The ELF – Eurpean League of Football announced today, Wednesday, the final division of the conferences for the coming 2024 season. The Raiders Tirol play in the Central Conference, but will meet their long-term rivals Vienna Vikings again in the interconference games.
TYROL. The European League of Football (ELF) is in the preparation phase. The players for the teams are contracted Conferences set. Some tickets for the games in the coming 2024 season are already available to buy.
Was ist die European League of Football – ELF?
It was already announced in autumn 2020 that one European American Football League should be founded. Just a few months later, the first players joined the newly founded league. At that time, a total of eight teams started their first ELF season. In the next two seasons the ELF grew to a total of 16 teams. The Raiders Tirol had their first ELF franchise in the 2022 season. The 2023 season originally began with 17 teams. However, the Leipzig Kings stopped playing in the ELF in July. According to the company’s own statements, the main sponsor dropped out and donors were difficult to find. In addition, the audience interest was not very great.
Teams from across Europe
From the beginning, most of the teams in this American football league came from Germany. However, since then there has been increasing interest in other countries to take part in the ELF with their teams. For example, the two teams from Austria, the Vienna Vikings and the Raiders Tirol, were there for the first time in the 2022 season. Teams from Spain, Hungary, Switzerland, Poland, France, Italy and the Czech Republic took part in the 2023 season. Over time, the ELF will be increased to a total of 24 teams. Another Spanish team, the Madrid Bravos, will be there for the 2024 season.
The game mode at the ELF
An ELF season consists of a regular season and the playoffs. There are 14 game days in the regular season. The three winners from each conference and the three best teams from the regular season are qualified for the playoffs. There will be a wildcard round before the teams can advance to the semi-finals. This mode led to an exciting calculation task in the 2023 ELF season as to whether the Raiders Tirol could make it into the playoffs or not. After the semi-finals, the winner of the respective ELF season will be announced in the ELF Championship, the final. The 2024 Championship Game will take place on September 22nd in Gelsenkirchen (Germany) at the home of the traditional football club FC Schalke 04.
The previous ELF finalists
In the first European League of Football 2021, the two German American football teams faced off in Düsseldorf Frankfurt Galaxy and the Hamburg Sea Devils opposite. Frankfurt Galaxy emerged as winners with 32:30. In the 2022 season they achieved Raiders Tirol the semi-finals. Here they met the Hamburg Sea Devils, who won this semi-final. The Hamburg team then met in the final Vienna Vikings. They won their first ELF franchise with 27:15 points. In 2023, two German teams met again in Duisburg: Rhein Fire won against them Stuttgart Surge with 53:34.
ELF 2024 – Three conferences again
In the first season the games were played in two conferences and from the second season onwards in three conferences. A conference roughly corresponds to a geographical division. The 2024 season will again be played with an Eastern, Central and Western Conference. Next summer there will be 17 teams from nine nations on the field again.
Each American football team initially plays against all teams from its own conference. The game is played once in the home stadium and once away, in the opponent’s stadium. There are six teams each in the Western and Central Conferences. This results in 12 games in each of their own conferences. However, the Eastern Conference only consists of five teams. Here too, every team in the conference plays against every team in the same conference – with a home and away game.
In addition, all Eastern Conference teams must play against two teams from the Western or Central Conference. So, all Western and Central Conference teams will play against a team from the Eastern Conference. Here, too, the game is played once in your own stadium and once in the opponent’s stadium.
The conferences and the inter-conference games
With the Raiders Tirol being placed in the Central Conference, not much has changed in terms of opponents for the Tyroleans compared to last season. In the interconference games there will be a traditional clash with long-term rivals Vienna Vikings.
“The RAIDERS Tirol still have unfinished business, especially with the Stuttgart and Viennese teams. They had to admit defeat against the Surge twice last season, and against the Vikings they are still waiting for their first win in the European League Football”
said the Raiders Tirol on their homepage
Western Conference
- Rhein Fire
- Cologne Centurions
- Frankfurt Galaxy
- Hamburg Sea Devils
- Madrid Braves
- Paris Musketeers
Central Conference
- Barcelona Dragons
- Helvetic Guards
- Milan Seamen
- Raiders Tirol
- Munich Ravens
- Stuttgart Surge
Eastern Conference
- Berlin Thunder
- Fehérvár Enthroners (Hungary)
- Prague Lions (Czech Republic)
- Vienna Vikings
- Wrocław Panthers (Poland)
Inter-conference games
Since the Eastern Conference only has five teams, inter-conference games are as follows:
- Berlin Thunder – Paris Musketeers and Rhein Fire
- Fehérvár Enthroners – Cologne Centurions and Milano Seamen
- Prague Lions – Hamburg Sea Devils and Munich Ravens
- Vienna Vikings – Helvetic Guards und Raiders Tirol
- Wrocław Panthers – Frankfurt Galaxy and Stuttgart Surge
- Barcelona Dragons – Madrid Braves.
The exact schedule of the European League of Football will then be announced in early 2024. Tickets for the coming season can already be purchased now.
more on the subject
ELF – the field of participants for 2024 is set – Raiders are there again
Further articles about the Raiders Tirol
2023-11-29 15:08:59
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