Of Europe’s 50 countries, 41 have American football teams with an estimated 1,500 teams spread throughout these countries. Germany currently has over 200 men’s teams and 40 women’s teams, and that number is growing every year. In an effort to facilitate the growth of American football in Europe, The Growth of a Game has compiled a complete list of […]
For decades, economic analysis models have been facilitators for business managers in establishing strategies on short-term and long-term scales. These analysis models are often quick to learn and easy to understand, but offer a wide range of applicable possibilities. With a number of adjustments, these models are not only suitable in analyzing a company’s […]
For decades, economic analysis models have been facilitators for business managers in establishing strategies on short-term and long-term scales. These analysis models are often quick to learn and easy to understand, but offer a wide range of applicable possibilities. With a number of adjustments, these models are not only suitable in analyzing a company’s status […]
Of Europe’s 50 countries, 41 have American football teams with an estimated 1,500 teams spread throughout these countries. Belgium currently has over 20 men’s teams and that number is growing every year, while women’s teams are likely just around the corner. In an effort to facilitate the growth of American football in Europe, The Growth of a Game has […]
American football and rugby share so many traits that more fans should pay attention to the connections between the two. Aside from the physical and mental similarities, the two sports share many structural similarities as well. That is why, as American football continues to grow at an incredible rate across Europe, it should look […]
Of Europe’s 50 countries, 41 have American football teams with an estimated 1,500 teams spread throughout these countries. Denmark currently has over 35 men’s teams and at least 1 women’s team, and that number is growing every year. In an effort to facilitate the growth of American football in Europe, The Growth of a Game has compiled a […]
[TranslatedArticles] When American Football International broke the news that Marco Ehrenfried was stepping down as the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns‘ starting quarterback, it made me curious how many home-grown European quarterbacks had the same success as Ehrenfried. A few names of active quarterbacks came to my mind: Italy’s Tommaso Monardi, France’s Paul Durand, and Sweden’s Anders […]
Think for a minute about college football in the United States. Player ages typically range from 18 to 22 and, while they are still developing, they’re in the prime of their physical condition. A certain level of passion distinguishes this demographic from others – their love for the game is the driving force behind the […]
December 17th, 2017 marked the third anniversary of my first introduction to Travis Brody and The Growth of a Game. When I first stumbled upon Travis’ articles, I immediately saw the potential of translating them for the Italian football community in order to provide them with articles in their native language. I then e-mailed Travis […]
In a country like Norway – where sports are a cornerstone of culture – it comes as no surprise that American football has gained significant traction over the past decade. Today, Norway is home to nearly 1,500 players across 30+ teams, spanning as far north as Tromsø to the southern city of Kristiansand. American football […]
I asked the elderly woman behind the cash register at Montalin Pharmacy a simple question out of curiosity: “Have you heard of the Calanda Broncos?” She quickly flashed a soft smile and her eyes almost seemed to light up the way a small child’s would if you asked if they wanted ice cream. She replied, […]
“We cannot always build a future for our youth, but we can always build our youth for the future.” Stijn De Backer applied this philosophy to practical execution when he created the Brussels Football Academy in Belgium in 2016. De Backer’s story in American football began in 2001, when he was fresh out of […]
Of Europe’s 50 countries, 41 have American football teams with an estimated 1,500 teams spread throughout these countries. Austria currently has over 30 men’s teams and approximately 10 women’s teams, and that number is growing every year. In an effort to facilitate the growth of American football in Europe, The Growth of a Game has […]
Whether it be on the field or off of it, the women of Europe are working hard to fulfill their goals and aspirations in the American football community. Women are not only present in the American football environment – they are creating their own. With women becoming an increasing presence in management among men’s teams […]
In May 2017, Mostar served as the host for an American football game between the Sarajevo Spartans and the Dubrovnik Sharks. The game was a demonstration of the desire to combat any remaining tensions in the region, and attendance at this event allowed players to contribute directly to the increased unity between Balkan […]
The roots of American football in England date all the way back to World War II. U.S. and Canadian troops stationed throughout Europe would meet in the United Kingdom regularly to compete in rivalry matches throughout the war. These contests were met with positive reception from the British locals. In the two largest events, pitting […]
Dating back to the 2007 season, the National Football League has been playing at least one regular season game abroad each year. Beginning as an annual event, the NFL International Series expanded to multiple contests in 2013 and now features four regular season games every year. While the first 15 games were held exclusively at […]
[TranslatedArticles] When it comes to American football in Scandinavia, one would be hard-pressed to find a country with a more successful, storied past than Finland. Dating back to the formation of the American Football Association of Finland (SAJL) in 1979, the sport has experienced significant growth year after year, especially in the last two decades. […]
[TranslatedArticles] The development of American football has uniquely progressed in the 41 European countries that currently have teams. The game organically appeared in each of these countries and the story of the sport in any one place is never quite the same as in any other. Even within this context, the development of the […]
[TranslatedArticles] It would be an understatement to say that the rest of Europe owes much of its cultural and historical traditions to the Balkans. In the 3rd Century A.C.E., long before the Enlightenment, the Renaissance, or the Reformation, the Roman Empire was teetering on the verge of collapse. In the midst of this tumultuous […]
[TranslatedArticles] Slovenia is a country of crossroads. Geographically speaking, four major European formations – the Alps Mountains, the Dinarides Mountains, the Pannonian Plain, and the Adriatic Sea – all intersect within this tiny country. From a linguistic standpoint, Slovenia has 3 official languages: Slovene, Italian, and Hungarian. However, English, Spanish, German, French, Serbian, Croatian, […]
[TranslatedArticles] As part of my dissertation on the NFL’s future in Europe, I reached out to The Growth of a Game founder Travis Brody to discuss the topic. The interview gave me further insight into the NFL’s long-term strategies in Europe regarding brand extension, consumer communication, marketing, and business planning. What follows is the […]
For decades, economic analysis models have been facilitators for business managers in establishing strategies on short-term and long-term scales. These analysis models are often quick to learn and easy to understand, but offer a wide range of applicable possibilities. With a number of adjustments, these models are not only suitable in analyzing a company’s status […]
[TranslatedArticles] The widespread presence of American football in Europe is becoming more and more common knowledge among people around the continent. In countries like Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, and Finland, among others, the game has become relatively advanced. The German Football League and the Austrian Football League have even been gaining global attention, especially […]
For decades, economic analysis models have been facilitators for business managers in establishing strategies on short-term and long-term scales. These analysis models are often quick to learn and easy to understand, but offer a wide range of applicable possibilities. With a number of adjustments, these models are not only suitable in analyzing a company’s […]
Concern over the safety of playing American football can create legitimate reservations in the minds of both players and loved ones. Now of all times, with all the sophisticated knowledge and science surrounding injuries associated with the sport, organizations and players must treat safety with the utmost respect. Not coincidentally, in early 2016, the Danish […]
For decades, economic analysis models have been facilitators for business managers in establishing strategies on short-term and long-term scales. These analysis models are often quick to learn and easy to understand, but offer a wide range of applicable possibilities. With a number of adjustments, these models are not only suitable in analyzing a company’s […]
21 countries in Europe are home to over 200 women’s American football teams. This fact is astounding because in the United States – the birthplace of American football – women rarely, if ever play. However, in Europe, the situation is clearly quite different. In tribute to such a prevalence of women in the sport, The Growth […]
Spring has arrived. The many hours spent sweating at the local gym have been replaced by the wet green grass of the playing field. Finally, as a young player, you’re able to let your muscle strength bring fruition to your team’s success. Your physical abilities are one thing, but an even more vital element […]
From an early age, children in the Netherlands are generally quite active and are involved in a broad variety of sports including soccer, field hockey, volleyball, gymnastics, and more recently, all forms of American football. However, when children turn 13, there is a relatively steep decline in participation of approximately 11% when it comes […]
Of Europe’s 50 countries, 41 have American football teams with an estimated 1,500 teams spread throughout these countries. The sport’s widespread appeal in Europe is undeniable, however the extensive prevalence of American football in Europe will likely come as a surprise to many. In an effort to facilitate the growth of American football in […]
[TranslatedArticles] With the objective of facilitating the development of American football in Europe, The Growth of a Game has established a developmental camp system that will commence in 2016. As one of the many long-standing plans we’ve had since The Growth of a Game first launched, our camp system is aimed at long-term skill […]
[TranslatedArticles] The genesis of The Growth of a Game really started during my first season as an import player in Europe in 2008. I played for a team called the Brussels Bulls, an upstart team in the Belgian Football League. The Bulls were coming off of a winless first season in 2007 and failed […]
[TranslatedArticles] To any fan of American football, the story of the sport in Ireland is not only fascinating but also deeply inspiring. The sport is growing in Ireland at a faster pace than in almost every other country in Europe. The Irish American Football Association (IAFA) is the recognized governing body for the sport […]
[TranslatedArticles] We’re living in a digital age. It’s time to rethink the financing of amateur or semi-pro athletes and sports teams. If you look at the websites of amateur sports teams, most of them seem to be stuck in 1998. The same problem occurs with earning profits. Most teams’ horizons end with sponsoring, ticket […]
[TranslatedArticles] While conducting research for Travis Brody’s upcoming book, which aims to cover the past, present and future of American Football in Europe, Travis and I have collectively interviewed dozens of American football teams from nearly every European country. Altogether, this exploration is rapidly becoming the most exhaustive body of research in existence concerning […]
[TranslatedArticles] You might think that a dairy farm is not the traditional launching pad for a professional football career, but then you might not know Kyle Newhall-Caballero. And yet, after stops with the Ivy League, the Oakland Raiders, and Prague, growing up on a farm seems to be by far the most traditional thing […]
[TranslatedArticles] When I tell people that by the time I turned 22 I had already played American football for nine years, they’re often surprised and sometimes even amazed. Yet instead of donning a American football player. You may argue that for some positions such as linebacker or lineman, there isn’t much value in playing […]
[TranslatedArticles] American football in Europe is still in its formative years. Despite the fact that many clubs date back to the late 1970’s, that there are currently well over 1,500 teams peppered across 41 countries in Europe, and that the popularity of the sport within the many cultures of Europe is widely growing, most […]
Through extensive research and the assistance of The Growth of a Game community, we’ve compiled a list of European NCAA football players. One of our stated goals is to increase the public awareness of American football in Europe, and one of the ways in which we aim to do so is by acknowledging the prevalence […]
[TranslatedArticles] The potential of a move to London by an NFL team has not gone without its doubters. Since the National Football League first brought the NFL International Series to the U.K. in 2007, many claimed that the league had some fairly unrealistic expectations about the growth of American football abroad. Yet since that […]
[TranslatedArticles] Taking it upon himself to increase his coaching knowledge and understanding of the game of American football, Eoin O’Sullivan recently shadowed the coaching staff of the Alfred State football program in New York. O’Sullivan, an assistant coach for the Irish national U-20’s team, opted to learn from some of premier coaches at the NCAA […]
[TranslatedArticles] Coaching is, most importantly, putting your players in the best position for them to succeed. The most obvious ways to do this are to train your players well in practice and to call plays that take advantage of your opponents’ weaknesses. However, it also means putting the right players on the field in […]
[TranslatedArticles] The game of American football has been around since 1869, just four years after the American Civil War ended. For some perspective on how long ago that was, the telephone wasn’t invented by Alexander Graham Bell until 1876, a full seven years later. That makes American football really, really old. For a sport […]
[TranslatedArticles] With approximately 1,600 American football teams in Europe and new clubs popping up every week, there is significant interest in maximizing profitability for these organizations. Many teams understand the basics of building a budget, but most have yet to tap into the full extent of profit models available to them. We’ve spoken with […]
When Fiona Quimbre first tried out for Cardiff University’s American football team, not many who were present thought she would return. Five months later she became the first female to play for the Cobras. The 18-year-old cornerback ran onto the field for her first taste of full-contact football in a live game for Cardiff’s end-of-season […]
[TranslatedArticles] The Growth of a Game is officially announcing the addition of translated articles to its list of resources. These translations can be accessed through links at the top of each original article or in the “Categories” section on the right-hand side (bottom for mobile devices) of the page. Ever since The Growth of […]
For the past 5 years, we’ve been compiling a list of European NFL players through extensive research and with the assistance of The Growth of a Game community. One of our stated goals is to increase the public awareness of American football in Europe, and one of the ways in which we aim to do […]
The quality of a team’s uniform is a direct indication of how a team perceives itself. A high-quality uniform with complimentary colors suggests that the team is professional and committed to success, whereas an outdated uniform with poorly contrasting colors is a obvious example of a team that sees itself as an amateur organization. […]
[TranslatedArticles] For much of its 29-year existence, the Oulu Northern Lights from Finland were able to boast that they were the northernmost American football team in Europe. That all changed in a big way in 2011. 586 km north of Oulu and 350 km north of the Arctic Circle, the Tromsø Trailblazers are getting […]
[TranslatedArticles] I knew how committed Kim Ewé was to coaching after he had to postpone our first interview so he could finish reviewing film. “I have to make sure my practice plan is ready,” he says. “I use Hudl a lot. Do you know it? It’s my lifeblood.” If you needed any convincing that […]
[TranslatedArticles] Every football player in the United States grows up dreaming what it would be like to play in the National Football League. While it’s a pleasant thought, few Americans ever have the chance to experience it due to the highly competitive nature of the league and the limited roster spots available. For the […]
[TranslatedArticles] One of the primary steps that any team takes in order to create a professional environment is to sign an import player. Import players typically come from North America due to the higher level of play and the longer tradition with the game of American football, however in recent years many European teams […]
[TranslatedArticles] By chance, a choice of clothing led former University of Wisconsin quarterback Clay Rust on an unexpected football journey in England. Rust, a chemistry major at Wisconsin, quit the Badgers football team after the 2012 season and moved in the fall of 2014 to Bristol, a city in the west of England, for […]
[TranslatedArticles] To say that it once seemed unlikely that American football could ever grow in Europe would be quite an understatement. That’s not to say that it seemed unlikely because it was American in origin. Basketball has certainly taken hold in Europe along with baseball, volleyball, and lacrosse to a lesser extent, so the […]
[TranslatedArticles] This interview is provided in partnership with FieldGoal.eu. The original version can be viewed in Spanish. Travis Brody is the founder and main contributor of “The Growth of a Game” and President of Premier Class Consulting (PCC), a consulting firm that facilitates the progression of sports organizations in Europe and the United States. […]
[TranslatedArticles] The Hastings Conquerors looked around at other American football clubs across the United Kingdom for direction before starting their own franchise in 2013. They just chose to go in a completely different way. As one of the UK’s newest American football franchises, they’ve quickly instituted an efficient management structure and have begun to […]
American Football in Europe has come a long way over the past 35 years. Many local teams were established in Germany, Austria, and Italy during the late 70’s and early 80’s, and during that time, the NFL sent teams over to London and Berlin to promote their sport through friendly games in front of sell-out […]
[TranslatedArticles] The New York Yankees, the most successful Major League Baseball team in history and one of the most valuable sports franchises of all-time, revolutionized not only baseball but all of professional sports. The Yankees once went through an unprecedented period of dominance in which they won 11 World Series between 1947 and 1962, […]
[TranslatedArticles] You don’t find many guys who have played in Division 1 college football, the NFL, NFL Europe, and the German Football League. Larry Croom did just that. That he came from a city like Long Beach, California – home to legendary hip hop artists such as Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Nate Dogg […]
[TranslatedArticles] One of the things that separates an average coach and a great coach is the desire to constantly improve their abilities. American football is a sport that is rich in strategy and technique, meaning that the ways to improve our understanding of the game are endless. Coaches, too, have countless ways to improve […]
[TranslatedArticles] As a rising sport in Europe, American football has attracted interest and sponsorship from countless companies across the continent. These brands are beginning to acknowledge the untapped potential of sponsoring American football teams and organizations, as the sport not only has a diverse and loyal following, it is also growing exponentially by the day. […]
[TranslatedArticles] Former Colts and Rams general manager and personnel legend Don Klosterman may have put it best when he told former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, “Do not evaluate a quarterback the way you evaluate the other 21 positions. They’re playing a different sport. With a quarterback, it’s the things you can’t put down […]
[TranslatedArticles] When the National Football League announced that it was shutting down NFL Europe in 2007, the league was quick to state that they would be returning to Europe with an NFL regular season game in London later that year. They’ve since followed up on that promise, and then some. What started out as […]
[TranslatedArticles] Last week I was in Giessen, Germany visiting a former teammate who now plays for the Gießen Golden Dragons, and we spoke about the growth of American football in Germany as well as the rest of Europe. We were both encouraged by the number of teams that have been popping up all around […]
[TranslatedArticles] Since The Growth of a Game launched in November 2014, we’ve had several people ask how they can get involved to help increase the awareness of American Football in Europe. The great thing is that everyone can get involved in their own way. Whether it’s in person, via social media, or otherwise, spreading […]
[TranslatedArticles] NFL Europe was intended to be a proving ground for NFL hopefuls while simultaneously building interest in football throughout Europe. Though the league folded after less than two decades of existence, the NFL achieved both of those objectives to varying degrees. Just like any developmental league, NFL Europe had some hits as well […]
[TranslatedArticles] In 2014 Jarryd Hayne, one of the greatest rugby players in the world, announced that he was forgoing his future in Australia’s National Rugby League to try to break into the NFL. Hayne not only turned down guaranteed money and a potential multi-million dollar contract extension with the NRL’s Parramatta Eels, he did […]
[TranslatedArticles] By the time I arrived in Europe to play my first season for the Brussels Bulls in 2008, NFL Europe had been closed only a few months. The National Football League, under the guidance of newly elected commissioner Roger Goodell, officially disbanded its NFL Europe league on June 29th, 2007. In doing so, […]
[TranslatedArticles] As an athlete, you never feel like you’ve reached your full potential, regardless of your skill level. That’s the great thing about not only American football, but all sports: you can always push yourself further than you’ve ever been. The human body and mind are capable of extraordinary feats, and sports offer us […]
If you’ve ever wanted to track the progress of American football in Europe or join with others just like you in helping to grow and strengthen the game, this is where you belong. The Growth of a Game is now live! We’ve spent the last several months developing a website worthy of our objectives. […]
The Growth of a Game hosted its second camp of the 2019 camp season from March 23rd-24th with the Cologne Skills Camp, held in the North Rhine-Westphalia state in Germany. The event was the third skills camp that The Growth of a Game has hosted in Germany and it represented the 16th camp that […]
The Growth of a Game kicked off its 2019 camp season on February 23rd-24th with the Vantaa Skills Camp, held in the Helsinki region. The event was the first skills camp that The Growth of a Game has hosted in Finland and it represented the 15th camp that the organization has hosted in Europe […]
[TranslatedArticlesChild] Quando American Football International ha pubblicato la notizia che Marco Ehrenfried avrebbe lasciato il posto da quarterback titolare degli Schwabisch Hall Unicorns, mi sono chiesto quanti quarterback di scuola europea avessero avuto lo stesso successo di Ehrenfried. Subito mi sono venuti in mente i nomi di alcuni quarterback ancora in attività: l’italiano Tommaso […]