The European League of Football, ELF, has announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with Brazil American Football, BFA (Brasil Futebol Americano), former organizers of the elite league in Brazil.
The BFA, who previously operated the league on behalf of the Brazilian Federation of American Football, CBFA (Confederação Brasileira de Futebol Americano), is no longer involved with the CBFA and at present is looking for teams.
The eight-team ELF kicked off its inaugural season this past weekend.
According to the ELF, the two leagues will work together to grow the level of cooperation between the two. One of the key elements it would seem is the acceptance of Brazilian players on ELF teams without import restrictions:
“One of the key initiatives is the creation of exchange opportunities for selected players, coaches and officials from both continents. It has been already decided that Brazilian players will not count as import players in the European League of Football. Also, there is the intention of including, in the future, a reserved spot for a Brazilian player on each ELF team.
“Another idea considered by the boards is the possibility of having a game between the champions of BFA an ELF in the future, but no date is yet defined. From this partnership we can expect the growth of the visibility of BFA in Europe and the growth of visibility of the European League of Football in Brazil.”
The BFA cancelled the 2020 season due to the pandemic and has not returned to play since as COVID-19 ravages the country. Normally, state leagues play their seasons in the spring and early summer while the BFA plays a fall schedule.