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]
| 2021 ELF season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | European League of Football |
| Sport | American Football |
| Duration | June 19 – September 5 |
| Number of games | 40 + 3 playoff games |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Total attendance | 94,704 |
| Season MVP | Madre London (Cologne Centurions) |
| Division Champions | |
| North Division champions | Hamburg Sea Devils |
| South Division champions | Frankfurt Galaxy |
| 2021 Championship Game | |
| Date | September 26, 2021 |
| Venue | Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf |
| Champions |  Frankfurt Galaxy (1st title) |
| Finals MVP | Jakeb Sullivan (Frankfurt Galaxy) |
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 | Berlin |
Amateurstadion Olympiapark[A] | 5,400 |  Jag Bal | |
| Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark[B] | 19,708 | ||||
| Hamburg Sea Devils | Hamburg |
Stadion Hoheluft | 11,000 | Andreas Nommensen | |
| Leipzig Kings | Leipzig |
Alfred-Kunze-Sportpark | 4,999 |  Fred Armstrong | |
| Wrocław Panthers |  Wrocław |
Olympic Stadium | 11,000 | Kuba Samel | |
| South Division | |||||
| Barcelona Dragons |  Reus |
Estadi Municipal | 4,700 | Adam Rita | |
| Cologne Centurions | Cologne |
Südstadion[C] | 11,748 | Kirk Heidelberg | |
| Ostkampfbahn[D] | 333[2] | ||||
| Frankfurt Galaxy | Frankfurt |
PSD Bank Arena | 12,542 | Thomas Kösling | |
| Stuttgart Surge | Stuttgart |
Gazi-Stadion auf der Waldau | 11,410 | Martin Hanselmann | |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburg Sea Devils | Ted Daisher |
Released[3] | July 6, 2021 | 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
Source: europeanleague.football |
Source: europeanleague.football | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 |
Playoffs
| Division Finals | Championship Game | ||||||||
| N1 | Hamburg Sea Devils
| 30 | |||||||
| N2 | Wrocław Panthers
| 27 | |||||||
| Hamburg Sea Devils
| 30 | ||||||||
| Frankfurt Galaxy
| 32 | ||||||||
| S1 | Frankfurt Galaxy
| 36 | |||||||
| S2 | Cologne Centurions
| 6 | |||||||
Divisional playoffs
South: Frankfurt Galaxy 36, Cologne Centurions 6
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centurions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Galaxy | 14 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 36 |
North: Hamburg Sea Devils 30, Wrocław Panthers 27
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
| Sea Devils | 14 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 30 |
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
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Devils | 7 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
| Galaxy | 0 | 20 | 0 | 12 | 32 |
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]
Attendance
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  | QB | Wrocław Panthers | 27/38, 302 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int | 1 |
| 2 | Madre London | RB | Cologne Centurions | 352 Yds, 4 TD | 2 |
| 3 | Seantavius Jones | WR | Berlin Thunder | 9 Rec, 155 Yds, 3 TD | 3 |
| 4 | Jakeb Sullivan | QB | Frankfurt Galaxy | 18/25, 270 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int | 4 |
| 5 | Justin Rogers | CB | Hamburg Sea Devils | 2 Punt return TD, 1 Int | 5 |
| 6 | Jean Constant | WR | Barcelona Dragons | 10 Rec, 164 Yds, 3 TD | 6 |
| 7 | Madre London (2) | RB | Cologne Centurions | 320 Yds, 4 TD | 7 |
| 8 | Zack Edwards | QB | Barcelona Dragons | 20/45, 454 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int, 2 Rush TD | 8 |
| 9 | Joshua Poznanski  | DB | Frankfurt Galaxy | 2 Int, 2 return TD, 93 return Yds, 4 Tackles | 9 |
| 10 | Michael Birdsong | QB | Leipzig Kings | 16/25, 189 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int | 10 |
| 11 | Madre London (3) | RB | Cologne Centurions | 154 Yds, 1 Rush TD, 1 Rec TD | 11 |
| 12 | Moritz Johannknecht | 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 | QB | Wrocław Panthers | 11 | 3198 |
| Touchdowns | Lukas O'Connor | QB | Wrocław Panthers | 11 | 28 |
| Jakeb Sullivan | QB | Frankfurt Galaxy | 10 | 28 | |
| Completions | Lukas O'Connor | QB | Wrocław Panthers | 11 | 259 |
| Completion percentage | Jakeb Sullivan | QB | Frankfurt Galaxy | 10 | 66.5% |
| Rushing | |||||
| Yards | Madre London | RB | Cologne Centurions | 10 | 2177 |
| Touchdowns | Madre London | RB | Cologne Centurions | 10 | 23 |
| Yards per attempt | Madre London | RB | Cologne Centurions | 10 | 7.2 |
| Receiving | |||||
| Yards | Jean Constant | WR | Barcelona Dragons | 10 | 1038 |
| Touchdowns | Seantavius Jones | WR | Berlin Thunder | 10 | 12 |
| Timothy Knüttel | WR | Leipzig Kings | 10 | 12 | |
| Receptions | Jean Constant | WR | Barcelona Dragons | 10 | 74 |
| Yards per reception | Seantavius Jones | WR | Berlin Thunder | 10 | 16.9 |
| Defensive | |||||
| Sacks | Kyle Kitchens | LB | Leipzig Kings | 10 | 12.5 |
| Tackles | Wael Nasri  | LB | Berlin Thunder | 10 | 141 |
| Interceptions | Joshua Poznanski | DB | Frankfurt Galaxy | 11 | 5 |
Andy Vera  | DB | Barcelona Dragons | 8 | 5 | |
| Justin Rogers | 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
References
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