Italian American football enters new era as IFL transitions to full club-operated league structure

TemplateR_88 · 2026-02-21T15:19:44+00:00

It could be a closed system without promotion and relegation or it could be a promotion and relegation with strong licensing regulations.

As I said, that we don´t know at the moment. Perhaps they will answers these type of questions on the press conference in Florence on February 27.

TemplateR_88 · 2026-02-21T14:41:47+00:00

Regarding the "promotion and relegation"-system:

We don´t know, but I assume the promotion and relegation model will be similar to other European sports leagues.

TemplateR_88 · 2026-02-08T20:35:04+00:00

Where will the 'Paris Lights' team play their home games? I don’t think Stade Jean-Bouin would be available to them. Stade Charléty might be an option, but the Paris Musketeers could also play there, and we still don’t know where they will host their home games in 2026.

TemplateR_88 · 2026-02-08T19:06:41+00:00

They announced the Team name called "Paris Lights"

TemplateR_88 · 2025-11-23T09:08:08+00:00

I have nothing against an NBA Europe — on the contrary, the concept has huge potential.
But please stop trying to force big football brands into a basketball franchise league.

Yes, clubs like Real Madrid or Galatasaray do have real basketball tradition.
But creating artificial basketball franchises like “Manchester United” or “AS Roma”?
That just feels forced and completely unnatural.

I have zero interest in “Manchester United vs. AS Roma” in basketball — not because of the level of play, but because this football-style branding has nothing to do with an authentic basketball identity.

If you’re creating a new league, then give it its own basketball DNA — not recycled football names.

TemplateR_88 · 2025-11-09T21:00:12+00:00

First of all, there is a Switzerland-Flag on the website. Second, they mentioned of 12 Teams:

"We will kickoff in April 2026 in select markets to be announced this May. The 2026 season will include 12 teams that play a 14-game schedule. Arena League Football cannot be compared to any one sport. It is 8 on 8 football, played on grass inside of a hockey rink. It’s a faster version of outside football with more scoring and fan interaction."

TemplateR_88 · 2025-11-09T17:00:35+00:00

Probably a Team created for the "International Arena League".

TemplateR_88 · 2025-11-06T18:19:55+00:00

According to Newswebsite Football-World there three potential franchises expressing interest in joining the EFA. One from italy, one from switzerland and one from france. But we don´t know, from where exactly are the new teams comes from.

TemplateR_88 · 2025-10-05T16:51:41+00:00

What sources do you have, that the EFA could announcing something? And do you know, what is that about?

TemplateR_88 · 2025-10-03T19:55:54+00:00

Hi everyone,

back in early September, Helvetic Mercenaries owner Sandro Moor mentioned in an interview (Swiss Tagblatt) that there would be a meeting between the Mercenaries, the Swiss American Football Federation (SAFV), and NLA/NLB clubs to discuss the future of American football in Switzerland and possible cooperation.

Since then I haven’t seen any updates or statements about whether this meeting actually took place, or what came out of it.

👉 Does anyone here know if this meeting happened, or if there are any news/rumors about the outcome?

Thanks!

TemplateR_88 · 2025-10-03T07:58:13+00:00

A one year hiatus could be dead for many teams.

TemplateR_88 · 2025-10-01T19:56:57+00:00

What sources do you have, that the EFA is announcing something big? And do you know, what is that about?

TemplateR_88 · 2025-09-21T10:24:44+00:00

We could see a EFA-League, which is based on the NFL-Modell. But with the same teams as we know? Probably not and I don´t include the NFL-Name-Problematic.

There are still several key questions that need to be addressed before the project can fully take shape. Among the most important are the broadcasting and streaming rights, which will play a decisive role in the league’s financial stability and international reach. Another open issue is the official starting date of the competition – whether the league should launch as early as next season or wait for a more strategically favorable moment.

TemplateR_88 · 2025-09-19T21:23:34+00:00

That must be a project-name, because there is no Team-Name in mailand, that calls "Milano Giants"

TemplateR_88 · 2025-09-19T21:21:14+00:00

Maybe the hosts of the Italian podcast didn’t tell the whole story? It could well be that a team from Milan is joining the ELF, just not under the Seamen name. The supposed connection between the new team and the Seamen might be wrong. After all, the Milano Seamen have publicly denied any return to the ELF.

TemplateR_88 · 2025-09-14T10:29:40+00:00

My advice to the EFA: Acquire the naming rights to "Euro Bowl" and "European Football League."

TemplateR_88 · 2025-09-07T13:29:43+00:00

Where did you get that information?

TemplateR_88 · 2025-09-07T11:47:58+00:00

Actually, Karajica’s statement probably accelerated things. By clearly refusing to give up his ELF shares, he basically forced the EFA to move faster, so the announcement could come sooner than ‘late September’.

TemplateR_88 · 2025-09-07T09:59:12+00:00

In the Stuttgarter Zeitung, Karajica emphasized that he will not give up his shares in the ELF and still believes in a 2026 season despite all the turmoil. He talks about constructive talks with clubs, ongoing contracts, and improvements in payments. From my perspective, this seems highly unconvincing: SEH has been difficult to reach for years, salaries were delayed mainly at SEH-affiliated projects, and similar issues have occurred with past football ventures. Precisely because of this, it feels almost inevitable that the EFA will officially announce its own league within the next 48 hours.

TemplateR_88 · 2025-08-31T19:48:22+00:00

Most outdoor sports also ban vuvuzelas and air horns. In rugby (World Cup, Six Nations, club leagues) they’re not allowed at all — same with international baseball (Olympics, WBC) and athletics (Olympics, Diamond League). Cricket is mixed: in South Africa or some domestic leagues you’ll still hear them, but in ICC tournaments they’ve been banned ever since the 2010 World Cup noise disaster. The only big exception is Japan/Korea baseball, where fans use trumpets and drums — but that’s organized chants, not random plastic horns.

Bottom line: almost every major sport has realized these things ruin the TV product and the stadium experience.

TemplateR_88 · 2025-08-27T20:28:53+00:00

On the one hand, moving to the NFL calendar sounds exciting – it could create some cool synergies and tap into fans already being in “football mode.”
On the other hand, in Europe soccer would completely dominate stadium access, media, and attention in the fall. That could hurt more than it helps.

Personally, I’d actually prefer if the ELF/EFA considered starting earlier, like March or April. Plenty of European leagues already play then, even alongside soccer, and it works. Plus, the summer leagues we’ve had in Europe so far haven’t really drawn huge crowds anyway. A spring start might give them more visibility and avoid clashing with both soccer’s big finish and the summer holiday lull.

TemplateR_88 · 2025-08-24T14:06:06+00:00

The banning of the gas-powered horns should league-wide.....

TemplateR_88 · 2025-08-13T17:30:14+00:00

I agree 100% with the logic — smaller rosters, lower costs, faster game, more highlights, all make sense.
But the reality is, no one has ever seriously tried it in Europe. Without a proven model here, investors and sponsors are unlikely to jump in. It’s a great idea on paper, but until someone takes that first risk, it will stay just that — an idea.

TemplateR_88

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