Finland’s Wasa Royals have signed quarterback Joey Bradley for the 2019 season.
The 28 year old, 6’1″, 185 lb Bradley from Seattle (Issaquah), Washington, spent part of the 2016 season and the entire 2017 season with Poland’s Gdynia Seahawks after guiding the Lisboa Devils to back-to-back Portuguese championship titles. The Seahawks were runner ups in Poland in 2017. He was nominated for the Harlon Hill award at the University of New Haven (Div. II) after throwing for 2,652 yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior year.
The Royals finished third in Finland’s Maple League in 2018 and reached the semifinals where they were eliminated by the Kuopio Steelers. In their first year in Finland’s top league in 2017, the team advanced all the way to the Maple Bowl championship game, ultimately losing to the Helsinki Roosters.
Bradley explained to royals.fi what he feels he brings to the team:
“I would say that my strongest trait is my fast release and the ability to make quick decisions. I see myself as a continuation of coaches on the field, because I have experience in working as an offensive coordinator. This has also played a major role in my development. However, I look forward to the opportunity to work with Brett [Morgan] on the offensive side of the ball and the opportunity to focus on “just” playing and being just one of the boys. I have been in contact with the Royals before, but because of scheduling for both me and the club, we have never been able to work things out. When it was clear that I was looking for a new team for 2019, I contacted some of the teams with whom I had previously been in contact to find out if they were still interested in me and Royals was one of those teams. After talking to coach Morgan and the club, we reached an agreement and here I am.”
On playing in Finland:
“Prior to the negotiations with the Royals I did not know much about Finland, not to mention Vaasa. I have now, however, done a little investigating and learned that Vaasa is a small, but quite international town, because of the technology companies there. In addition, the city is bilingual and I have heard from colleagues that English language skills in Finland are good and the level of education is high. I also love the fact that Vaasa is on the west coast of Finland, because I’m from Seattle, Washington and the US West Coast. This makes me feel right at home. I have also heard that in Finland can be rainy, but that is another common factor. If you’re from Seattle, you are used to the rain. I have also heard that the Royals are a very well-run organization, which takes care of own and tends to growth and to make things right.”
Check out Joey Bradley’s highlights.
Interested in playing American football in overseas?
Register on Europlayers.com.
Europlayers is the largest online database of American football players, teams and coaches. It is a connector, bringing together and introducing athletes to overseas teams. On the site you can begin researching teams around the world. Once you create a profile, you become searchable by hundreds of American football clubs around the world.