The German Football Federation (AFVD) has selected a total of six players they feel have a legitimate shot at cracking a Canadian Football League roster and is sending all six to the National CFL Combine in Toronto March 22-24.
This is the first step following meetings between Randy Ambrosie and German American Football Federation head Robert Huber as well Carsten Dalkowski, chairman of the GFL, in late January that saw the CFL and GFL historically work out agreements on player exchanges.
Thiadric Hansen, Max Earvin Zimmermann (Potsdam Royals), Marc Anthony Hor (Frankfurt Universe), Hendrik Schwarz (Marburg Mercenaries), Sonny Weishaupt (Grenoble Centaures) and Johannes Zirngibl (Straubing Spiders), will compete with top Canadian prospects from U SPORTS, or Canadian university football, Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as well as a number of prospects from France and Finland.
The six players will be accompanied by a contingent from the German federation including Ulrich Grünwald (Head of Medical Services and Senior Team Doctor of National Teams), Rene Richter (Physiotherapist), Jean- Marc Tappy (AFVD Sports Director) and Peter Springwald (AFVD Vice President).
According to Huber, the teams actively participated in selecting the players and allowing them to leave during the busy preseason:
“In the forefront of the exchange between the AFVD/GFL and the CFL is always a concern for the players. In this respect, it is very pleasing to see that players who have made their way in Germany, now have the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. We from the federation and the GFL are also hoping this will help boost development in Germany.”
The National CFL Combine presented by New Era is the first step in a long-term cooperation between AFVD and CFL. It is being held this year at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport and Varsity Stadium bubble 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 Germany, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie met with the leaders of federations from France, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark in a pioneering effort to raise awareness of the Canadian Football League and expand borders for football players.