Fifth Season of European League Of Football Begins
By Peter Mann
Formed in late 2020, we are now into the fifth season of the European League of Football (E.L.F), the European continents gridiron tournament which, since its incarnation, runs throughout the summer months.
Running from late-May/early-June, through to early-September each year, that first season kicked off in Wroclaw, Poland, the hosting Wroclaw Panthers defeating visitors Cologne Centurions 55-39 in an exciting, entertaining opener.
Both franchises are still involved as season five kicked off in earnest this past weekend in a tournament which now has four franchises in four divisions throughout the regular season, before the play-off kick in.
This season, the 2025 campaign, would see the following line-ups ahead of the mid-May beginning –
NORTH: Berlin Thunder, Hamburg Sea Devils, Nordic Storm, Rhien Fire
WEST: Cologne Centurions, Frankfurt Galaxy, Paris Musketeers, Stuttgart Surge
SOUTH: Helvetic Mercenaries, Madrid Bravos, Munich Ravens, Tirol Raiders
EAST: Fehervar Enthroners, Prague Lions, Vienna Vikings, Wroclaw Panthers
Over fourteen weeks, sixteen franchises from nine nations will compete for a shot at the play-offs, and ultimately, the E.L.F. Championship; and over the coming weeks, and months, along with some tit-bits from around the league, The Touchdown NFL will look at ‘Five in Five’ in the league’s fifth season.
NORDIC STORM – There’s no better place to start than with the league’s newcomers, the Scandinavian expansion franchise that caused waves over the off-season, Denmark-based Nordic Storm.
Led by former NFL quarterback coach, Jon Shoop, the Storm blew a hole in their opening opposition, romping to a 56-12 success in Switzerland’s Lidl Arena, against the Helvetic Mercenaries, on Sunday night.
The Storm went score-crazy during both the second and fourth quarters, amassing high, double figures against their shell-shocked hosts; although it was the hosts who put the first points on the board through Isiaih Weed, Glen Toonga levelled it up.
Jadrian Clark then took over for the Storm for Mikkel Hansen (2-yards), Brendan Beaulieu (18-yards), and journeyman Adrian Botella (5-yards), for a 25-6 interval lead; the two sides traded a TD apiece in the third quarter, Nathan Tompsett with a 41-yard recovery (Mercenaries) and Alexander Kennedy Chaanhing with a 22-yard rushing (Storm), the Storm going into the final quarter leading 31-12.
A 25-point shut-out from the Storm in the fourth saw them romp home, impressively as Clark added another two to his opening day ledger, this time to Botella (7-yards) and Beaulieu (14-yards) second game TDs, and Luke Glenna adding one between; before Anton Witmeur completed the scoring with a 36-yard rushing TD through the middle of the home defense.
LAST SEASON’S FINALISTS BEGIN WITH VICTORIES The 2024 campaign would see Rhein Fire blitz Vienna Vikings for a second successive championship (50-21), thanks on the main to star pairing, Jadrian Clark and Glen Toonga (now with the Storm).
Fast forward eight months, and to the start of the current campaign, and both of last season’s finalists began their respective campaigns with victories, on the road; the Fire edged hosts Paris Musketeers 17-15, a FG and a TD in the fourth giving the defending champions the win.
Meanwhile the Vikings won 28-6 at Prague Lions to get their campaign off to a winning start, only shipping points in the second quarter whilst shutting out their hosts in the other three.
GLEN TOONGA: The 2024 E.L.F MVP as part of a Rhein Fire that comfortably won the Western Conference with a 12-1 record, then proceeded to breeze through the play-offs with three successive victories, against Madrid Bravos, Stuttgart Surge, and the Championship Game against Vienna Vikings, in Gelsenkirchen.
British-born, Toonga began his career with the London Blitz, finishing as a Britbowl runner-up in both 2016 and 2017, before moving to Germany with primary spells coming at Dresden Monarchs, Hamburg Sea Devils, and last season with Rhein Fire; with both the last two franchises, the RB made his powerhouse name.
Toonga shocked Europe this past off-season when, in late-November, it was announced that he and Fire team-mate, Jadrian Clark, had moved to Nordic Storm, with the HC, John Shoop, saying of the signing that;
“Glen Toonga’s production is a direct by-product of his work ethic on and off the field. Glen’s practice and workout habits are a model for all of his teammates. I have had the privilege of knowing Glen since 2022 and his hunger to improve every year is inspiring. I look forward to working alongside Glen to help him become the most complete player he’s capable of being as we lead the Nordic Storm into their inaugural season.”
The RB started of the 2025 season with an impressive showing, notching the Storm’s first score in the E.L.F, a hand-off on 1 and 10 to Toonga saw him burst through the middle, and skip over the Mercenaries line for the score.
GERMANS REIGN AT HOME: A trio of victory for German sides on home turf was witnessed on the opening weekend with Berlin Thunder seeing off compatriots Cologne Centurions 63-14 in the opener, the hosts comfortably easing through all four quarters as Gennadiy Adams crossed twice, including the opener.
Another all-German contest saw Stuttgart Surge see off visitors Frankfurt Galaxy 33-20 in a close encounter, the hosts’ third quarter doing most of the damage in a back-and-forth contest; Reilly Hennessey (Surge) and Sandro Platzgummer (Galaxy) credited with the respective, opening TD scores. Hennessey crossed again himself in the second, before throwing for Jeff Cotton Jnr in the third to keep the Surge ahead. A late TD for Gerald Amein, off Matthew McKay, wrapped up the opening day win.
Then there was Munich Ravens, they winning 20-7 at home to Austrian outfit, Tirol Raiders, the contest not being decided until the fourth when the hosts put up fourteen, unanswered points for the win.
JIM TOMSULA: The experienced HC of Rhein Fire will be looking to ‘do’ (what the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t) and three-peat having won the Championship Game in each of the last two seasons.
Primarily having spent his career as Defensive Line coach, including with the London Monarchs and Scottish Claymores around the turn of the Millenium, Tomsula had an early spell in Germany between 2004 and 2006, before heading Stateside, and the NFL.
Between 2007 and 2020, the Pennsylvanian found himself with that of San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and Dallas Cowboys, again primarily as DL Coach, but for 2010, when he led the 49ers in 2015.
A return to Germany, and the Fire, in 2022, led to a halcyon period for the franchise and has lost just six of near forty matches at the helm – that winning record, standing now at 31-6, increased with their narrow win in Paris on the opening day of the current season.
PETER MANN
NFL ANALYST
PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter