Although American football already has a long tradition in Europe, the sport has experienced a real boom in recent years. The number of fans and players is growing and growing. 

ELF commissioner Patrick Esume already dedicated his work to American football many years ago. Nevertheless, even the former coach and player wouldn't have expected such a development.

Commissioner Esume happy about development

“My journey didn't start ten years ago with ProSieben and the NFL, it started in 1990 in Hamburg,” the 50-year-old remembers at the ELF press conference for the Championship Game 2025. 

“So I have to classify it accordingly. Nevertheless, I can say that the development is incredible. When the NFL was shown on free TV for the first time in 2015, I would never have thought that we would actually have this reach and impact in the media and in society ten years later,” Esume continues. 

Although the sport has become so popular in recent years, Esume believes it is far from over: “The potential has not been fully exploited yet, and I also believe that the fact that the NFL is really trying to put down roots here in Germany is a great sign that the sport has actually found a home here.”

In response to the hype in Europe and Germany, the US league has agreed to play several regular season games in the German capital Berlin. Such games have already taken place in Frankfurt and Munich.

Watch the full press conference here!

Esume is confident: “We haven't reached the end of the story yet”

The sport has a lot of competition in Germany, Esume's home country: “We are a soccer nation. I played soccer myself, but the trend is actually that more kids are coming into contact with football and playing much earlier and becoming much more successful as a result.” 

Commissioner Esume has a wish for the future: “And of course I hope that in five years, the ELF Championship Games will be just as big as the NFL Germany Games.” At the 2024 Championship Game, Europe's biggest football league registered a record attendance of 41,364 fans.

Despite the impressive number, Patrick Esume believes: “We haven't reached the end of the story yet.”

Get your tickets for the 2025 Championship Game now!