Just over a month after the French Federation of American Football, FFFA, agreed to work together with the Canadian Football League to provide new opportunities for players, the FFFA announced the names of four players who will be attending the National CFL Combine in Toronto March 22-24.
Benjamin Plu, a wide receiver for the Thonon Black Panthers along with defensive lineman Valentin Gnahoua, who plays with the Berlin Rebels in the German Football League. running back Asnnel Robo, (University of Montreal) and linebacker Maxime Rouyer, (McGill University) will compete with the best Canadian prospects for spot on the rosters of one of the nine CFL teams.
Two CFL teams already have French players on their rosters. Boris Bede, originally from Toulon, France, is a kicker for the Montreal Alouettes while fellow kicker Anthony Alix is on the roster of the BC Lions.
The combine, which already showcases top Canadian prospects from U SPORTS, or Canadian university football, Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will also feature participation from a number of prospects from Germany.
The National CFL Combine presented by New Era in Toronto at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport and Varsity Stadium bubble is where players will undergo medical examinations, performance, strength and speed tests, on-field football drills and team interviews over the two day combine in front of general managers, coaches and scouts from all teams.
The Canadian Football League reached historic agreements with a number of European federations last month which also included discussions on creating better pathways for more young Canadian players to continue playing in Europe once their university or junior football careers have ended and for aspiring European football players to gain an education and opportunities to play football in the Canadian university system.
In addition to France, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie met with the leaders of federations from Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark in a pioneering effort to raise awareness of the Canadian Football League and expand borders for football players.