Honors: Sinnet MVP - Elisson Coach of the Year

Today, 07:30
Florian Puth

Right in front of the Championship Game 2025 between the Vienna Vikings and Stuttgart Surge, let's take a look at the season. We want to honor those, who created great sport moments, on and off the field. On this special night, winners in 13 categories will be crowned, honoring the best athletes, coaches, and moments of the season.

Let's take a look at every winner in our live ticker:

Most Valuable Player – Reid Sinnet (Madrid Bravos)

21.05 CET: And then there is the one – arguably the most important – the Most Valuable Player. Following in the footsteps of 2024 MVP Glen Toonga is Reid Sinnet of the Madrid Bravos. Former NFL quarterback Sinnet showed his class in Europe. The 28-year-old threw for 3,953 yards and 50 touchdowns in the regular season, completing 72.98 percent of his passes with a QBR of 139.9 – all league-best marks that set new single-season records. Sinnett showed that he is one of the most efficient and dangerous playmakers in the ELF. Learn more about the other MVP nominees.

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Coach of the Year – Kendral Ellison (Munich Ravens)

21.00 CET: Behind every successful team is an outstanding head coach. This is also true for the 11-1 Munich Ravens. Kendral Ellison drew the right conclusions from the 2024 season, developed good solutions with the front office, and led his team to the first #1 seed in franchise history. Ellison came out on top against renowned competition. Also nominated were John Shoop, who led league newcomers Nordic Storm to the semifinals in their first season, and Chris Calaycay, who is in the 2025 championship game with the Vienna Vikings. Learn more about the other Coach of the Year nominees.

©Roland Johannes

20.58 CET: Commissioner Esume enters the stage to present the next two awards.

Man of the Year - Noel Swancar (Vienna Vikings)

20.55 CET: The European League of Football not only honors athletic excellence but also recognizes the values that make the sport truly special. For this reason, the Man of the Year Award was created. It is intended to reward character, sportsmanship, and community impact both on and off the field.

This year, the award goes to Noel Swancar of the Vienna Vikings. Swancar is involved in youth work with the Vienna Vikings and coaches the youth teams. Here, he develops young European football talents. The 21-year-old linebacker is also taking on a new role as ambassador for Lichtblickhof, a unique children's hospice that specializes in supporting children with serious and life-shortening illnesses, disabilities, or traumatic experiences.

Swancar is not only a supporter, but also wants to raise awareness for the initiative through his sport. In doing so, he is sending a strong message about social commitment in sports.

©Hannes Jirgal

Assistant Coach of the Year Award – Johannes Brenner/ Cody Pastorino (Stuttgart Surge)

20.50 CET: Stuttgart Surge set themselves a big goal before the season: to reach the championship game at home. The team achieved this, thanks in large part to their strong defense, which shut down two of the ELF's top offenses in the playoffs. The masterminds behind this unit: Johannes Brenner and Cody Pastorino. The defensive coordinators win the Assistant Coach of the Year Award, ahead of Brendan Noble (DC Nordic Storm) and Nick Johanson (OC Vienna Vikings). Learn more about the other Assistant Coach of the Year nominees.

Offensive Lineman of the Year – Brendan Oswin (Madrid Bravos)

20.45 CET: For the first time, offensive linemen will also be honored with their own award. And the first recipient will be Brendan Oswin. The offensive tackle for the Madrid Bravos was part of a strong O-line that gave star quarterback Red Sinnet enough time to break several ELF records. Also nominated were Roman Wahrheit (OT Munich Ravens) and Alessandro Vergani (OG Stuttgart Surge). Learn more about the other Offensive Lineman of the Year nominees. Oswin shows great sportsmanship and has kind words for the other nominees.

Comeback Player of the Year – Jon Cole (Fehérvár Enthroners)

20.40 CET: Let's move on to a particularly inspiring award. The Comeback Player of the Year honors players who fought back strongly after suffering serious setbacks. One of them is Jon Cole. The wide receiver missed almost the entire 2024 season due to injury. He later found himself without a job and only ended up with the Fehérvár Enthroners later in the season. Here, he quickly became an absolute bright spot and made a big impact as one of the best wideouts and returners in the league. Learn more about the other Comeback Player of the Year nominees.

Homegrown of the Year – Aleksandar Borkovic (Fehervar Enthroners)

20.37 CET: Homegrown players form the foundation of any good team. Running back Lukas Haslwanter (Raiders Tirol), defensive back Aleksandar Borkovic (Fehervar Enthroners), and quarterback Lars Heidrich (Stuttgart Surge) have impressively demonstrated how this can work. This year's award goes to Aleksandar Borkovic. After already catching attention with the Prague Lions, Borkovic made an immediate impact in Hungary. For much of the season, he led the league in tackles before being passed by AJ Wentland. His final stat line was impressive: 130 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 8 pass deflections. Learn more about the other Homegrown of the Year nominees.

©Petra Kutasi

Offensive Player of the Year – Aron Cruickshank (Madrid Bravos)

20.30 CET: This ELF season has seen many great touchdowns again. Many of them were scored by this year's OPOY nominees. While quarterbacks Ben Holmes (Vienna Vikings) and Jadrian Clark (Nordic Storm) shone with beautiful passes, wide receiver Aron Cruickshank caused a sensation in his own way. The Madrid Bravos star broke three receiving records: the records for most receiving touchdowns, receptions, and yards in a single season. And that was in his first ELF season. Learn more about the other Offensive Player of the Year nominees.

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Defensive Player of the Year – AJ Wentland (Wroclaw Panthers)

20.26 CET: There are defensive players who have been changing the European League of Football for years, and AJ Wentland is one of them. The 30-year-old linebacker for the Wroclaw Panthers once again proved to be the anchor of the teams' defense and finished as the top tackler in the ELF. This year, he even prevailed over three-time DPOY Kyle Kitchens. Learn more about the other Defensive Player of the Year nominees. It was already his third nomination and finally his first win.

©Lukasz Skwiot

Special Teams Player of the Year – Devan Burrell (Helvetic Mercenaries)

20.22 CET: In addition to offense and defense, special teams also have a major impact on the game. And these three players were particularly impressive with their many return yards: William Patterson (Prague Lions), Devan Burrell (Helvetic Mercenaries), Nazir Streater (Hamburg Sea Devils). US import Burrell even did this for two teams. During the season, he transferred from the Wroclaw Panthers to the Mercenaries. The move did not harm his success, and the 30-year-old secured his third Special Teams Player of the Year award in a row. Learn more about the other Special Teams Player of the Year nominees.

20.20 CET: Foster thanks his parents, his coaches, his girlfriend, and above all, quarterback Jakeb Sullivan.

Rookie of the Year – Tyler Foster (Berlin Thunder)

20.18 CET: In addition to the offensive and defensive awards, the Rookie of the Year is also honored. This year, the title goes to Berlin, or more specifically, to Tyler Foster. The 20-year-old homegrown wide receiver immediately became a bright spot on the Thunder team. He made himself a reliable target for his quarterbacks, finishing with 64 receptions for 824 yards and 7 touchdowns. Learn more about the other Rookie of the Year nominees.

Defensive Rookie of the Year – Arthur Kingdom (Prague Lions)

20.12 CET: Every season, new stars emerge in the ELF world. Arthur Kingdom is one of them. The linebacker immediately became a regular player in the Prague Lions' strong defense, which secured the team its first positive ELF record at the end of the season. Kingdom contributed 85 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble. The E-import from the UK prevailed over Cologne Centurions safety Niklas Steinbüchel and Hamburg Sea Devils defensive tackle Jaimie Riedel. Learn more about the other Defensive Rookie of the Year nominees.

Offensive Rookie of the Year – Justus Seelig (Madrid Bravos)

20.10 CET: There are some new ELF stars on offense. Tyler Foster (WR Berlin Thunder), Justus Seelig (RB Madrid Bravos), and Chrisman Kyei (RB Hamburg Sea Devils) already had a major impact on their teams in their first ELF season. The prestigious title of Offensive Rookie of the Year ultimately went to Justus Seelig, who shone as part of the best offense of 2025 with over 500 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Learn more about the other Offensive Rookie of the Year nominees.

20.08 CET: In the background, many nominees are sitting in a specially set up player lounge. Here, live show host Matt Bressington will be sharing some exclusive stories throughout the evening.

20.02 CET: Host Nick Alfieri welcomes the audience and introduces the event. Accompanied by cheers from the crowd.

20.00 CET: Ladies and gentlemen, we are live!

19.45 CET: The excitement is building. This time, two new awards will be presented, including Offensive Lineman of the Year.

19.00 CET: Starting at 8 p.m., the ELF Honors will be streamed live on our YouTube channel.

18.45 CET: ELF Commissioner Patrick Esume will also be in attendance and will personally present both the Coach of the Year and Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. This will be Esume's last appearance at the ELF Honors for the moment. The founding member had already announced his intention to step down from his position after the season.

18.30 CET: In about an hour and a half, the first awards of the 2025 ELF Honors are expected to be presented. This year's event will be hosted by ELF Live Show anchor Nick Alfieri.

17.45 CET: The award show takes place at Palm Beach in Stuttgart. The event begins at 8 p.m. Many athletes are expected to attend to receive the prestigious awards. Among them will be the future MVP. Afterwards, there will be an exciting pre-party for tomorrow's championship game.