Away from its birthplace in North America, one of the largest followings of American Football spreads across Europe, from Spain and the UK to as far as Germany and Czechia.
Although fans watch the NFL and College leagues across the Atlantic Ocean religiously, it goes under the radar that they also turn out to support their local side too that compete in the European League of Football (ELF), German Football League (GFL) or British American Football (BAFA) Premiership.
The ELF and GFL competitions are the premier professional leagues in Europe and attract athletes from across the world, along with developing homegrown talents. This summer saw two of Leeds Beckett’s star players, offensive lineman Harry Sayer and centre Luke Daniel, earn spots on Milan Seamen and Pforzheim Wilddogs rosters to show off their talents on the field, and also learn about new countries and cultures off of it.
Both players sat down with LeedsNow to chat in depth about their experience:
“By Sunday I had flown out and I was in camp by the next week”
Opportunities can arise quickly and from anywhere in sport. As fate would have it, an injury in the Pforzheim Wilddogs camp and having the right contact saw Luke Daniel play in second division of the GFL this summer.
Daniel, who is a Great Britain Under-19s international and had never played in Europe prior to 2023, quickly went from talking to teams to packing his bags for Germany after a call from former Leeds Beckett quarterback Nick Alberto and the Wilddogs coaching team convinced him to sign for the Wilddogs.
“It was a quick turnaround but I was lucky really,” he said retrospectively. “You wonder sometimes if it’s the right decision, obviously on such a small time frame. But it’s one of those opportunities that when you’re given it, you can’t really say no.”
In his first season with the German side, the Wilddogs dropped a 3-0 start to finish in fourth place in the South Conference with a 5-5 record. Away from results though, it was the experience of playing in another country and expanding his knowledge of the game that was more important for Daniel. An added bonus was learning another language too; something that is massively important when it comes to communicating with team mates along the offensive line.
He said: “It’s impressive really, how much you learn by being there. Within the O-line, it was quite heavily German speaking. When I got there though, they made a really good effort to speak to me and obviously, as time went on, we understood each other so mannerisms and the way we talked got passed over.
“I was never really very good at languages in school, but because obviously you’re just using the language because you have to, you learn a hell of a lot quicker than in a classroom.”
Long distance away fixtures and ‘ultra’ fans
Over 300 miles south of Daniel, lineman Sayer was one of four international recruits suiting up for Milan Seamen, the newest side in the ELF’s central division.
Having played in Germany the year before, Sayer was no stranger to playing football in another country, but having the opportunity to make an impact at one of Italy’s biggest teams was something he described as ‘interesting’.
“Milan have been one of the biggest teams in Italy and as it was my first time in the country, we were going on a journey together,” he said. “Even though it was a tough year for the team, I think I’ve raised my level up. I was doubting myself when I first got there but as we progressed, we had some really like great close games versus some really good teams which boosts your confidence in yourself.
Unlike his previous experience in Germany, long away days proved tough. To put it into perspective, whereas the longest away trip for Carnegie is a five hour drive to Sterling in Scotland, the closest game for Milan was four and half hours away in Zurich.
What was the longest away game you ask? Barcelona…twelve hours away on a coach.
Despite the challenges, Sayer said it was all worth it to play in front of crowds that reached 6,000 in Germany, was unlike anything he’s experienced in the UK.
“When you’re running out to thousands of fans, it’s a really cool feeling but also intimidating,” he said. “We went away to Frankfurt and they had nearly 6,000 fans who were screaming at you. It blows your mind that it’s so different to the 40 parents it tends to be in the UK.
“Milan had some really dedicated fans as well. There is definitely an Italian ‘ultra’ experience that you see in the soccer but not quite to the same scale. It was something really cool to be able to play in front of.”
Returning to the UK and why others should take up the opportunity
Both Sayer and Daniel are back at CAF for their fourth seasons and enjoying life in a new regime, led by Joe Walker, who has previously coached the GB Student Lions programme for seven years. As two of the most senior players in the team, they hope that they can pass on lessons from abroad to the new and upcoming players just starting out.
Having played against physically bigger men in Germany, Daniels said that resiliency was a major lesson he is carrying forward in his football career. “I’ve brought back from Germany a resiliency and also a better understanding of the game. Especially with American football, the ability to play in different schemes, under different people, makes you a better player just because you see more things. That knowledge of the game is always something you can build on and something you can gain understanding in, which I think is really valuable.”
“You’re facing off against players who’ve played for years, maybe from the States, been on a practice squad on NFL teams, and you come up against this really tough competition”added Sayer. “Playing in Germany and Milan was the greatest summers of my life, and I’d tell anyone else to try it too.”
The Carnegie American Football season rolls on this weekend with a trip to Loughborough University as they look to draw level with league leaders Nottingham. With plenty of domestic games to come though, expect Sayer and Daniel to be leading from the front.
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