New Beginnings - A Quick Guide to PFL 2025 (Poland)

While the history of organized American football in Poland can reach as far as 2006, the PFL is a relatively young league which started its functioning in 2021. It came to life as a result of a few rocky years in the Polish American football community. Due to dissatisfaction with the Polish American Football Association (ZFAP), top clubs from PLFA (Polish League of American Football) decided to create a brand new, independent league called LFA in 2017. LFA ceased its operations in 2020, and Panthers Wrocław, present Polish Bowl winners, decided to depart for the ELF. In 2021 PFL came to life, this time held by ZFAP. PFL consisted of three divisions: PFL1, PFL2 and PFL9 (9v9 league) along with PFLJ (Youth league). And after three years, a reform happened once again.

There are no longer three different divisions, but one big league, consisting of all of the clubs that registered to play (excluding PFLJ). In comparison to 6 teams total from PFL1 2024, there are 15 of them now.

PFL 1: Warsaw Eagles, Lowlanders Białystok, Kraków Kings, Silesia Rebels, Warsaw Mets, Jaguars Kąty Wrocławskie

PFL 2: AZS UWM Olsztyn Lakers, Armia Poznań, Dukes Ząbki, Tychy Falcons, Łódzkie Wilki (Łódź), Białe Lwy Gdańsk

PFL 9: Wataha Zielona Góra, Tytani Lublin

Newcomers: Panthers Wrocław

The league will be divided into 2 groups: North and South. During the regular season phase, teams will play 7 games with opponents from their own group and one game with an opponent from another group. Teams from the Southern group will play the second game with the selected team as their seventh game, with the exception of Armia Poznań which will play the second game against a team from the Northern group. Playoffs will consist of 8 teams, four teams from one group each and the ultimate destination, which is the Polish Bowl XX, will take place on July 27th.

Northern group: Warsaw Eagles, Lowlanders Białystok, Warsaw Mets, Dukes Ząbki, Wilki Łódzki, Białe Lwy Gdańsk, Olsztyn Lakers, Tytani Lublin
Southern group: Kraków Kings, Panthers Wrocław, Silesia Rebels, Tychy Falcons, Jaguars Kąty Wrocławskie, Armia Poznań, Wataha Zielona Góra

Last year Warsaw Eagles stood on Lowlanders Białystok’s path to the three-peat and won the Polish Bowl XIX with the score of 20:10. Krzysztof Nosow (WR) became the MVP of the game after putting up a 2 TD-performance.

The reform garnered mixed reactions in the community. The biggest worry seems to be a significant jump in the level of football being played by teams coming from PFL9 compared to the “old guard” of PFL 1 (Kings, Rebels, Lowlanders, Eagles). Also, the financial demands of organized football can be a problem, looking at a greatly increased number of games to play (at least 8 games played in group alone), last year’s Polish Bowl finalists wrapped up their season after 10 matches total, which comes with more road trips and more expenses needed for home games.

On the other hand, the new system is being applauded for giving smaller clubs an opportunity to gain experience. Also, more teams appearing on the highest level of American football in Poland might spark more interest in the sport, most importantly, from sponsors and the city councils. Polish leagues also suffered from a diversity issue in the past - the same teams were playing each other year by year, and not many teams advancing from lower divisions could afford getting on the same level as them, resulting in lack of new powers in Polish American football.

PFL also announced live broadcast of every game on their YouTube channel named Polska Futbol Liga.

Warsaw Eagles

2024 record: 7-1 (PFL1)

Last game: W vs Lowlanders 20-10 (Polish Bowl XIX)

Defending Polish Bowl champions won’t be putting their foot off of gas in the upcoming season. They seem to be ready to shift into a higher gear, bearing what happened in the off-season in the country’s capital city. Huge signings of DB’s Kevin Sherman and Mateusz Dzioban, OL Manilo Machado, LB Adam Dobkowski and the DL Paszkiewicz brothers, along with retaining HC Deante Battle, QB Jake Schimenz, WR Krzysztof Nosow (Polish Bowl XIX MVP) and the rest of the core of the Championship team put Eagles on the top of pre-season lists.

The team from Warsaw doesn’t limit itself to just PFL play. Eagles will take part in the 2025 edition of CEFL, facing finalists of Swedish Superserien, Stockholm Mean Machines in the first round. It’s hard to tell if international play will affect the Warsaw Eagles’ performance in the domestic league, but with such a deep roster it’s fair to say it won’t be that much of a worry.

Lowlanders Białystok

2024 record: 4-4 (PFL1)

Last game: L @ Eagles 20:10 (Polish Bowl XIX)

Last season could have ended with the Lowlanders completing the first Three-Peat in PFL history, even though the team from the eastern region of Podlasie started its season with 3 losses in a row. A strong bounce back and semi-final beatdown of the Kraków Kings 34:6 may have shown us they are no team to play with, especially because of their experience on the highest level. But the question is for how much longer can experience be the Lowlanders’ strongest suit? After the possible retirement of legendary WR Tomasz Zubrycki (playing vice-president), Lowlanders off-season feels a little lackluster in comparison to the other Tier 1 teams of PFL. The only Polish newcomers in the team from Białystok, outside of young LB Karol Urbaniak, are coming from try-outs. All imports will be facing their first year in Europe - a gunslinging QB Brett Pullman from Bentley University (D2), LB Alajuwon Bell from William Paterson University (D3) and QLD League (Australia) 2x Offensive Player of The Year Matthew Major.

The team will also totally change their coaching staff with former Hungarian NT HC Dan Pippin, a duo of DC Ray Portu and Offensive Assistant Dantre Taylor (also WR coach according to his Europlayers profile) coming from New England College (D3), and also another Offensive Assistant, experienced in European football scene, Luca Orlandi. Lowlanders will also rely on one of the best RB’s in the league in Krzysztof Czaplejewicz and a strong defensive unit.

Kraków Kings

Last year: 6-2 (PFL1)

Last game: L vs Lowlanders 6:34 (Semi-final)

Probably one of the most unlucky teams since the beginning of PFL play in 2021. In 2022 their first loss of the year came in the Polish Bowl against the Lowlanders, after the Kings absolutely dominated the league scoring more than 37 points in every single game. 2023 was a down year, where a team from The City of Polish Kings didn’t even qualify to the playoffs, and last year after 6-2 regular season they got their hopes crushed once again by Białystok.

As a team with big ambitions and a history of unfortunate losses, the Kings are hungry. The club was very active in the off-season, not only signing new players but also…. playing in the movie! That’s right, the Kraków Kings could be seen in Polish cinemas in the movie “100 Dni Do Matury”, due to their cooperation with influencing brand Ekipa.

But back to football related things, the Kings did not only get themselves quality imports in dual-threat QB Louie Barrios, versatile DB/LB Dustin Huseinovic and 6'3, 331 lbs OL Luan Rocha, but also quite a lot experienced and talented homegrowns. Team from Krakow might have the most stacked backfield in the league with former TD leader Jan Szwej and Bartosz Woch (formerly Rebels), added strong receiving threats in WRs Tomasz Nowak, Robert Szmielak (formerly Rebels), and TE Dominik Niedziela (formerly Tychy Falcons). The Kings also added some experience in the trenches by the comeback of local legends, offensive lineman Marek Gil and Maciej Krytowski, along with LB Dominik Janda. Those in addition to the signings of WR Kacper Picur, DL Michał Szuta, and DB Krzysztof Latusek let us know that Kings care about developing younger talents.

Key to success - Kings’ defense. Captain LB Mateusz Świechowicz makes a huge difference on the field and S Filip Suwada is a player that could make a huge jump this season. New HC Wesley Mota has a lot of weapons to work with, so Kraków Kings might be a serious contenders for Polish Bowl XX this year.

Silesia Rebels

2024 record: 4-4 (PFL1)

Last game: L @ Eagles 20:30 (Semi-final)

The team located in the heart of the Upper Silesia urban region is also knocking on the Polish Championship door year by year, getting the closest in Polish Bowl XVIII, where they lost 38-35 to Lowlanders Białystok. Last year Rebels made the semi-final, where eventual champions, Warsaw Eagles won 30-20.

Charcoal Black jerseys will be led by HC Michał Kołek, who is coming back after a short stint as an OC of Helvetic Mercenaries (ELF), where he worked with Milan Spiller (1000 receiving yards season) and led the offense to its only win of 2024 season. Rebels' offense has been one of the best units in Polish football since the beginning of Kołek’s tenure, regularly breaking the 30 point barrier. Unfortunately, their consistency seemed to be a problem in the past, as they also suffered some beatdowns (0-37 vs Eagles, 7-39 vs Kings, 41-14 vs Lowlanders). Defensive struggles were addressed by hiring an experienced DC Bill Moore, whose Vysocina Gladiators system allowed on average 11.6 points per game, followed up with the team winning the Czech Bowl in 2023.

Key offensive pieces the Rebels got this off-season include a dual-threat QB Jeremiah Tucker. While a little undersized (178 cm/5 '10), Tucker has potential to become an absolute weapon in Coach Kołek’s hands. Last year he threw 17 TD’s and rushed for 13, breaking 1000 yards in both categories. The Silesian team lost some of Tucier’s key targets to Kings, but got themselves an intriguing import from the United Kingdom. 6 '2/188 cm WR Ryan Wakeling who performed on a level of 96,83 YPG in BAFA Division 1. Defense got stronger by additions of LBs Sione Taufalele from Regensburg Phoenix and Dawid Biesiadecki, defensive MVP of fellow Silesian team, Tychy Falcons.

The Rebels are an interesting team, which took a huge blow when it comes to homegrown players, but with an offensive minded HC and interesting import class, they might be a dangerous and very fun team to watch.

Wrocław Panthers

2024 record: None (New team)

What exactly are Panthers planning for the PFL? It’s pretty hard to say, since the main plan is to develop young players with ELF in mind. On the other hand, the team announced two big imports in QB Joshua Cartwright (previously Oldenburg Knights in GFL 2) and DL/LB Adrian Jackson coming straight from Oregon Ducks powerhouse.

But the biggest name in the Panthers squad might be HC Jakub Samel. Working in Wrocław for the majority of his coaching career, won four Polish Bowls in the club's structures, was with the team during their first season in ELF and functions as Sporting Director since 2022. Like no other Polish coach, Samel had an opportunity to learn from the best, as he interned in the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. After a short stint as DB & ST coach at Tirol Raiders, he is coming back not only as HC of Wrocław Panthers in PFL, but also as Head of Development and Scouting for the organization.

As said, it’s hard to predict what Panthers are up to in their first PFL season since 2020. But if there’s something anyone can be sure of, it’s that there is no organization with better resources in Polish American football, so don’t be surprised if Panthers do a lot of damage to opposing teams.

Warsaw Mets

2024 record: 2-6 (PFL1)

Last game: L @ Lowlanders 39:48 (Regular Season)

A second team from Poland’s capital city is an interesting organization with a lot of potential. The Mets' Youth team is the current PFLJ champion and many players of this team will be a part of the senior roster. Also, the coaching staff is large, led by HC Klaudiusz Cholewiński, with additions of DC Lonnie Hursey (HC Kraków Kings last season) and OC Jason Abney.

After tough last season, the Mets are looking to get back at their opponents. Import transfers include QB Clayton Uecker, former Polish Bowl winner with Lowlanders Białystok and LB Jovan Bayless, two-time D2 National Champion with Ferris State. Once again a team decided to not sign any Polish newcomers, but with a strong youth team, this might be a strategy that will pay off.

Jaguars Kąty Wrocławskie

2024 record: 1-7 (PFL1)

Last game: L vs Rebels 26:30 (Regular Season)

Team from Wrocław’s suburban area experienced a few beatdowns last year, ranking last in offense, and second to last in defense. Still, they found a way to get a W against Lowlanders at home, so you should be cautious if you are coming to Kąty Wrocławskie expecting easy points.

The club wasn’t very active in the off-season, as no imports got signed. The coaching staff is also fully Polish and it’s nice to see a team working mainly with homegrowns. They already experienced the highest level of Polish American football, so that gives them a competitive edge over teams coming from PFL 2 and PFL 9.

Tychy Falcons, Olsztyn Lakers, Armia Poznań, Dukes Ząbki, Białe Lwy Gdańsk, Wataha Zielona Góra, Tytani Lublin

Falcons: 4-2 in PFL2, PFL2 winners

Lakers: 5-1 in PFL2, L vs Falcons 0-3 (Semi-final)

Dukes: 0-6 in PFL2, missed playoffs ;)

Armia: 4-2 in PFL2, missed playoffs

Białe Lwy: 2-4 in PFL2, missed playoffs

Wataha: 2-2 in PFL9, L @ Tytani Lublin 18:41 (Semi-final)

Tytani: 4-0 in PFL9, L @ Miners Wałbrzych 14:33 (PFL9 Championship)

I’m very sorry for these teams, because they also deserve detailed coverage, but unfortunately evaluating these teams’ rosters and best players is very limited. Wilki Łódzkie surprised by signing two import players in QB Dexter Russell (although he was a HC last year and is keeping his position) and DB/KR Tone Hurd. Dukes Ząbki signed QB Trevon Wilkenson and Armia Poznań decided to keep their QB Polish, and instead signed Mexican DB Osvaldo Chavez.