The Carlstad Crusaders took another step closer to playing football this year with the signing of quarterback Danny Farley.
The 6’2″, 210 pound native of Boonton, New Jersey spent the past two seasons playing for the Solingen Paladins in the German Football League 2nd division, GFL2, throwing for a total of 5,310 yards and 48 touchdowns. In 2017, he playing four games for the Saarland Hurricanes in the GFL throwing for 718 yards before heading to Finland to finish the season with the Porvoo Butchers. In five games with Porvoo, he tossed nine touchdown passes while throwing for 889 yards.
Farley finished his college career at the University of Wisconsin-Stout after stints with Delaware Valley University and Rhode Island. After college, Farley also played for Jacksonville Sharks (arena football) before heading to Europe.
Carlstad head coach BD Kennedy:
“Danny is a quality player with a great attitude. He is a guy who I have actually been talking with for quite awhile. We have been speaking about our experiences as Americans living in Europe and being involved in football. Danny is a guy who has a high understanding of football and has tremendous leadership ability along with being extremely competitive. I look forward to working with him and watching him play.”
The well traveled Farley had signed to play for the Cologne Crocodiles in the German Football League this season but the coronavirus put a stop to that. He was in Cologne when all practice was suspended, so when the club could no longer afford to keep housing and paying him, he began searching for other opportunities.
“I had started talking to coach Kennedy late in 2019 and have always wanted to play in Sweden. I came here in early June to work out with some of the players in 7 on 7s and had a chance to sit down with team management. I got a very good feeling right away.”
For Kennedy, adding Farley is a chance to bring in someone who can help the club with his leadership skills.
“This is a person with strong leadership skills and an excellent knowledge of the sport. I am convinced that he will fit in well with the team and in addition to delivering on the field, I expect that he will help develop the players around him.”
For Farley, the chance to play for Carlstad goes beyond the playing field. He will also be serving as the team’s offensive coordinator, a responsibility he relishes.
“I plan to go into coaching when my playing career is over so this is an excellent opportunity for me. I was able to work out with the receivers when I was in Carlstad in June and they are a great group. You win championships through the small details and working as the OC will allow me the chance to fine tune things.”
Farley was impressed with what he saw even in his short visit earlier and is looking forward to getting back towards the end of July.
“We have a young, extremely talented receiving corps to go along with great running backs and a truly impressive offensive line. I want to build relationships and bring everyone on to the same page. I just can’t wait to get back and onto the field again with these guys.”
The Swedish Superserien is scheduled to kick off the weekend of August 22/23 with Carlstad facing the Stockholm Mean Machines in the opening game.
