top of page
BREAKING NEWS
TOP HEADLINES
NLA Power Rankings after 2026 Season
1. Bern Grizzlies (Swiss Bowl Champs)
Undefeated champions! For the first time since 2022, the capital takes home the championship. After two rebuilding years in 2023 and 2024, Bern went all in this season, and it paid off. Nolan O‘Leary has been the best WR in the league alongside MVP frontrunner Angel “Money” Mata and veteran superstar QB Aaron Ellis. The defense is still elite, led by Tim Hänni, Dominik Liechti, and Andreas Buri.
2. Calanda Broncos (Vice Champs)
The Euro
Jul 17
NLA Power Rankings after Week 9
1. Bern Grizzlies (6-0) +1
Bern has won every difficult game on its schedule: one game against Calanda and two against Basel. They should easily finish the regular season undefeated and are a 90% lock for the Swiss Bowl. Ellis is the frontrunner for the MVP title. O‘Leary and Studer are the most explosive receiver duo this season.
2. Calanda Broncos (6-1) -1
The Broncos’ unbeaten streak in Switzerland came to an end after losing in Bern. They are still the heavy favorites,
May 28
Swiss NLA Power Rankings update
1. Calanda Broncos (4-0)
The Broncos are 4–0 going into their first bye week. They won their first big test against Basel and, while winning every game, some performances were too close for Calanda standards. The Bern Grizzlies seem to be their biggest contender as of now.
2. Bern Grizzlies (3-0) +1
Bern had a statement win against the Basel Gladiators! The explosive offense around new signal caller Aaron Ellis and receivers Nolan O‘Leary and Xavier Studer is fun to watch.
Apr 24
Swiss NLA Power Ranking - Week 0
1. Calanda Broncos (1-0)
The Broncos are one of only two teams that played this week (75–0 win vs. Zurich). Calanda is still the team to beat and, while Max Gray is not replaceable, they remain the favorites to four-peat and are also contenders for the CEFL. Alpine Häns standout wide receiver Ismael Schmid is a great addition. Swiss QB Robin Sennrich only continues to improve.
2. Basel Gladiators (0-0)
The vice champs have the best WR corps and the best secondary in the le
Mar 26
Swiss NLA - Week 12 Power Rankings
1st. Calanda Broncos
The Calanda Broncos remain undefeated in both the NLA and the CEFL, securing their second consecutive CEFL Final appearance. Concerns about injuries to star players appear to be fading, as the team is getting healthy just in time for the crucial stretch of the season.
2nd. Basel Gladiators
The Gladiators look like the clear favorites, alongside the Broncos, to reach the Swiss Bowl. Basel has already clinched home-field advantage for the semifinal, with
Jun 12, 2025
Swiss NLA – Week 8 Power Rankings
1st. Calanda Broncos:
The Calanda Broncos remain the gold standard in Swiss football. A dominant win in the CEFL quarterfinal against the Wild Boars is further fueling hopes for a championship double. Max Gray is currently the favorite for the MVP award. Head Coach Geoff Buffum is once again the frontrunner for Head Coach of the Year. Robin Sennrich also seems to be fully healthy again.
May 13, 2025
Swiss NLA Week 5 Power Rankings
1st. Calanda Broncos
The Broncos won with a statement win in the top duel against Basel. With a 48-6 win, the highly anticipated top game never got exciting. And Chur did it all with backup QB Max Gray, who scored two passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. DB Patrick Grand had a pick six and another interception. The Broncos confirmed their role as favorites for the season. It remains to be seen how long starting QB Robin Sehnlich will be out. The CEFL campaign wi
Apr 23, 2025
Swiss NLA Week 3 Powerrankings
We've been through 3 weeks of the Swiss NLA regular season, an update to the Power Ranking was due and so here it is! Give it a read go on!
Apr 9, 2025
Swiss NLA - Preseason Power Ranking
The Swiss NLA kicks off in a little more than a week, here's the preseason powerranking for all of you who want to get involved with it!
Mar 19, 2025
OTHER NEWS
The Italian Football League Kicks Off Its 2027 Season in Bologna
On October 4th, at The Social Hub in Bologna, the Italian Football League began preparations for the upcoming 2027 season with a press conference and a league meeting that offered a preview of the league's new year.
In the presence of the press and top figures in Italian football, the new season of the country's premier league was launched, featuring numerous new developments and the announcement of several partnerships.
What new developments and challenges will the IFL fac
1 day ago
Andrew Weidinger - The Head Coach of the London Guard
Starting his coaching career at The University of Arizona in 2000, Andrew Weidinger has been everywhere, and then some, on his path to becoming EFA London’s Head Coach.
"Like every kid who has ever put the pads on, all I ever wanted to do was play in the NFL. Then I managed to crack a vertebrae when I was in high school and couldn’t play anymore, which got me interested in coaching. I was very fortunate to have a lot of great opportunities and work with a lot of great people
4 days ago
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
Sep 24
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
Sep 23
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
Sep 22
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
bottom of page