Six time and reigning Swedish champions, and 2015 IFAF Europe Champions League champions, the Carlstad Crusaders, have signed Belgian wide receiver Ruben De Ruyter.
This marks the first time a Belgian player has signed to play in Sweden.
Although he has only been playing football for three years, the 21 year old De Ruyter (6’1″, 190 lb) impressed the Crusaders coaches in a tryout in November. A member of Belgium’s national team – the Belgian Barbarians – De Ruyter has undergone a rapid improvement in his brief career.
He played his first season of football in 2014 with the Ghent Gators helping them with their first Belgian championship. He was quickly selected for the national team and in 2015 was named one of the five team captains while appearing in five international games. He moved to Germany in 2015 as free safety and wide receiver with the Leipzig Lions of the German third division.
Crusaders Club Director Robert Sundberg:
“Ruben showed during our Training Day in November that he is a quality football player, he has a natural instinct to get to the ball, and is an athlete. Our WR group looks really sharp out with Ruben in the team, we will also get a flexibility where we can provide some of our receivers the opportunity to get playing time on the defensive side of the ball.”
De Ruyter arrives in Sweden for camp start March 13. The Swedish season gets underway on April 9 this year, finishing in early July.
“I am very excited about this opportunity to come to the Carlstad Crusaders. American football does not get much better than this in Europe. It is good that the long recruitment process is now over and I am ready to work. I want to come in, give everything and make a difference for this team both on and off the field.”