NFL Europa ceases operations

[Shakes]

I do not think this has been mentioned at all. If so I apologize:

NFL Europe has folded thanks to the NFL looking for regular season games outside the States. Here is the entire story:

FRANKFURT, Germany (June 29, 2007) -- The NFL's development league in Europe has ended with immediate effect, spokesman Maik Matischak said.

The decision came less than a week after the Hamburg Sea Devils beat the Frankfurt Galaxy 37-28 in World Bowl XV in Frankfurt, attended by 48,125.

The league, most recently known as NFL Europa, began in 1991.

In the league's final three seasons, five of its six teams were based in Germany, with the Amsterdam Admirals completing the field.

A statement posted on the German-language edition of the NFL's Web site said the National Football League decided to concentrate its "strategies and resources" on regular-season games outside the United States in an effort to reach as many people as possible.

"We thank our fans for the great support in the past years," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was quoted as saying in the statement.

By scheduling regular-season NFL games outside the United States, it was time to develop a new international strategy, Goodell said, adding that folding NFL Europa was the "best business decision."

"From now on, we will focus on regular-season games and use new technologies to make NFL more popular worldwide," he said.

NFL team owners decided in October to play up to two regular-season games outside the United States.

The first such game will be Oct. 28 in London between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants.

NFL Europa managing director Uwe Bergheim said the league had succeeded in establishing a fan base for football in important European markets.

"Despite the great support of fans, business partners and the cities where we were active, we decided that it was time to change the strategy," Bergheim said.

The league began in 1991 as WLAF, or the World League of American Football, with 10 teams from the United States and Europe.

After closing down for two seasons in 1993 and 1994, the league returned with six European teams, spreading from Great Britain to Spain, and retained the same format until the end.

The league was used by NFL teams to test young talent and produced players such as quarterback Kurt Warner, who led the St. Louis Rams to the Super Bowl XXXIV championship and won two NFL Most Valuable Player awards; Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme; and Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, a two-time Pro Bowl pick.

But the league was reportedly losing about $30 million a season.


AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2007, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

[Ksyrup]

Now if that new league (not the AAFL, but the other one) really wants to make an impact, it would play in the Spring and affiliate itself with the NFL. Seems like it could be win/win, with the NFL getting playing time for prospects but not taking a monetary hit if the league doesn't do well, while the new league would get some marginally better talent.

[Passacaglia]

I demand a patch in FOF.

[clintl]

Spring football has never been successful. It has been tried multiple times now, and failed every time. I think the only reason NFL Europa lasted so long is that it was played in Europe, where they don't have the tradition of football being a fall sport. It's first incarnation, with US teams, failed miserably in the US.

(I'm discounting Arena Football because that's not really the same game.)

[MIJB#19]

*sigh*

[Huckleberry]

Sounds like there's a market for a new American football league in Germany.

Start small, build from there.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry

Sounds like there's a market for a new American football league in Germany.

Start small, build from there.

There might be. NFL Europe (yeah, Europa), reportedly it had the highest attendance figure ever last season. (Disclaimer: I do know that NFL Europe teams have been boosting attendace figures the last couple of years by lowering season ticket prices.) Heck, if the NFL is coorporative, a new league could even live on with the old names. The only remaining issue is whether to keep the Amsterdam Admirals or go all German. And where to get the players. About 2/3 to 3/4th of the players used to be NFL allocated players, however, of whom a grand majority were only signed to play in Europe. It could move on on its own, but without the support of the NFL's money, it'll be a financial nightmare, as making a profit wasn't the most important thing in the past decade...

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry

Sounds like there's a market for a new American football league in Germany.

Start small, build from there.

There's already a German footbal league, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GFL

I wish the NFL would start expanding with new (minor/regional) leagues instead of stretching the NFL itself thin. NFL Europa would have worked if they set it up as a real league, instead of a "maximum" style league (random teams each year? Why would anyone follow a league or a team if it had a random roster, even if it was just part of the roster, every year?)

[Young Drachma]

They need a true minor league in non-college football cities. That plays in the spring or in the summer. People would watch and it'd be a lot better to watch than highlights of mini-camp on the NFL network.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

They need a true minor league in non-college football cities. That plays in the spring or in the summer. People would watch and it'd be a lot better to watch than highlights of mini-camp on the NFL network.

What cities do you have in mind?

[Sgran]

As an expat in Europe, I can tell you that American football (sounds funny, i know) is popular here. Even Hungary has a league. In fact, the best team in Europe (excluding NFL Europa, which is stocked with NFLers) is in Vienna. I'm still shocked that the London Monarchs folded, because I know a lot of Brits who absolutely love our game. With NFL Europa gone, I could see the real Euro league taking off. The games here in Hungary are well attended. yes, admission is only a couple bucks, but people show up, and most of the players are Hungarian. One NFL game a week is on a Hungarian sports channel, and two different bars have a healthy Sunday night of business showing the Fox double-header feed through England's Sky Sports. I would say the whole system is where basketball was maybe 10 or 20 years ago, so don't be surprised if you see the NFL's Tuni Kukoc in the near future.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

What cities do you have in mind?

Umm..medium to large cities. Places otherwise starved for pro sports and where there isn't a ton of "entertainment competition.

Salt Lake City was a good mention and I thought immediately of Birmingham. The problem is, it would have to be NFL subsidized, because otherwise, travel costs would be a bitch and I'm not sure if it'd be worth the gain in future ratings or player recognition to do it.

It'd be a cool league to get stories of guys who didn't make it, but are still determined to get on with a team. You know, the Josh Hamilton's of the NFL. The guy who has turned his life around or who has battled in the league off squads and on them for a few years and shines in a new league.

The league can't be a traditional 'farm-system' type deal. Otherwise, it'll never work.

But arguing they were down with it and wanted to support it, I think other cities that would work include Albuquerque, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Springfield (Ill.), Orlando and from there..I think it'd need to stay relatively small. No more than 8 teams. Short season, sense of urgency each week.

Keep the NFL Europe rules like a running clock except after the 2 minute warning of each half and 4 point field goals beyond the 50 yard line.

I dunno what else..but that's just what I think. I realize all of this is too forward thinking for the No Fun League. But...we're just throwing ideas around.

[Huckleberry]

Cities without an NFL team or a major college team by 2000 population. Metro populations are listed and I'm basically using BCS teams as major college teams.

Portland--Salem, OR--WA CMSA 2,265,223
Sacramento--Yolo, CA CMSA 1,796,857
Orlando, FL MSA 1,644,561
San Antonio, TX MSA 1,592,383
Norfolk--Virginia Beach--Newport News, VA--NC MSA 1,569,541
Las Vegas, NV--AZ MSA 1,563,282
Salt Lake City--Ogden, UT MSA 1,333,914
Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC MSA 1,251,509
Providence--Fall River--Warwick, RI--MA MSA 1,188,613
Hartford, CT MSA 1,183,110
Memphis, TN--AR--MS MSA 1,135,614
West Palm Beach--Boca Raton, FL MSA 1,131,184
Rochester, NY MSA 1,098,201
Grand Rapids--Muskegon--Holland, MI MSA 1,088,514
Oklahoma City, OK MSA 1,083,346

Some of those are arguable of course (OKC is Sooner territory).

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Sgran

As an expat in Europe, I can tell you that American football (sounds funny, i know) is popular here. Even Hungary has a league. In fact, the best team in Europe (excluding NFL Europa, which is stocked with NFLers) is in Vienna. I'm still shocked that the London Monarchs folded, because I know a lot of Brits who absolutely love our game. With NFL Europa gone, I could see the real Euro league taking off. The games here in Hungary are well attended. yes, admission is only a couple bucks, but people show up, and most of the players are Hungarian. One NFL game a week is on a Hungarian sports channel, and two different bars have a healthy Sunday night of business showing the Fox double-header feed through England's Sky Sports. I would say the whole system is where basketball was maybe 10 or 20 years ago, so don't be surprised if you see the NFL's Tuni Kukoc in the near future.

I dunno. Basketball has a much easier step-up and requires much less facilities and people to play. I don't really know much about the american football culture in the 50 other countries on this continent, but overhere in the Netherlands there are only a dozen clubs spread around the country. This is one of the countries that had NFL Europe for the past 10+ years and I can tell you that it hardly has much following. My wild guess is that maybe at best 1 in 50 people are a little bit interested.

[bhlloy]

It was huge in the UK in the 80's (a couple of ex-NFL players played in the British Senior League) then died a death in the mid-90's and is on it's way back up.

Basketball is still a lot bigger (a lot of senior league teams don't even charge for entry) but I can definitely see a team in London getting around 10,000 people per game for a European super league if the price was right.

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

I demand a patch in FOF.

My first thought as well!

[Izulde]

This sucks

I would like to see American football continue to grow in Europe, though as been alluded to previously in the thread, it'd take a person or entity with deep enough pockets to be able to support a league.

[k0ruptr]

Honolulu, that is all. pleeeeeeaaaaaaaaseeeeeeeeeee