Central European Football League Adds Danish, Polish And Austrian Champs
In its 12th season, the Central European Football League (CEFL) has definitely drawn interest from teams all across Europe. With the rift in the International Federation of American Football also having repercussions in Europe, top club teams from around the European continent have turned to the CEFL.
The CEFL will feature three of the top teams in Europe this season as the titleholders from Austria and three-time Eurobowl winners, the Swarco Raiders will enter the league along with Polish champions the Wroclaw Panthers and the Triangle Razorbacks who won the Danish crown in 2016.
These three teams will play in the Western conference while the Eastern conference will see SBB Vukovi Belgrade from Serbia, Champions League Final Four finalists from 2014 and 2015 and the CEFL’s record six time winners, the Kragujevac Wild Boars, Serbian champions and winners of the league’s inaugural season and Hungary’s Budapest Cowbells who return after their debut last season.
The top teams from both conferences will play for the title in early June.
The hosting of CEFL Bowl XII this year is granted to the winner of the Western Conference. The CEFL will continue its long-lasting history of rewarding successful teams with cash awards according to their placement. This wouldn’t be possible without the league’s main sponsor, Sport Klub TV, which will once again broadcast the games to its audience in a minimum eight countries.
This is the second year in a row that Austria is represented in the CEFL. The Graz Giants took home the title in 2016, beating SBB Vukovi Belgrade in a thriller while also making it to the Austrian final against the Swarco Raiders.
CEFL Developmental League
As it has been the case in previous years and in addition to the main league, the CEFL will also have a developmental league next season. It will be composed of teams from southeastern Europe who will play for their own trophy and monetary award.
Gabriel Dielacher, league representative since the early days of the founding of the CEFL:
“We are very pleased and honored to welcome the newly joining teams. Each of the new CEFL participants have in the recent past been a dominant force in their national competitions and have at the same time been impressively successful on a top European level. Last year, CEFL Bowl XI, where 10 time Austrian Champion Graz Giants took the trophy against Belgrade SBB Vukovi with a last minute 52-49 victory, proved that the league’s level of play has reached top European standards. Strengthened by the teams joining this year, we will make an important next step”.
