Oct 21st, 2022 00:00, by Chris Hahn

Tryouts and more: Your guide through the 2023 offseason

Some franchises prepare for their third football season, some will appear in their first.

Bert Hill, defensive line coach, leading the combine for the Guards on October 1st. © Rico Donnelli

Oct 21st, 2022 00:00, by Chris Hahn

Tryouts and more: Your guide through the 2023 offseason

Some franchises prepare for their third football season, some will appear in their first.

While the first combines have already taken place, the next ones are just around the corner. The offseason and the free agency is already there. Many players will stay with their previous franchise, many will leave franchises. Some players are on two-year contracts, but most are only under contract with their franchises for one season.

First American football tryouts in Europe already on the way

Coach Polizzi at the Seamen combine at the start of October. © Seamen

Already at the beginning of October, the Helvetic Guards and Milano Seamen held their first tryout. Thereby, numerous players could prove their skills. Many international players were already on site. Both franchises were satisfied with their results and the outcome.

For the Guards from Switzerland, the whole coaching staff was on hand to test and coach their potential future players and their incredible depth of knowledge and experience helped guide them through the weekend, as the Guards reported. Head coach Norm Chow was thrilled: "We saw great athletes here and got the chance to meet great people. What the players showed was extremely impressive!"

Guards put their foot on the gas

While this is just the first step for the Guards on their way to building a championship caliber team, the best of Swiss American football was on show, with representatives from across the Swiss national leagues working their hardest to take the next step up to Europe's best and biggest American Football league. Now the anxious wait starts for the players and the hard conversations begin for the coaches as they begin to select athletes ahead of the inaugural season for the Guards.

Norm Chow (lft.) at the Combine. © Noa Monn

Over 400 players registered in Munich

Further tryouts have already been announced for the coming weeks. While the new Munich Ravens franchise will hold its first tryout on November 5th and has already received more than 400 registrations, the Prague Lions will hold their first tryout already on October 23 at SK Aritma Praha. Many players from the region are expected, who could join the highest European league, for example from the club of the Black Panthers.

Munich Ravens Tryout

Growth of American football in Europe

The Hamburg Sea Devils are planning their first tryout at the end of November or early December 2022, while the Barcelona Dragons, as the only Spanish franchise, announced a combine-tour that includes Portugal, Madrid, Catalunya and also Andalucia. In Austria, the Raiders Tirol will have theirs on November 13th. Paris will host their combine on November 20th. Frankfurt Galaxy will host theirs on October 23rd.

As of November 1st, franchises are officially allowed to talk to free agent players from other franchises. Even before that, talks will take place with players from German Football League clubs in Germany, for example, or other national players across Europe. By now, the Berlin Thunder were the first team to get their act together and announce extensions with key players Ludvig Myren, Paul Seifert, Kyle Kitchens, Moritz Thiele and Robin Wilzeck. With 18 franchises in ten European countries, an exciting and strong third European League of Football season is expected, which celebrates its first preparatory scrimmages in May and its starting in June.

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