The representatives of the European League of Football, CEO Zeljko Karajica and Commissioner Patrick "Coach" Esume have set the next milestone in their planning for the 2021 premiere season: The Spanish metropolis Barcelona will be another European League of Football cornerstone and has therefore signed a contract as the eighth franchise.

This means that at least eight teams from three European countries will be kicking off the first season of ELF Football, next July. Previously, the Stuttgart Scorpions, the Ingolstadt Praetorians and the three-time Polish champions Wroclaw Panthers, in addition to franchises from Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Hannover-Hildesheim had already announced their participation in the first European League of Football season.

Barcelona is sending their franchise onto the gridiron, General Manager will be Bart Iaccarino, who is thrilled to be able to represent the European League of Football in Spain: "The idea and the concept convinced us, the talks with the representatives of the league were very positive and trustworthy. This sport deserves to have a professional stage in Europe as well. We are strongly convinced that the European League of Football will succeed in this and are proud to be part of it from the very beginning".

The joy is mutual, as Patrick "Coach" Esume assures: "The choice of our locations is of course a key factor for us - and Barcelona was on our wish list from the very beginning. This franchise meets all the criteria regarding the city and possible venues, but also the economic power. Barcelona was a founding member of the NFL Europe with the Dragons, has a long football history and therefore has great fan potential. We are happy that we have come to an agreement.“ said the commissioner.

At the beginning of November, SEH Sports & Entertainment Holding announced the formation of a European football league with the European League of Football, which will be managed by a professional franchise system and offer a highly attractive product to the rapidly growing group of fans of this sport during the NFL-free period from July to September. This product will be presented on the appropriate platform and will be offered to a broad audience on free-TV as well as on digital channels. The Barcelona franchise have now reached the planned number of eight teams.

"The feedback right after the announcement of our plans was already overwhelming and showed how much radiance the idea of a European football league has," says Zeljko Karajica, CEO of SEH Sports & Entertainment Holding and also of the league: "With Germany, Poland, and Spain we now have franchises in three countries, but this is just the beginning. The interest is great in many nations. We are in a position to take up further franchises very quickly and are consistently pursuing the goal of establishing a league with more than 20 teams from ten countries in the medium term".