The Fehérvár Enthroners’ first season in the ELF was an up-and-down journey. The Hungarian champions had a tough time acclimating to the level of play in Europe’s most competitive league early on but seemed to put the pieces together late in the season. After finishing the year 3-9, the franchise decided to make a change at the head coaching position, parting ways with Jaime Hill and giving the reins to offensive coordinator Joe Ashfield. We talked to Coach Ashfield about his takeaways last season and the biggest challenges for the future.

What does it mean to you to be the head coach of the Enthroners?

"It’s a great duty and tremendous honor to continue the successful growth of the Enthroner program and to lead this team in representing the country of Hungary on the biggest stage for our sport in Europe."

What are your takeaways from coaching under Jaime Hill?

"Coach Hill did a fantastic job leading this program to championships and, ultimately, to a level where it was included in the ELF. Any success this program achieves in the future will be a direct result of the foundation Coach Hill built. I learned a lot from Coach Hill on how to run a professional program and will be able to avoid some of the pitfalls that a first-year coach might usually fall into because of what I learned from him."

Joe Ashfield was the Enthroners' offensive coordinator in 2023. © Pertra Kutasi

Last season was not too successful. What do you expect from your team this year?

"Improvement. The jump from the Hungarian league to the ELF was a big one. It took our players some time to adjust to the higher level of play. We’ve completed a season in the ELF now and know what to expect."

Quarterback play has been a problem last season. How will you improve this in 2024?

"The first way to improve QB play is to find the QB that fits our team best. No QB is a perfect fit for every team. We had several talented QB’s last season and weren’t able to find the success we craved. NFL teams spend mountains of money and months of time trying to find the right QB and they fail just as often as they succeed. It’s not an exact science.

Once we find the player we think fits best, the coaches must adjust our scheme to his strengths and develop him within the system."

What will be the biggest challenge for you in 2024?

"The biggest challenge will be getting our players to adjust to the changes that naturally happen with a coaching change. There will be a new staff with a different personality. Some players will embrace the change more quickly than others. The quicker we get our players to adjust to the new system, the better."

What are your goals for the upcoming season?

"I prefer to focus on paths forward rather than specific goals. I don’t want to limit our team by setting arbitrary goals. We will focus on constant improvement and development. If we can embrace that mindset, success on the field will eventually come."