European American Football alarm call

Image: AFI and European Football Alliance

The European Football Alliance (EFA), an association of several American Football franchises from the European League of Football (ELF), is calling for a shake-up in the way the game is run across the continent.

American Football International said the EFA, which includes some of the league’s most traditional and successful organizations, is calling for structural reforms, economic fairness, and genuine transparency.

The EFA was 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.

The EFA said in a statement that it believes in the ELF project. It said, “Our organizations have helped build it over the years and have carried it through difficult conditions. The idea is strong, and the sporting potential is there.

“However, five years after the league’s founding, in reality, operational quality, economic integrity, and the sporting product have at best stagnated and in many areas, they have clearly deteriorated.

“The league and its decision-makers have so far failed to attract, retain, or strategically develop significant sponsors. This is largely due to the poor business reputation and disappointing track record of the league’s senior management.

“As a result, the credibility of the franchises is also negatively impacted, making it more difficult to build long-term partnerships and ensure financial stability.”

The EFA said that despite a growing fanbase, the ELF has not managed to build reliable sponsorship partnerships or to fairly and transparently distribute central revenues.

New franchises have been admitted without proper due diligence, resulting in financial instability and insolvencies.

As a result, sporting competition suffers, players face increased injury risks, and the trust of investors, partners, and fans continues to decline.

It added, “The franchises of the EFA can and will no longer support this course. We demand a fundamental realignment of the league, with real transparency, economic fairness, and structural responsibility.”
 

The EFA demands:

• Full transparency regarding central contracts and revenue streams (TV, sponsors, merchandising)
• A fair, structured participation of franchises in league revenues
• Clear regulations on conflicts of interest and ownership structures
• Mechanisms to support financially weaker franchises
• The development of a partnership-based league structure

 
It added, “Based on the experiences of the past five years, we seriously doubt the current league management’s willingness to engage in meaningful dialogue or initiate the urgently needed steps to improve European football.

“Therefore, the members of the EFA explicitly reserve the right to explore all options that serve the long-term preservation and development of their organizations.”

The EFA said the impression that there is constructive dialogue with the franchises is not accurate. Discussions between the parties remain without result, are delayed, or devalued through vague generalizations. The openness suggested by the ELF does not match the reality faced by the franchises.

Franchises do not receive reliable information on key revenue sources such as TV contracts, sponsorship agreements, or merchandising income. In many cases, revenues are paid out significantly late or not at all, while open claims against franchises remain unresolved.

The ELF said in a statement, “The ELF was founded in 2020 to professionalize football in Europe and to give the sport the stage it deserves. In just five years, we have created structures that never existed in this form before. The ELF has international reach, a strong partner network, and is followed by football fans all over the world.

“On the other hand, the ELF is still a start-up, and it’s inevitable that not everything runs perfectly.”

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