "European League of Football - player stats". Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  16. ^ "Four players added to AFC South rosters for 2022 season through NFL International Player Pathway program". May 3, 2022.
  17. ^ "Why The XFL Should Embrace The European League Of Football". June 4, 2022.
  18. ^ "Germany's Marcel Dabo shines at London NFL International Combine". October 10, 2021.
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