For 40 years, European football has operated in the shadow of the German Soccer League (GFL). Governed by German American Football Federation (AFVD), its professionalism, size and financial power have made it the pinnacle of sport on the continent.
The peak of league success was in the late 1990s with the 1999 German Bowl with more than 30,000 spectators, approaching and even surpassing many NFL Europe Games.
Following the departure of NFL Europe in 2007, the sport as a whole experienced a “dark age” in Europe depending on attendance, particularly in Germany. As interest in the sport seemed to wane, fan participation at all levels also declined. The collapse of the bridge to the WE and the highest level of sport made the ocean chasm appear that separated the two continents.
It didn’t last forever because in 2016 the GFL began to gain momentum and new transatlantic avenues were formed such as NFL Undiscovered, which eventually turned into NFL International Player Path program in 2017.
Again, the GFL was back on top and growing European game with fresh young talent entering the league. In 2019, the Frankfurt German Bowl attracted more than 20,000 participants, the largest crowd since 2005. With teams like the New York Lions, Frankfurt Universe, Unicorns of Schwäbisch Hall and Kings of Dresden all with deep pockets and playing to sold-out stadiums, the future looked bright for the GFL.
But in 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new pan-European football league – the European Football League (ELF) – announced its formation and its seat was fixed for Hamburg, Germany in what appeared to be a statement move. The driving force behind the new league was the old NFL Europe assistant and GFL head coach Patrick Esume who became the first commissioner of the ELF.
The GFLlike many Europe, greeted this news with pessimism and apprehension. Despite this, in 2020, the GFL engaged in conversation with the ELF but as Dalkowski says ‘due to differing views and priorities, these talks came to nothing. The GFL membership model is one of participation while the ELF operates a fan-based opt-out model.
It was around the same time as the GFL announced that it was forming its own company with the Ligaverbund German Football League and withdraw from under the yolk of the AFVDa process that began in 2016. This seemed to be a clear sign that the GFL and the AFVD also had differing opinions on priorities and direction.
The elves the explosion at the scene closely coincided with the GFL recession. Some of the recent failures of GFLlike the old one AFVD President Robert Huber’s awful exithave nothing to do with ELF; but others like Unicorns of Schwäbisch Hall former head coach The departure of Jordan Neuman for the ELF have everything to do with what Neuman and others see as a lack of direction and innovation on the part of the GFL.
The man currently trying to navigate the maelstrom in front of the GFL acts President of GFL Plank, Carsten Dalkowski. His tenure as president is responsible, in his own words “the organization of the GFL and its various operations as well as the connection to other leagues and associations, in particular the AFVD‘.
Since the formation of GFL Ligaverbundthem GFL reportedly found new partners, a name sponsor and signed a multi-year media deal with a live-streaming company Sportdeutschland.TV. But despite this, their growth pales in comparison to the elves whose media presence and production is unlike anything seen in Europe since the days of NFL Europe. The ELF created a marketable and attractive league and sealed key partnerships with national television, which the GFL could never do.
Dalkowski explains from the GFL point of view how the ELF managed to achieve so much success in a short time:
First, the ELF is obviously capable of investing a lot of money in its own product, especially in anything related to the ELF’s media presence. On the other hand, until now, ELF franchises have had their most important production factor free of charge. These are the German and European players and coaches who have been trained and qualified in the non-profit clubs in Europe.
Without these players and coaches and the work and money these clubs have invested, there would not be a single ELF team capable of playing. This is an obvious conflict that must be resolved in the future. For example, GFL clubs need to invest in their own youth and youth teams on the pitch who also compete. We miss this financial commitment of the ELF to the general sports system.
It’s always up to the club teams to develop the talent
The ELF did little to address their lack of investment in grassroots football. CEO Zeljko Karajica has already mentioned that if the ELF will not have youth teams, the league will strive to initiate a ‘ELF Academy‘ which will ‘give players the opportunity to take the next step’. However, this does not solve the problem of domestic leagues bearing the brunt of financial commitment by supporting youth and lower league teams to develop talent. It also does not address a dilution of product in the field due to more teams, but not an increase in development programs.
Exodus of players
Dalkowski goes on to mention GFL saw a mass exodus of coaches and players. Jordan Neuman, one of GFL the most decorated coaches who led arguably the best team in Europe for years left the Schwäbisch room unicorns for the elves stuttgart Surge. With him went many keys Germans of the team not only for stuttgart but to others ELF teams too. However, the departure of so many players from the most successful and professionally managed clubs Europe to ELFcries of an unrealized level of discontent within GFL ranks.
GFL responds
Dalkowski senses the challenges that await the GFL are triple:
First of all, the impact of the Covid-19 crisis which is still perceptible in many ways. Second, the loss of several solid players and coaches to the ELF. And third, the impact the ELF has had on some GFL or ex-GFL clubs that have had to disband or at least withdraw to the lower leagues. All of this has limited the growth and development of the GFL over the past two years.
However, due to the creation of the Ligaverbund GFL and the way we work with the clubs of this organization, we are very confident that we will see even more progress as I have already mentioned in the next five years.
Dalkowski is the actor President of GFL Plank and should remain positive in dark times. But the sad truth is that, whatever valid criticisms he makes of the ELFat least in its current state, GFL seems to lack the appeal of ELF. In just two years, the ELF has amassed a huge following on social media and secured direct lines of communication with its members and fanbase.
ELF catches up
Although the ELF still has a long way to go to reach the level of GFL at its peak, they make great strides and offer a marketable product to the commercial world. This will pay dividends in the long run as they continue to get more funding and become a professional league in Europe.
As with all organizations, time and growth create a litany of voices pulling in different directions and the founding principles begin to fade. Unfortunately for the GFLthis stagnated growth and left a gaping hole for the ELF to fill. If the GFL want to compete with ELFthey need to make dramatic moves, and quickly.