The European Football Alliance (EFA), previously introduced as the ELF Franchise Association, has been formally established by eight of Europe’s leading professional American football clubs: Frankfurt Galaxy, Rhein Fire, Madrid Bravos, Paris Musketeers, Tirol Raiders, Vienna Vikings, Prague Lions, and Wroclaw Panthers.
This alliance was formed with a shared mission: to raise the quality, sustainability, and visibility of tackle football throughout Europe. By fostering collaboration, sharing resources, and promoting best practices, the EFA seeks to build stronger clubs, engage communities more deeply, and ensure the sport’s long-term success on the continent.
While the EFA welcomes the recently announced investors in the European League of Football and remains open to constructive dialogue, it is also necessary to express serious concerns about ongoing shortcomings in the league’s operations. Since its inception, the ELF has suffered from persistent issues—poor communication, a lack of transparency, financial mismanagement, and underperforming centralized functions in areas such as merchandise, marketing, travel, and media.
In any franchise system, success depfinishs on a robust transfer of knowledge and operational support from the franchisor to its franchises. To date, that support has been largely absent. As a result, clubs have been left to operate indepfinishently, with little guidance or assistance from league leadership.
Despite these challenges, many clubs have managed to grow and succeed on their own. However, the EFA is increasingly concerned about the state of certain teams directly owned or financially supported by the league or its affiliates. These teams have consistently underperformed both on and off the field, with some cases raising alarming questions about player safety, financial solvency, and the professionalism of game-day operations. The growing frequency of lopsided, non-competitive matchups undermines the credibility of the league and threatens its long-term appeal to fans, sponsors, and media partners alike.
Above all, the EFA remains focutilized on the fans. The rising demand for American football in Europe—reflected most visibly in the popularity of NFL events—demonstrates the sport’s immense potential. EFA member clubs are committed to protecting that potential by delivering exciting, high-quality football rooted in their communities. We believe our supporters deserve a league that matches their passion, operates with integrity, and consistently strives for excellence.
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