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The AFLE Conundrum
American Football continues to make news with our friends across the pond, and there is a lot to cover this offseason. Shortly after the end of the 2025 European League of Football (ELF) season, there was an outcry from ownership for better transparency and a more democratic style of league management.
Team owners became frustrated with ELF CEO Zeljko Karajica at the helm. Money was not coming in, sponsors were not paying up, and the entire league reeked of a potential coll
Dec 19, 2025


British University American Football - Mid Season Report
So, as we reach the halfway point of the British University American Football season as Week 8 has come to a close, what better time to look back on the first seven weeks of BUCS American and highlight the teams that have surprised us and those whose first half of the season has left us bewildered.
National Premiership:
When comparing the 25/26 and 24/25 seasons in the National Premiership, there are some striking similarities. Leeds Beckett struggles to maintain the grip
Dec 13, 2025


News You Can Use – IFL Edition #5
This fifth issue of our monthly magazine dedicated to Italian football has a lot on the table, from the National Tackle team's final match of the calendar year to the presentation of the new Italian Football League.
There's a lot of news to report, especially regarding the IFL sidelines, with both confirmed players and new arrivals.
Italy loses against Canada in Milan, losing the first Gridiron Nations Championship
On November 9th, Italy and Canada took to the field at the
Dec 5, 2025


Superserien Offseason: News You Can Use #3
BLACK KNIGHTS RE-SIGN COACHES MUTIC ANS ISAACSON
The Örebro Black Knights have extended their HC Branko Mutic throughout the 2026 season.
Last year’s Coach of the Year is coming off the back of a stellar campaign that saw the Black Knights compete for the #1 seed up until the final week of the season, where they lost to the eventual champion Carlstad Crusaders.
Mutic, who is also the Offensive Line Coach for the swedish national team and a former Offensive Lineman himself,
Nov 21, 2025


What Is the Future of Pro Football in Europe? - EFA Members Clash on Key Issues
Out of the ashes of the ELF, the European Football Alliance (EFA) is beginning to rise but not without problems. The new organization aims to become the face of professional American football in Europe following five seasons of the European League of Football (ELF).
Has Anyone Heard from the ELF?
The European League of Football seems to be fading quietly into an unceremonious end. Rumors suggest the league has accumulated more than €5 million in debt and hasn’t paid reve
Nov 19, 2025


BUCS Scottish Tier 1 – Week 5 Power Rankings
1. Edinburgh Napier Knights (2-0)
Last year's Scottish champions have continued true-to-form this year so far. A big 35-0 win in week 2 over Stirling cemented the Knights as contenders once again, with a well-rounded offensive performance leading the way. They added a second shutout last weekend, with a 53-0 victory against Heriot-Watt.
Napier’s offense has an arsenal of weapons at its disposal, from the veteran offensive line to a number of under-19 graduates in the receiv
Nov 14, 2025
OTHER NEWS


UNION JACK CLASSIC
Wembley Stadium has staged just about everything football has to offer. On Saturday, it added another chapter to its history: College Football. Kansas and Arizona State crossed the Atlantic for a Week 3 matchup that brought the sights, sounds and spectacle of a fall Saturday in America to the heart of London.
LONDON BECOMES THE CENTER OF EUROPEAN FOOTBALL
For one Saturday in September, London became the center of the College Football world.
The British capital is hardly a
5 days ago


The Pioneers: NFL Europe and the League That Dared to Cross an Ocean
Long before the NFL played regular season games in London, Munich, or Madrid, it tried something far bolder: building entire professional franchises on European soil.
In July 1989, NFL owners approved the creation of the World League of American Football, a genuinely transatlantic experiment and the first time the league had ever tried to plant a professional, developmental version of itself outside North America. When the WLAF kicked off on March 23, 1991, ten teams took th
6 days ago


Italian Football League News You Can Use #1
With the conclusion of the tackle football seasons in Italy, "News You Can Use" - the most beloved and imitated column - returns to First Down Mag, bringing you all the latest updates on Italian football.
From the first to the third division, and from North to South, here is everything you need to know about roster moves and the latest news from the world of Italian gridiron.
Here is the first batch of news from the Italian football scene. Enjoy the read.
Cameren Grodhaus
7 days ago


İTÜ HORNETS — INTERVIEW WITH HEAD COACH AHMET ÖZMEN
We've now won four championships in the university league, and in that arena we've long been a college team playing football at the very top level. In past years, though, as a club we struggled to carry that success over to the pro league. Even though the 2022 pro semifinal was a huge blow for us, I'd say it was the game that fueled our ambition and made us more determined than any other. But reducing the four championships won over the last two years — across both the pro an
Sep 15


2026 GFL Power Rankings — Week 18 Update
Biggest Takeaway
As the GFL season moves toward the postseason, the league has started to separate into clear tiers. At the top, three teams have consistently looked like the strongest championship threats.
Dresden Monarchs/Potsdam Royals/Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns
The Dresden Monarchs, Potsdam Royals, and Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns have separated themselves from the rest of the GFL.
These are clearly the three strongest teams in the league and the teams best positioned to ma
Sep 11


BELICHICK’S TAR HEELS WIN THE AER LINGUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL CLASSIC
DUBLIN DRESSES UP FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL AGAIN
Throughout the week, Dublin’s streets were dressed in TCU purple and unmistakable Carolina Blue, and long before kickoff it felt as though the Horned Frogs held a slight advantage in the stands.
Close to 10,000 fans had travelled from Texas, filling the pubs of Temple Bar and much of the city centre with TCU colours. In total, more than 14,000 supporters made the trip from the United States for this year’s Classic. Fewer than in
Sep 4


FLORIAN BIERBAUMER INTERVIEW - “Seikovits and I played rock-paper-scissors to decide…”
“Seikovits and I played rock-paper-scissors to decide…”
Florian Bierbaumer is one of the star players of the Vienna Vikings. The Graz native, who carries the nickname “Cheat Code”, recently had to take an enforced break due to an ankle injury but used the time to try out new things alongside his recovery.
The former NFL hopeful looked back on his AFLE season so far exclusively with First Down Magazine, spoke about his experience as a co-commentator, his collaboration with f
Aug 13


IFL Teams Get Their Grades!
With the IFL having wrapped up its 2026 season about a month ago — featuring the Guelfi Firenze victory over the Panthers Parma in Ferrara—the final bell has rung, and it is time to grade the teams in the top league.
This article reviews the season for the nine teams competing in the First Division of Italian Football.
Which teams made the grade, which ones have work to do before the new term, and which ones failed?
Guelfi Firenze: A
The Italian Football League’s model te
Aug 6


SUPERSERIEN TAKEAWAYS 2026
Tyresö gets it’s championship
After a lot of years of being the dark horse to win the prestigious SM-Guld, the Tyresö Royal Crowns can finally call themselves Champions of Sweden upsetting #1 seed Carlstad and #3 seed Stockholm in the semis and final respectively.
This team had arguably no weakness and only finished in the #4 seed by having a game overturned and losing to both SMM and Calrstad with only one score each during the regular season.
While the semi against the C
Jul 16
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