GFL International established
Starting with the 2014 season the German Football League (GFL) will pool its international activities into a new department: the GFL International (GFL I). Focus of operations of the GFL International will mainly be guidance and assistance of interested clubs regarding the international club competitions.
In 2014 six GFL teams will compete in European club competitions. Reigning German champion NewYorker Lions from Braunschweig, last year's championship runner-up Dresden Monarchs and the Berlin Adler are part of the Big6 European Football League and reach out for the EUROBOWL trophy. The Cologne Falcons, the Düsseldorf Panther and the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes compete in the European Football League. To have six GFL teams competing in European club competitions marks a record in GFL history and proves the solid interest in international competitions among the clubs, given there is a reasonable and reliable framework for these tournaments.
It will be one of the goals of GFL I to increase reputation of GFL American football outside of Germany by providing support to GFL teams in their international venture as well as to assist in the administration of the competitions. The AFVD's and the GFL's long-running partnership with the Eurosport TV network will enable GFL I to strive for a broader TV exposure of the international games. Eurosport has aired past German Bowls live throughout Europe as well as Eurobowl final games. The GFL brand already has been well established among viewers and producers of Eurosport TV coverage, GFL I will aim to extend the partnership to the international competitions.
Another topic on the GFL I agenda is developmental assistance for clubs and national federations throughout Europe. The focus will be on aid in building sustainable structures for long-term American football programmes. In addition to representatives from GFL and AFVD a number of experienced experts from other European national federations and EFAF agreed to share their expertise under the GFL I roof in that respect. The national American football federations of Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Spain and GFL I have agreed on the joint sponsorship of Big6 and EFL. GFL I is seeking to initiate a broader variety of international cooperation in the future.